Re: Starting a consulting business
Charles Calvert
<usenet...@gawab.com> wrote in
<0ce0601d90aed788d...@mypost.invalid>:
>I am thinking about starting an onsite residential/small biz, PC repair &
>maintenance service. I'm in the Houston area.
>
>Does anyone have some solid tips about marketing to help me get started? I do
>not have the money to do traditional ads (paper,radio,TV). I was thinking
>about posting flyers in libraries and grocery stores.
That's probably a good first step. Consumers tend to look in those
places, as well as in the Yellow Pages. Other possibilities are
putting coupons in ValPak or a similar coupon envelope.
For small business, though, you're going to have to try something
else. I'm in BNI (http://www.bni.com/), which tends to be good for
new small businesses that are marketing to consumers and small
businesses. Joining BNI or any similar group is a real commitment of
time, but if you work at it, it can really pay off.
In general, work your networks: friends, family, clubs, church, etc.
Grant Barrett wrote a couple of good articles on starting this sort of
business a few years ago. I've reproduced them on my site with his
permission. You can see them here:
1.
<http://www.celticwolf.com/index.php/menu-useful-information/menu-business/11-article-fat-paycheck>
2.
<http://www.celticwolf.com/index.php/menu-useful-information/menu-business/12-article-fat-paycheck2>
I don't agree with every single thing he says (especially the part
about stickers on laptops), but on the whole he gives some good
advice. Note that the articles have been criticized for making it
sound easy. Starting a business is never easy. You have to work at
it. You'll work more hours than you would working for someone else,
but you also gain a lot more control as a result.
--
Charles Calvert
Moderator - alt.computer.consultants.moderated
Submission Address: ac...@celticwolf.net
Contact Address: accm...@celticwolf.net
Robert W. McAdams
> Hello everyone,
> I am thinking about starting an onsite residential/small biz, PC repair &
> maintenance service. I'm in the Houston area.
>
> Does anyone have some solid tips about marketing to help me get started? I do
> not have the money to do traditional ads (paper,radio,TV). I was thinking
> any suggestions.
First, I wonder whether you've done the math on a business of this kind.
Whenever you say "onsite", you're talking about driving somewhere.
Ask yourself questions like:
- In what region am I planning to offer services?
- How far will I typically have to travel to get to a customer site in
that region?
- How long will a typical onsite visit be? How long will it take to get
there and get back?
- What will the mileage expense be for going to and from a typical
customer site? The current IRS allowance is $0.55/mile, but you may
want to estimate the real cost:
(cost of a gallon of gas)/(miles per gallon) +
(average annual cost of maintenance & repairs)/(miles driven per year) +
(original cost of vehicle)/(average mileage when a vehicle is replaced)
- What will I need to charge for a typical onsite visit to provide me
with adequate compensation for the time I spend there, the time I spend
going there and coming back, and the cost of going there and back?
- What customers will be willing and able to pay this fee? (Keep in
mind that a customer may be weighing the costs of using your repair and
maintenance service versus the costs of simply buying a new machine.)
Once you've identified who your potential customers are, you then need
to ask yourself where those customers are likely to see your marketing
and how they are likely to react to it. How often do you read ads in
the newspaper? Or posted in the library? Or posted in the grocery
store? Or in the phone book? Or stuck in your mailbox? What do you
instinctively think about businesses that market themselves using these
different approaches?
Bob McAdams
Fambright