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This question has been closed, and points have been awarded.
Urgent Help Needed (marketing Newbie)
Posted By: smcintosh* on 1/20/2007 1:53 PM (CST) 250 Points
I started a computer consulting/web design business in august... all my capital (loans from family) is now gone and I don't know how to effectively market myself to get results quickly... can any one help? please...

P.S. I am not looking for a mirical to get rich... I just want to be able to pay my bills (approx $3500 per month)

Thank you greatly in advance

Posted by: CarolBlaha Member Response
1/20/2007 2:04 PM (CST)
Do you have any clients? the quickest way to bring business in the door is expand the business you get from existing clients-- and referrals from happy clients.

Do you offer monthly maintenance for those you do web design for? That would help you to build a monthly residual.

What is the profile of your existing clients? The next way is to repeat those successes. How did you get those clients and what businesses are similar.

Build on your successes.

Hope that helps, Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm
 
Posted by: telemoxie Member Response
1/20/2007 2:14 PM (CST)
Thanks for visiting our forum. More info, please. For example:

Where are you located? (Country, city)
What kind of computer services do you provide?
Do you have a web site?
Have you done any billable work web? Can we see it?
What have you tried to market yourself so far?
- are you marketing direct to consumers, or indirectly?
- have you offered any sort of "starter" or "trial" package?
Do you have happy customers?
Do you have a "coach"? Do you need one?
Part of selling is generating leads, part is closing deals.
- which is the bigger challenge for you?
Do you have the option to get a job, and start this part-time?
How busy are you right now?
Do you have any special qualifications or certifications?

etc. etc. etc. The more details you can provide, the more helpful we can be. Thanks.
 
Posted by: smcintosh* Author Response
1/20/2007 2:36 PM (CST)
Thank you for the fast responses...

Telemoxie... let me answer those questions
I am located in Rhinelander WI in USA

I provide services from simple computer maintenance to complete system design and installation as well as web design and programming

my website is www.choicect.com (though it needs updating to include the web design)

I have completed 1 billable site www.shirtssignsanddesign.com and am currently working on 3 more (1 of which is www.ravenlake.com a resort in canada)

I have done a mass mailing with a special offer that yielded zero results and I have walked around door2door in my local town and a nearby town of eagle river

I have not offered a starter or trial package as I am unsure what to offer that I can afford

I do have happy customers both in web design and computer services, some of which came to me after I left my previous job do the same work to start my own company

I am not sure what you mean by a "coach"? I assume you mean a marketing coach... and one would be nice

I have a hard time with both generating leads and closing deals... but more so with closing the deals...

I am looking for a job, but getting one will make it extremely hard to run my business as the servicing side is primarily day time work.

other than the 3 site I am working on I am extremely slow.

I am A+, Network+ and a Microsoft certified Professional... I am also self taught way beyond those qualifications but don't have the paper to prove it... just myself...

if there is any other info I can provide that will help just let me know... I need all the help I can get...

I was planning on hitting the streets again this week and trying that again... but I don't know how to approach it a second time around to be more productive.

Thank you very much...,
 
Posted by: telemoxie Accepted Answer
1/20/2007 2:52 PM (CST)
Thanks for the info. This will help us be more specific in our suggestions.

In the meanwhile, while you wait for others to chip in, you might want to check out these previous threads regarding marketing for on-site computer support firms:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=15917
http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=15072
http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=2122

There is a wealth of knowledge in our past questions: I quickly found those references with the following Google search:

+"computer support" site:www.marketingprofs.com/ea

Naturally you can change the initial string and find prior discussions on a range of topics. Good luck.
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Accepted Answer
1/20/2007 3:00 PM (CST)
I know exactly what you are going through. Many clients come to me with two years under their belt, w/nothing to show. I'm wondering what you did prior to launching your business.
Did you write a business plan?
Did you perform a SWOT analysis?
What did your research show that brought you to believe you could create a success in such a competitive marketplace?

These are some very difficult questions to ask. And, the answer to your question is also very difficult...I do not believe you can do something quick enough to keep your business afloat. You may need to take a few steps back, and get a job, write your plans, perform your market research, and in the extra time you have, try to get a client.

Are you networking within business organizations where your clients populate space? Are you in BNI type organizations?

A big issue with one of my clients in the "IT" business was that no one really understands what being in the "IT" business means.

When you say I am in the "IT" business...what does that mean? What would your elevator speech be?

