Hi from Andy

[buying_it]

Hey All,

Just thought to post a quick introduction and say hello to everyone. I just joined the forums and I have to say they are fantastic! I really like the people on here and the advice I have had so far has been great.

I run a small business that helps companies buy technology - simply put, I do all the running around, negotiating, make all the arrangements and then hand over a ripe deal to my client. My clients pay me based on how much money I save them - so I really go to town to find the best prices.

In the end I just love buying technology - and thanks to my Yorkshire/Scottish heritage - I refuse to pay over the odds!

If I can help anyone with buying advice and how to make the most of their current suppliers please drop me a line - I am always happy to help!

Look forward to meeting more of you in the future.

Andy

[kyber]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the forum.

I really like what you are doing. Seems like a win-win for clients.

Risk/Reward deals have always been a part of small businesses working together but you do not hear that much about them. They have not been the norm in big business outside of some of the huge PTI type works but are starting to come in.

I hope you continue to do well.

Your contributions should be most interesting.

Stuart
ps I really like your web site as well - and I do not often say things like that - clear, professional and to the point.

[buying_it]

Thanks for that Stuart,

I have already found a wealth of information in the forums - I look forward to contributing something of value as well!

Andy
PS Risk/reward just keeps you on your toes - nothing like risking your own money to make you try that little bit harder for your clients!

[Ozzy]

Hi Andy,
I have seen you other posts around the forums and value your input, thank you. Hello!

[redjim]

Hi Andy

Have you done much work in Europe? I only ask as I'm finding it a headache trying to set up and if I can off load some of the infrastructure, without losing out, then I'd be up for it.

Jim

p.s. I know where you're coming from with the Scot/Yorks parents, me also!

[buying_it]

I have worked around europe - but to be honest I am concentrating on the UK and London/Surrey at the moment.

Oddly, I am looking into moving to Slovenia for part of each year at the moment.

What where you thinking of as I still have contacts around europe and might be able to help...

Andy

[redjim]

It will be Cyprus, initially what was the Republic (Greek) but ultimately the Northern part (Turkish) as well.
A network that will support common office applications, vehicle testing, touch screen training & broadband & web. Sorry to be vague but I'm chasing funding (EC & bank finance) which will dictate the scale/timetable/volume to a certain extent.

[buying_it]

EC Funding?

Joy! Do you like paperwork? ;-)

I would be happy to help you along where I can - My contacts are more in central europe though.

Lets talk,

Andy

[Twistmedia]

Welcome Andy, new here too but people have been real friendy from the start.

Speak with you all shortly

[MartinC1970]

Hi Andy.

I'm new on here and I must say that I think that this is going to be a fantastic way of meeting new people. Everyone seems so friendly and it's good for a change being able to exchange views and information. And the best part is it's free and you don't even have to leave your chair.

Anyway, look forward to speaking with you in the future.

[Top Hat]

Hi Andy,

How much kit do I need to buy before its worth your while getting involved.

Would you be interested in 1 PC
Would it need to be several PCs

Just curious

[buying_it]

Hi Top Hat,

I start from small and scale so 1 PC is more than enough! A lot of my clients aren't even buying IT they are just thinking about it and building business plans and budgets!

I work in three different ways :

Hourly rate (less than £3,000)
Discounted hourly rate + % of savings (£3,000 to £7,000)
% of savings (£7,000+)

The hourly rate covers the time spent finding you a deal, not my time discussing your requirements with you. Quite a few of my clients use my hourly rate to brainstorm their IT spending plans or to check if a supplier is offering them a good deal.

For yourself (being interested in 1 PC) I would propose we have a chat and I will help you pin down just what you are looking for (if you don’t know already), your budget and then I would have a hunt around and find you a ‘deal’. I can tell you now that Dell are remarkably good and they are very hard to beat for a single PC (once you have added warranty, software, and extras in).

It takes me about 1-2 hours to narrow down a price range from various suppliers and layout the options that are open to you – which we then discuss.

You then make the final decision of who you buy from based on the information I have equipped you with and buy direct from them. (not me!)

The next time you need to buy a single PC you will (more than likely) do it without using me as you will know more about the suppliers to look at and the options you want to include in the purchase.

Some of my clients give me a quick call to see if I know of any special offers going on, which is of course free!

The next time you use me will be for a larger purchase and then I will be looking at setting you up with a credit account, account manager, standard discounted rates, and an IT spending plan that you can discuss with your suppliers.

This is all a bit rough and ready as a description goes – but I hope you get an idea of how I work!

Andy

[Top Hat]

Hi Andy,

Perhaps, I should PM you.

I don't need a PC, but I do need the following kit (or roughly)
5 tft monitors, probably 2 x 19" the rest as cheap as possible.
3 dual monitor cards, to plug all those monitors into.
1 giga bit network card (D-Link)
1 D link switch
I usually buy my hardware from Savastore, but have had customer service problems and would prefer to shop elsewhere

Software (I usually go the upgrade route, its cheaper, eg I buy works + office update)
MS Office, the one with Access included
McAfee professional
VB6 - I'm really having a problem sourcing a legit copy of this.
CorelDraw Graphic suit 12

I would normally pop along to Savastore, and get the hardware, then to Amazon for the software (not VB6 which I cannot find)

So how would you be able to help, what would I gain from your service, and how much would it cost (you might like to PM me this one)

[buying_it]

My first reaction is that with a shopping list like that you are equipping your staff with dual monitor setups on their main workstations and hooking them up to a central server which is going to be transferring large print (eps etc) files.

We would need to start with the spec(s) of the machines you are plugging all that kit into as you are going to need plenty of internal bandwidth within the PC itself to make the most of the dual monitors.

We then move onto - is this a one off, how often do you buy IT/software, your budgets and lastly whether you want me to beat a quote you already have or you just want me to find you a decent deal.

What would you gain from my service - interesting question. Your shopping list screams techy and you run an online store, so the honest answer is that you might actually gain nothing from working with me!

If you can spec your upgrades to that detail you can probably go a lot lower and fill in the fine detail as well. – whether you want to do this is another matter!

You primary gain is that I fill in the fine detail and you just open your wallet to make the purchase.

Your secondary is that if you are looking for a long term IT supplier we might have enough to start you along that path and get you a credit account. As it is definitely enough to get you introduced to some of the business sales people at Insight, Dabs etc

The third possibility is that if you regularly purchase IT kit like this then we can probably use a spending plan to get you slightly more of a discount. As part of you and I working together I would start coaching you into how to make your money go further with your suppliers – there are lots of ways to play the system!

I am going to be away over this bank holiday weekend but we could talk this afternoon if that suits you?

Andy

[Rkwilson]

Hey just wanted to introduce myself and say hello. What type of business do you have?

Mine is marketing..

R.K.,
rkwilson@rkwilson.ws