Help with bf's I.T business.

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  • #1
    Hi there.

    My boyfriend has his own I.T shop which he bought April 2006 wiht his friend. His friend has since left. My boyfriend has never brought home a big wage every month, if anything at all and lately business doesn't seem to be too good.

    Can anyone give any ideas on how he can get more business etc? He does computer services, sells hardware and software, does call-outs to homes and does passport photos as well. About a year ago we made up flyers and posted them in every house in the area but not alot came from that.

    He's advertised in quite a few places but still not much as most people are going to PCWorld now where tech support is cheaper than what my bf could possibly do.

    I was thinking of doing a small survey in the local area to see why people go to PCWorld etc and maybe give them a 10% voucher to use in my bfs shop or something.

    Anything else? I've got till April to try and turn things round otherwise he said he's gonna give it up which I really don't want him to do and neither does he.

    Thanks.

    Karen x
     
    T

    telemax

  • #2
    Hi

    Maybe you should think about approaching the business market locally.

    Buy some company names, get on the phone cold calling. I'd say target firm from 5 to 20 employees, who are to big to do the IT themselves but not big enough to have their own IT person.

    Feel free to ask any advice as I have done this on behalf of similar companies in the past,

    I hope this helps

    Jonathan
     
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  • #3
    The thing is he's only working on his own now and doesn't want to give up the shop. He doesn't really want to go get a ocntract for a big business company doing their computers because it would be too much work just for him. That kind of thing needs a few people doing it.
     
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    ken_uk

    ken_uk

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    Jul 27, 2007
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  • #4
    Is the shop online or bricks and mortar?

    If bricks and mortar, does he have a online shop, if not it's worth considering one.

    What are his prices like? Higher / lower / similar to pc world and other computer shops locally?

    What about offering a referall discount, say give a customer a discount of their next order for every paying customer they refer.
     
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  • #5
    Yea I thought a recommend a friend scheme would be quite good. He does have a website but I don't think its finished yet. He's aot cheaper than other compute shops and pcworld for definate which is why I don't understand how he's not getting more customers.
     
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    dave_n

    dave_n

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    Oct 27, 2007
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  • #6
    it's always been hard doing IT stuff for small business and home users. Even harder recently because people have a lot more skill with pc's and can often fix things themselves.
    I would strongly advise that your bf tries to hook up with local small businesses who are not big enough to have their own IT depts.
    I'm afraid the home user market is pretty much gone nowadays.
     
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  • #7
    Do you have any other ideas on what he could do then? Still runnign his own business, whether its having a shop or not? He doesnt want to teach as he doesnt have the patience. We did think of getitng rid of the shop and unning it from home however most of his customers just walk into the shop.
     
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    I

    INDIZINE

  • #8
    when you say 'most of his customers just walk into the shop' - exactly how many customers per week on average?

    How many are paying customers and how many are people who drop by to get a price and dont become a paying customer?
     
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    dave_n

    dave_n

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    Oct 27, 2007
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  • #9
    He may need to rethink and perhaps do what makes money.
    You say he doesn't want to get a contract with a larger business and he doesn't want to teach but these two options are usually quite lucrative and will put cash in the bank while normal business can be built up.
     
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    G

    green mum

  • #10
    I would love to know of a local person I could call on who would come and sort and any IT problems. If I was looking for someone my first stop would probably be the yellow pages - I'd be looking for someone I could trust and wouldn't rip me off so testimonials would be a big bonus. I'd also use someone if they were able to quote for a certain amount of work before starting.

    Hope this helps
     
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    becker

    becker

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    Jan 2, 2007
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  • #11
    Look, I’m not trying to be unduly harsh and I apologise in advance of being clumsily blunt, but, it sounds like your bf is running the shop like a hobby business? - if your bf wants a hobby then tell him to get a fishing rod or set of golf clubs!! If he wants a business or to do something that can earn him a living then he needs to wake up, bite his lip over stuff he doesn’t like doing and get on with it!! If not, shut the shop and get a regular job.

    There’s little money in providing PC repair to the home market – most home computers are now commoditised and almost cheap enough to be disposable, also the home market is getting more PC literate all the time.

    The only opportunity that might still exist is in the inter-operability between all the differing technology in the average home – for example, we have loads of different technology items that are supposed to ‘talk’ to each other, however, either through lack of time, bad user manuals or whatever, they rarely do. Offer a service to sort this mess out, provide a service to technology enable the average household and provide the after care they require when things stop ‘talking’ or a new piece is introduced.

    The technology enabled or smart house is a growing trend.
     
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    I

    it_will_work

  • #12
    palmtreegifts said:
    Yea I thought a recommend a friend scheme would be quite good. He does have a website but I don't think its finished yet. He's aot cheaper than other compute shops and pcworld for definate which is why I don't understand how he's not getting more customers.
    Click to expand...

    The #1 thing if you work in computers is to have a website. How can you expect any clients to take you seriously with out it? It's like a mechanic with no car, a plumber with no pipes and a bricklayer that doesn't have any walls.

    I don't possibly see how he doesn't have a website. If business is so quiet he should have plenty of time to knock one up.

    I agree with the poster above it seems like he is approaching this business as a way to get out of the house and not to make money.

    It took me all of 4 hours to get my website domain bought,coded and online. If he doesn't know how to get someone to help with it.
     
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    P

    Page

  • #13
    Snap - needs that web site.

    It does not have to be buy online retail with prices and I would actually advise against that. But I am guessing that the main business comes from the man hours and not really products.

    You need to decide what you offer that other people do not. Which I suspect is quite a lot if you sit down and think about it - but the main one is probably local service with local call out if required.

    Say what you can do and fix and use it to drive people into the shop or to contact you.

    I for one would be pushing the setting of wireless networks with wireless printer and setting up a new computer.

    Strongly consider giving clear pricing and also different pricing levels.

    So charge more for 24 hours turnaround than for a week and a premium for immediate - which some people may need desperately.

    Be prepared to work "funny" hours and make hay when the sun shines. Some busy weeks - some quiet weeks.

    Ensure the shop image and leaflets all match with this - we repair and we are local and we can visit your house part. Plus we are professional and focussed in what you do.

    Ditch the passport photos if you have a sign in the main window as this suggests mickey mouse to myself.

    Not an area I know - but an area that I would have thought could and should be a silvermine if approached in the right way by the right person.
     
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    A

    acu-it

  • #14
    PC shops are rarely lucrative there is simply far too much competition and very little markup on components. Which is why you see them opening and closing with such regularity.

    Again the home user market is difficult to make a living from as it a) it's not very lucrative unless your selling alot to make up for the poor margins and b) you will be competing with the backroom hobbyists and large stores like PC world (each with their own economies of scale and both with in relative terms less overheads than you).

    Your bf has a few options but he must sit down and plan out how he is going to be different from the crowd and work hard at achieving it.. Whether that be diversifying to related products, specialising expertise in niche markets, upping the customer service, etc.

    Within the IT industry it can take years to build up a good reputation and he will need to work hard to maintain it. As this industry is one of the most competitive in the market, you live or die by the knowledge and professionalism of you and your staff.

    Personally we still do work for the home users but it only accounts for roughly 3-4% of our total turnover (and almost zero of the profit) and we couldn't survive on its income alone.
     
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