----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Shaw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 8:39 PM
Subject: [H] Re: -SOT- Warranty on repairs
Has anyone offered something special to drum up new work, such as free AV
&/or spyware scan on first visit?? If you > have, what was the offer &
how well did it work??
I have paid thousands of dollars in advertising to drum up new business and
I can report the following from 8 years of experience:
Display ads do not work, period! New builds or service. Tried and failed
miserably newspaper ads, those free advertising newsletter ads, ads in movie
schedules given out at the movie theatre, business cards inserted into
packets given to all who apply at a bank for new mortgages, billboards and
any other display type ad I could think of over 8 years. If I got any
response out of any ad campaign it was one or two phone calls.
Television and radio do not work. No calls, period from these.
The Real Yellow Pages - Works great for service ads. Under "New Computers"
my ad dominated that section for a year. I may have gotten 3 calls the
entire year. People have the mindset to not have a computer built. Some of
my customers have actually lost friends over this, pushing the idea of their
friends having one built after seeing theirs. So if you are going into the
Real Yellow Pages, forget "New Computers." Advertise under "Computer
Service." If you make an excellent presentation to each service coustomer
who comes in for the need to have their next computer built, one out of 10
will eventually have you build them a new computer.
I am convinced that the highly paid and respected corporate computer
technicians steer people away from custom built computers because they know
that most are butcher built. "Are you talking about ME?" you may ask if you
custom built for hire. Pick your spot. If you build them right and do not
buy low, butcher build and sell high, you are in the far less than 10% of
those who build for hire. Build for HIRE? Yes, I build for hire. You may
build to sell. What is the difference? I provide a line item quote. Who else
does that? If my customer can find a replacement component that meets my
standards at a lower price I welcome them to buy it and bring it to me to
include in their new computer. LABOR is the line item that ensures I am paid
to build the new computer.
Before you slam me for opening up this keg or worms again, yall started it
over in the service thread by asking or saying, "Has anyone offered
something special to drum up new work"
All I am doing is asking you to include new builds as a service in this
discussion. Let's brainstorm in that area of advertising, also.
For those of you who are like a local computer service center here in
Albany, GA who advertises that they are a Hewlett Packard Authorized Service
Center, the new builds aspect of this may not apply. Some of you do not
build but prefer to sell name brand computers and do service.
You may conclude as I have that the white box butchers have ruined our
reputation so badly we can never overcome it.
Chuck