The public has become savvy, they are tired of the words - "we provide IT solutions to meet your requirements/needs" or "We create websites that will drive business"...why, because websites do not do that. The public has come to realize that there is so much to the "IT" industry, that they have lost track.

One mailing is nothing. One door2door is nothing. What have you done today, yesterday? What will you do tomorrow?

Marketing is everything you do, every day to make your market aware that you exist. You have elected to serve a fickle public in one of the most competitive businesses on the planet. Did you know I can buy 500 web templates for less than $20? If I can, every one can. Your customer can, and may be doing just that.

A. Business Plan (realistic).
B. SWOT Analysis (truthful).
C. Marketing Strategy (based upon A and B).
D. Get a job, so you do not starve.

Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: Jeremy Shearer* Accepted Answer
1/20/2007 6:46 PM (CST)
Ahhhh, the painful truth, Randall, I love it!!!

Mr. McIntosh,

What Randall has pointed out is the dire truth, the problem with so many operators in the tech industry, is that they don't want to listen to us marketing freaks. Marketing isn't just about driving a quick flush of business your way. It is a way of life that ensures long-term success. This is where you need to focus your efforts. Find a way to pay your bills, and work on the long-term, not the short term for your business. Believe me, I know how it feels to want to find the quick fix to get the money in, but it can be very damaging to your company to do that.

On a side note, I would be happy to offer some help to you and your business with creating a viable business strategy if you would like. I work with many small businesses such as yours and help them each find their own success. Feel free to either email me at j.shearer@yahoo.com, or just respond in this forum and I will contact you via email with some information.

Best of luck,

Jeremy
 
Posted by: smcintosh* Author Response
1/20/2007 10:24 PM (CST)
What a harsh reality... and I thank you for the honesty... I was afraid this might be the answer... and I am more than willing to listen to you marketting experts... I know a lot about computers but nothing about marketting... Jeremy... I will be in touch about your offer this week... thank you all for the advice.

P.S. how does this points thing work then?
 
Posted by: scriblrr Accepted Answer
1/20/2007 11:29 PM (CST)
Just a simple, direct suggestion.

YOU are the product. But, what do your prospects need? There are probably 10,000 businesses from Milwaukee to Peewaukee that could use you, but they don't KNOW you.

Since you can't afford to query "suspects," why not try to define their needs yourself. You will likely be better at this than me, but try these as a model:

Prospect:
"I know nothing about the www and I'm afreaid of computers."

OK, what can YOU put in front of him/her that will assuage those fears and let YOU be seen as the needed solution?

Suggestion: A color postcard with a photo of YOU, a catchy, comforting, motivating headline, and copy that presents your VERY impressive credentials and suggests that YOU can make it easy for them to be online in NO TIME!

You have a lot going for you! I've been on my own since 1984 and I know how tough it can seem when the wolf starts howling outside your door! My advice is to invite him in, make him a pet, and tell him he'll only get fed if he licks stamps!

You can buy 5,000 color postcards very cheap and put your copy on the other side. A postcard mails for a lot less than a first class letter! You can compile your own mailing list from the phone directory (I know, I've done it!)

Lady, you have too much going for you, and you are THE PRODUCT! Forget about doing analyses, spend your few bucks on selling your prospects on how EASY you will make it for them to GET ONLINE and prosper!

I know you can do it...I know that I've done it!

Go, girl!

All the best,
George
 
Posted by: Alireza Mojahedi Member Response
1/21/2007 1:27 PM (CST)
Hi

What is your core competency?
Why costumers must select you for their needs?
If you can give a answer to this questions it means you know about your market
after that you need to promote your abilities to the costumers without advertising costs. Start from your friends and any costumers around you that may need to your services

After that and after you get money you can start to marketing for distance costumers

Regards
Alireza
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
1/21/2007 3:00 PM (CST)
Glad to hear your open attitude. Congratulations...you have made "The Right Step #1". This may eventually lead you to success. You are also invited to visit my website, and contact me, should you have further questions, after closing this post...which is easy. Scroll through the list of names you wish to award points to, and click in the open box. Then, close the post by scrolling to the bottom, and click the "yellow" box, I believe, and award points.

Truly...all the best to you.

Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: W.M.M.A. Member Response
1/21/2007 3:02 PM (CST)
ONE MORE THING...Please fill in your Profile information. To do that, look in the column to the right and click on "My Profile" which will take you to the area where you can list your BIO and other information. This will assist us to better serve your needs, and provide communication information, should we get any ideas, concepts or leads for you.

