Should I put prices on my website?

[amazingtrade]

Will people with a broken computer be able to search for you on the web? A lot of people only have one computer.

The web is not really my main marketing tool, it just helps. Leaflets and my a local trade directory is where all the business has come from but since I have taken the prices of my leaflets the response has died.

 

[Uncle Ants]

... but since I have taken the prices of my leaflets the response has died.

That surely tells a tale in itself. See what happens if you put them back

 

[greg]

Also I think dressing smart also inspires a lot of confidence.

Fair point but if they dont call you they'll never know. Getting your website copy right - ie. sincere, succint and punchy without being ott will take time.

Also taking the example of the bad experience of fours hours instead of two to format a drive - dont just up the quote time to four hours, instead ensure the pre-sales stage gathers the info which would allow it to be a two hour job. Ie. your efficiency improves, but your prices dot rise. Naturally domt quote a fixed price of two hours if its typically a three hour job.

 

[mr cat]

nice site - however, I think maybe that you;re selling yourself short..??

just that the services you offer I'd say that most people would be able to do that themselves - i.e. if they know that they need to install a new harddisk then they will probably know what to do...
and your user base does seem to be strictly for consumers - what about small businesses and offering bulk discount for larger orders..?
whats about selling parts (I don;t know how to spell perpherals! ) etc

just my twopennys worth...

 

[auric]

I quite like the idea of a site that is 2D, not too many fonts, nothing flashing, no "loading" bar and easy to read - if the content matches the style the you should be onto a winner.

Do people find you via search engines or via your fliers? I ask because I came across this link offering some tips and ideas that are meant to get your site towards the top of the Google pile. I know nothing about the black art of search engine optimisation but wondered if this would help you in your quest for customers?

Can you get a couple of fliers posted on the local community board at your local library? It might help people who have broken their one home computer and trust or use the local library as an information source.

 

[Uncle Ants]

nice site - however, I think maybe that you;re selling yourself short..??

just that the services you offer I'd say that most people would be able to do that themselves - i.e. if they know that they need to install a new harddisk then they will probably know what to do...

I have to say, I'm not convinced that's true. If the potential customer base is all those people with PCs, what proportion of them do you honestly believe would have a clue about what is involved in changing a hard disc ... particularly if avoiding loss of data is an issue. Even if it were as many as half (which I doubt), that still leaves half who are still potential customers.

I agree re small businesses, as that's where the repeat business is to be found.

 

[amazingtrade]

At the moment I just don't know how to get the business from the commercial side of things due to my strictly limited marketing budget. I did mean to put a business section on a month ago but then I got busy and the site has been over looked until now. It is another thing I must sort out this weekend.

Wireless networks is an example of people thinking they can do it DIY, a lot of home ones I have seen have no security on them at all.

 

[auric]

a lot of home ones I have seen have no security on them at all.

Is it ethical to wander down a street using your skills to hunt for non-secured wireless links and then knock on the door and offer to put things right? Better still why not try this in a business park? that way you will get in direct contact with the business users who do need your skills.

 

[garyi]

I find it unlikely there will be many businesses with non secure wifi, no doubt some but not many, walking in an telling them might make you appear a twonk.

The kind of business you have can only start up from word of mouth. I would suggest that websites are a trivial concern right now, you need that word of mouth.

With the greatest of respect, how have you turned into your first jobs? Was it in a shirt and tie, or a pair of jeans and system of a down t-shirt?

Did you turn up in a banged out nova?

Do you have a 'number 2' all over because its cheaper and your mum can do it?

These are harsh questions, but they need to be asked. In essence what I am getting from this thread is that you are asking your mum for business advice.

Consider if you will, how a potential customer would view this thread?

Its time to think Business, and how you appear is a very large proportion of that. What you do is secondry (unless you fit carpet or do plumbing, things people simply cannot do effectively without experience) If I were living near you and knew of your business concern would I come to you? Or would I feel more confident entering a shop for help?

How can you make people more confident?

BTW Sorry to your mum is she is actually a business advisor.

