Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Author: Joe Di Figlia, Robert E. Bailey, Jsgolfman
Page: 3 of 3

Jsgolfman's Thoughts

As an owner of a small business, my most powerful marketing tool is word of mouth. I think I can safely say that 50% of my business is derived from previous satisfied customers. I am not unique in my ability to diagnose and repair PC problems; there are techs-a-plenty if you look around. Indeed, the one thing that will make you stand out from the crowd is what happens before and after the repair or job is done. I am not here to offer a fool-proof method for making cash. Sure as I offer one, they'll make a better fool. What I can impart are methods and advice that have served me well and allow me to sleep at night with a clear conscience.

• Free estimates - Yes, my time may be valuable but the continued patronage will more than make up for the small investment of time.
• Fixed or free offer - I know, another freebie, but this one really makes points with customers. Once the customer has agreed to your estimate, make sure they are aware that the estimate is only if you are able to repair the item to their satisfaction. I can count on one hand the number of times I was unable to repair an item; but I can't tell you how many other customers that small gesture has earned me.
• Be flexible - For me this means I make house calls, even on weekends. I offer to pick up/deliver items rather than shipping them back. I often provide lower cost alternatives to customers which will serve them just as well even if they ask for something more expensive.
• Free education - This works only with customers who are willing and able to accept advice, make your judgments carefully. I'll spend time acquainting my customers with the new technology I installed for them. I'll educate them on what repairs I made and how they can avoid these issues in the future. Along those lines is another freebie I offer all of my customers, it's the next bullet point.
• Free CD's - I provide each of my customers, whether repair or new build, a utilities CD. Included on this CD are the latest versions of free AV, anti-spyware, firewall, browser, etc. Of course the CD has my company logo emblazoned on it so they remember who helped them out. It only takes a few minutes to download the programs and burn them to CD.
• My final piece of advice - THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! I don't care if they are wrong, they are right. You gain nothing by arguing with your clients. Your little bit of satisfaction probably just cost you 10 future customers. If the issue is a larger monetary one, small claims court is the place to go but other than that it's just not worth it.

At the end of the day, you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror and live with your decisions. If you can't do that and still make money, you don't need to be serving the populace. I once put together a memorial presentation for a family that just lost their father. I logged more than 30 hours producing the finished product but only charged the family for 20. The extra 10 hours would have made the project cost exorbitant. I lost some on that end but since have made approximately 50 copies for the other members in attendance at the memorial because they enjoyed it so much. Had I charged the 30 hours, they may have been reluctant to order more copies at such a high cost.

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