Randall
WMMA
 
Posted by: mike* Accepted Answer
1/22/2007 6:27 AM (CST)
I find that using such services as e-news letters is a good way to market your business.

You would need to purchase a database of email addresses for your territory or compile one yourself somehow. And send out an e-news letter to those addresses which include the contence of the above posts.

Doing your mail outs this way will allow you to track who's opened the emails, how many times, if they logged on to your site or went on to view some of your site designs etc.

From this you can gather details as to who might have shown an interest in your services and from there provide you with further leads.

Creating all this is very simple. The hard bit is gathering a mailing list together.

It's a relatively cheaper way than using post etc. (pennies really)

I've been doing this for a few of my clients for a few years' now and have seen some very positive growth in business through the door for them.

I use a website called www.dotmailer.co.uk very intuitive and takes a 2-3 hrs to get to grips with using their system.

If you decide to look in to this and you get stuck. Email me at [Email address deleted by staff] and I'll try to help you further.

Best of luck

Mike
Senior New Media Developer
[URL deleted by staff]
 
Posted by: Papadoc (Steve)* Accepted Answer
1/22/2007 8:57 AM (CST)
First let me say that I am quite familiar with your market (though many years ago), having been to and done business in both Rhinelander as well as Eagle River. As of the time I was there, a guy (George Krause) was running one of a couple of grocery stores and was making ends meet by selling pool supplies and services to local campgrounds as well as out of his grocery store. Small towns can require multiple or very broad careers.

I am sure things have changed since then and things are easier, but small communities can be an even harder market to make a living in specialized markets like yours. I'd suspect that if you can make it, you are going to have to expand your services even farther, but more importantly focus on your customer's needs, not yours.

From a web dev standpoint, consider your clients' perspective. The payback on a brand spanking new site would have to be pretty substantial. Selling web services in such a community is a hard haul. How much EXTRA business could they get by having a nicer website. Most will tell you the answer is none.

As in any business to business enterprise, what you need to focus on is one of three very basic needs. If you can show people how to 1) make more money (or keep it 2) how to have fewer problems or 3) how to have a better life, you will have all the customers you need.

Start with your customer's needs, not yours. What will make people have more money? With campgrounds, motels and resorts, perhaps one thing would be to take this off-season and get them WIFI enabled. Folks coming up for a week will bring their laptops and from the standpoint of a now old city-boy, I can tell you that whatever place had WIFI would have my business. If I could get it in my cabin or camping trailer, so much the better.

I only found one but really lousy area webguide to local businesses and their services, and it had no traffic to speak of. Consider an area directory that gave all the listings for tourists coming to the area along with features and amenities, and allow local businesses to advertise. I note that Rhinelanderguide.com is available at the moment.

How not to have problems would apply to anyone in the area with an Internet connection and what inevitably happens to them with spyware, adware and viruses. A home service of this kind might be a very good option. Most people don't even know what's bogging down their computer so consider advertising about this problem. Load Spybot S&D on their computer and scan and you will be the local genius when you point out the 300 some odd pieces of junk and speed up the computer to new specs again.

How to have a better life - consider running basic computer clinics. There's an awful lot of folks that are afraid of those infernal contraptions but that would benefit from it greatly.
 
Posted by: wendy.weinert* Accepted Answer
1/22/2007 9:21 AM (CST)
I admire your guts to stick your neck out there and to take a chance on doing what you really want to do. I would advice to #1 always have a business card with you (with all the important data such as was suggested by telemoxie on it - and maybe a picture of yourself) and be ready to hand it out anywhere and everywhere. Don't limit yourself to business. I think churches and other non-profit organizations may have IT needs but don't know where to turn. I also think it would be beneficial for networking purposes to use the local chamber of commerce business directory. Some chambers also send out a monthly e-newsletter and they may include you in it. Possibly considering doing a business after hours to get to know more of the people in your area and the needs that they may have. Again, don't limit yourself just to these people, use them for a chance to network and to pass your name out. Maybe even if you decided to do a business after hours, you could have your sample websites on a projector in the background going so people could get a first hand look at your work and your skills. Best of luck to you!
 
Posted by: smcintosh* Author Response
1/23/2007 12:08 PM (CST)
Thank you all for the help... I will be taking alot of what you have said into serious consideration... I think my best course right now is to find work and go part time for the moment... and continure that way as I grow my business...

Thanks again to you all... this is an excellent website and I will be certain the let people know about it.
 


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