 

[Uncle Ants]

I think you should wear a blue boiler suit

 

[Uncle Ants]

Is it ethical to wander down a street using your skills to hunt for non-secured wireless links and then knock on the door and offer to put things right? Better still why not try this in a business park? that way you will get in direct contact with the business users who do need your skills.

I don't see why it would be unethical ... might put a few peoples nose out of joint, but probably not. Quite a clever idea actually.

 

[Tenson]

No no, you have to go professionally dressed. Especially when dealing with virus'.

 

[amazingtrade]

I find it unlikely there will be many businesses with non secure wifi, no doubt some but not many, walking in an telling them might make you appear a twonk.

The kind of business you have can only start up from word of mouth. I would suggest that websites are a trivial concern right now, you need that word of mouth.

With the greatest of respect, how have you turned into your first jobs? Was it in a shirt and tie, or a pair of jeans and system of a down t-shirt?

Tie and the full works.

Did you turn up in a banged out nova?

Legs Although some times my dads Escort which looks modern if you don't know about cars.

Do you have a 'number 2' all over because its cheaper and your mum can do it?

My hair is not short or not long, it is just smart.

Confidence can only be given by sounding and looking professional, giving legally binding quotes and giving proper invoices etc.

I have booked a job in today.

And finally my mum isn't a business adivisor but she has had experience of running my dads business for the past 9 years.

 

[amazingtrade]

Is it ethical to wander down a street using your skills to hunt for non-secured wireless links and then knock on the door and offer to put things right? Better still why not try this in a business park? that way you will get in direct contact with the business users who do need your skills.

I've had a couple of jobs to fix already existing wireless installations and they were not secure. Half my neigbours are also unsecured.

It is not about searching for unsecure networks it is about knowing so many people don't bother with security and they don't realise what danger they are putting them selves in. Aka being arrested for viewing child porn or even data hacking.

 

[amazingtrade]

haha I don't. But if your network is unsecure remember you are sending IP packets via radio and people can disecpt them. The most simple cyber-radio crime is using other peoples ISPs and this why inocent people can get into big trouble.

Sorry poor spelling rushed post, I am off out now

 

[auric]

In addition to fixing wireless problems and offering a PC health check you could always offer to slap on Google Pack so giving them a simple set of opensource tools that should get them pointed in the right direction. You could always for a fee offer simple training in the google pack bits and bobs.

 

[Bob McC]

I've not seen a photo of Devo in ages!

 

[rednose66]

Just wanted to say though that I Like the website btw. though the way you've written about yourself in the third person in the "about us" section, comes across a bit odd. At one point reading as though it were an obit and perhaps you were dead.

Try writing it as "We" rather than "Ian" and write about what you can do and what your values are - Offering good value, friendly helpful customer service, etc. rather than your qualifications. I don't imagine people give two hoots whether you got a 1st, 2.1 or 2.2, though I could be wrong. and make sure its in the present tense

"About us" is an opportunity to sell - take that opportunity.

Yep I have just taken a look the web site and I think it looks pretty good. I agree with Uncle Ants. Get rid of the qualification stuff - people would rather know that you have offer excellent service than knowing the specifics of your degree. And some of your customers will actually be put off. Lets face it it doesnt take a degree to swap a hard drive on a PC and many people may think that the higher qualified you are the higher your charges are likely to be.

Something I would also do if I were you is check the actual wording of your web site. Whilst the site is good to look at and pretty to the point I did notice areas where your English wasn't exactly correct!

As an aside. I work for a big cableco. We do a small business broadband product and it never ceases to amaze me how many of our customers are desperate for help when it coems to things like routers, networks and net connectivity. If I were you I would try targetting these small businesses in your geographic area. For a householder, being without net access for a day or three is not the end of the world. For a small, net reliantr business it may be.

 

[lordsummit]

I've deleted a couple of posts, I'm sure the initial post wasn't intended to be offensive but it was certainly innapropriate. The second was deleted as it referred to the initial post. Some subjects just aren't funny.