Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

good morning everyone. my name is matt. i`ve been in the "IT service industry" for a while now, but now that i`m on my own i`m finding it hard to get new clients.

i`ve already called all of my friends and business contacts for business and while i have a lot, very few have been able to keep me busy.

i live in a small town, but i`m 30-60 minutes away from much larger cities.

i`d like to be able to get my name out there more, but it`s a daunting task and a little scary too.

does anyone have any suggestions?

thanks!

Hi digitalsquare

 

First, I would suggest you get set up with one of those remote computer access programs that let you access a client’s computer from a remote location.  Our IT consultants were set up that way and it saved them a lot of travel time by being able to fix most computer problems from their off site office location.  They could also do system upgrades the same way.  They only had to come to their customer’s office to do hardware installs. 

 

I’m assuming you already have a web site.  I would list it with either Google or Yahoo Local search for the city you primarily want to serve.

 

Also, are your service rates listed on your web site?  One of the big gripes prospective customers have is no pricing information listed on the web site.

 

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The older we get, the more excuses we make for not chasing after our dreams. But truth is, goals are attainable at any age.

hey there nevadascul. i do have my current clients on a remote access program that i can use if we need it. and, it`s my practice (with client approval, of course) to install this program so that we all save time and money.

i have a website, but i`m in the process of moving servers so it`s up and down. hopefully by the end of the week it will be up.

i had thought about listing my rates, but i didn`t know if i should worry about competitors or even clients just making the call to me. but seeing how i`m not getting any calls it won`t hurt to put the rates up.

thanks for your help!

Hi there,

I have had a company that does the same thing as yours since 1999. I would not recommend listing your rates unless you are prepared to compete as the low cost leader (which I never recommend).

I am assuming that you are the one who does the all of the computer work (that was how I started out so I know your pain) but there are some advantages to it. For one, you can establish one on one relationships with your clients, which is, in my opinion, the best thing that use can use to separate yourself from your competition. Don`t underestimate the value of these relationships.

Since you are the one who is doing the work, I would recommend that you use some Internet tools to expand your reach beyond your local service area. If you have a specific skill set, you can bid on project at Rent-A-Coder (www.rentacoder.com). You are probably not going to get rich doing jobs for Rent-A-Coder but it can pay the bills until your local work picks up.

The other site I highly recommend is OnForce (www.onforce.com). Especially with verifiable credentials, you can make some nice cash for quick work that you are willing to do. I would highly recommend that you be willing to work in the largest area possible, you can setup your profile to accept projects within 60 minutes of your location. The one downfall is that you have to be prepared to take a job quickly. We have timed them and the average job is only available for 4 minutes, so you have to decide if you are going to take a job pretty quickly. Also, make sure you have notices sent to your cell phone so that you can be alerted quickly.

Best of luck to you.

Mark Bebout

hey mark. thanks for replying to my post. i`ve always been hesitant to list my rates so it`s nice to know that i shouldn`t. luckily for me i have great relationships with my clients so it`s fairly easy for me to make new sales to them. it`s pretty much walking in the door and saying, "hey there. i haven`t worked here in a few months. wanna break something real quick so i can work?" they know i`m not begging and it`s a joke and usually they have things that they`ve put off having fixed. but, it isn`t something i can do with everyone of course.

thanks for the websites. i`m not a coder so i guess i`m out on that site but i`m in the process of signing up for the onForce site.

it`s good to know that i`m not the only one out there trying to build an IT business. i`ve been in this type business since i got out of high school, but i`m still not sure what to do when it comes to building the business.

Well there certainly is no magic bullet to building an IT business. You have competition coming from every angle. It has become a business that has very price sensitive buyers, so it hard to make a decent living. Everybody wants to be a techie because they think they can get rich. But it is very hard work and sometimes you don`t make that much money. Especially if you are a generalist.

Back in 2005 I made some changes in my business and now specialize in providing complete IT services for medical practices. We chose an industry that had specialized needs and designed services around those needs. I think that this has helped us carve out a niche business.

Do you have any specialized knowledge that you could focus in on?

Mark Bebout

i really enjoy setting up servers and doing network and data security. i have a great idea for a business that would allow me to do data archiving for both businesses and personal use, but i`m not sure how well recieved the idea would be.

most of the work i do is either for attorneys, doctors or accountants. very rarely do i do "general IT work" for the general public.

What is the idea?

well, it`s a data archiving business. basically it would be taking priceless family and business photos and documents, scanning them and storing them. it`s kinda a cheesy idea in a way, but i`m a volunteer fireman and i know that what i`ve seen from people`s houses and businesses burning to the ground, it sure wouldn`t have been a bad idea.

Not a bad idea. I would think that they would have to be very, very important documents or pictures in order to to convince someone to pay for it. Most people who would consider your archiving services would probably just purchase a small safe, or rent a safe deposit box.