What do you charge for backup?

[ell]

I am sure that you now feel much more prepared since you have set some prices. Here you have a is something to help people decide on what they want to charge....

First are you charging for your time (Even with flat rate) or are you charging for the solution.

Let me explain. With data backup the solution is to backup the data that is needed.

Now how do we do it... There are many different ways. We image the drive, remove the dirve and copy, we hook up an external drive and copy, we copy to a computer on the network and burn disc. These are called the "how" it gets done. Some take more effort than others.

So if we chage more for one and less for another I would say that we are in a sense charging by the hour rather than by the solution. Sure the by hour rate is cloaked in a flate rate price but if that drive pull backup takes less time than anohter type of backup are you going to give a discount... probably not.

Both pricing structures are very valid... but looking at things this way can simplify how you look at pricing.

More specific... I am confusued about data copy and restore for $40.00 isn't this actually the same as a backup? What is the difference between individual (sellective backup) and data copy. Why the two different prices?

thats just the price for data backups/restore when they have me do a reinstall too. If I charged $80 for reinstall + $80 for file recovery that would put me too high above my competition. So you think I should eliminate the in/out drive removal prices and just have one set?

 

[Mushin]

thats just the price for data backups/restore when they have me do a reinstall too. If I charged $80 for reinstall + $80 for file recovery that would put me too high above my competition. So you think I should eliminate the in/out drive removal prices and just have one set?

Don't let me influence your prices I am just trying to help think of all the angles. One observation though... because I have had $800 service calls in the residential sector... once you have the computer and are working on it don't undercut yourself. You have the computer for a reinstall at $80.00 and need to restore the data which would be anohter $80.00. Total $160 for the entire job. I see nothing wrong with this price point. I want to play like the big boys and charge what they charge. They would charge close to the same if not more. Why should you be any different.

Now sell the solution to the client with a total cost of $160 by adding value to them in some way. Most companies don't set their email account up, install printer drivers, install any programs...(Virsu Protection) etc... Rather than react on price alone find a way to stand out as a better option. Maybe your scope of work could include one of these added benefits.


If you had only 1 job a day and made $160 would that allow (no need to reply) you to keep operating? what about $80. I initially set my goal as $150 a day. Now my goal is have us generate $175 per repair.

Imagine $80 and needing two jobs each day versus $160 and being able to know that you made it that day. Revese it to the budget tech charging far less and ask yourself are they getting twice the customers? If not stick with the $160. Eventually they will close shop, reduce their price more (killing their profit even more), or raise their prices to be more in line.

Ok there is a lot here and I have some assumptions. That is that you are on equal or better footing with the competition and you have a good image provide very good quality service. Without these it does not matter what you charge and you should work on image and quality more than pricing because no amount of pricing will fix these.

 

[apochimongitus]

Now my goal is have us generate $175 per repair.

+1 - If I don't get circa $150 for a job in the workshop I haven't tried very hard... or I've just had that customer's computer and this is extra work anyway. Data backup onto disk is no different - I charge $150, but I also put it onto DVD and usually hand pick the files needing backup - ie. I rarely hand a customer something they can't actually use. An image file is no good unless you either have an image browser or put the image to use somewhere... Mind you, I don't normally get a 'please backup my data only' request...

Like most of the guys on here say, don't compete on price. All the jr's do and make no money... until they realise they're not making money and their customers would have paid triple what they've been charging all along. When I reinstall windows, I charge a fair bit, but also go to their house and setup their email, printers, internet and anything else they were doing. They also ask me their random questions and I do my best to answer them. This is part of my service. I explain the A/V + spyware programs that I use and give them a quick tutorial on how often they should be run to keep everything sweet.

Please bear in mind that I live and work in a mining town so I don't usually have a problem with people not paying - and I don't have all that much competition to speak of so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt.... oh, and I'm just doing this after hours too so I don't rely on it for my daily bread either.

Cheers,

Apochimongitus.