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Self-Counsel Press - Lynn Spry , Philip Spry

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87 pages

English

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Description

Start & Run a Computer Repair Service is ideal for entrepreneurs interested in opening and operating a computer repair shop and/or mobile on-site repair business. Professionals with a background in IT, retail, and related fields are often interested in branching out on their own. This book examines the nuts and bolts of starting a business in the North America, then delves into the specifics of retail and mobile repair shop ownership and operation.
Contents
Introduction xiii
1 Computer Repair: An Opportunity in Any Economy 1
1. The Computer Business during a Boom 4
2. The Computer Business during a Bust 5
3. A Business That Grows in Any Economy 5
4. How Much Can You Make? 5
4.1 Part time: Owner-only business 5
4.2 Full time: Owner-only business 6
4.3 Full time: Business has employees 6
5. Are You Qualified? 7
6. Why You Don’t “Need” Technology Certifications 9
7. There Are Easy Ways to Solve New Problems 9
8. Getting Paid to Practice 10
9. Working at Home versus Retail Storefront 12
9.1 Finding a location for a retail storefront 12
9.2 Working from home 15
10. How Much Will It Cost to Start Your Business? 16
2 Starting Your Business 19
1. Create a Business Plan 21
1.1 Executive summary 22
1.2 Business description and vision 22
1.3 Financial data 23
1.4 Supporting documents 24
2. Choose Your Business Structure 25
2.1 An important note about partnerships 26
3. Apply for an Employee Identification Number or a Business Number 27
4. Separate Your Business and Personal Assets 27
5. Insurance 28
3 Building Credibility 31
1. Design a Logo 33
vi Start & run a computer repair service
2. Create a Professional Website 33
2.1 Building your website 34
2.2 Critical information to include on your website 34
3. Vehicle Wrapping 35
4. Professional Forms and Documents 36
5. Professional Business Cards 36
5.1 Critical information to include on a business card 36
4 Free (or Almost Free) Advertising 39
1. Creating Craigslist Ads 42
2. Investing in Happy Customers 42
3. Writing an Internet Blog 43
4. Social Media 43
5. Networking with Complementary Businesses 44
6. Paid Advertising 45
5 Tools of the Trade 47
1. Software You Should Own 49
1.1 Microsoft TechNet and Microsoft Action Pack 50
1.2 LogMeIn Rescue 50
1.3 Accounting software 50
1.4 OpenOffice 51
1.5 Norton Ghost 51
2. Necessary Websites 51
3. Your Work Area 51
3.1 Inexpensive tech benches 51
3.2 The necessities 52
4. Payment Options 53
4.1 Checks 53
4.2 Money orders and cashier’s checks 54
4.3 Credit card machines 54
4.4 PayPal 54
4.5 Barter 54
6 Services 55
1. The Diagnostic 57
Contents vii
1.1 Custom estimate for laptop hardware repair 58
1.2 Full diagnostic after multiple problems have been identified 58
1.3 Reproduction of intermittent errors 58
2. Other Common Services 58
2.1 Tune-up 59
2.2 Virus removal 59
2.2a Antivirus programs 59
2.2b Virus removals are not included in the regular service warranty 60
2.2c Answering the “porn” question 63
2.3 Wipe and reload 63
2.3a Find the operating system key 63
2.3b Be clear 64
2.3c Up sell a better OS 64
2.4 Data transfers versus data recoveries 64
2.4a What qualifies as a data transfer? 65
2.4b What qualifies as a data recovery? 66
2.4c Validate the data recovery or data transfer 67
3. Laptop Repairs 67
3.1 Ordering custom laptop parts 69
3.2 Motherboard replacements 70
3.3 Power jack repairs 71
4. Research What Your Competitors Offer 71
5. Know Your Customers 72
6. Determining Your Service Policy 72
7 Pricing Your Services 75
1. Calculating What Your Time Costs 77
2. Calculating Flat-Rate Services 78
3. Estimating Custom Work 79
4. Check Your Pricing 79
8 Diagnosing a Computer 83
1. Designing Your Check-in Form 86
2. How to Complete a Diagnostic and Make a Sale 87
2.1 Step 1: Ask the customer to complete the form 89
viii Start & run a computer repair service
2.2 Step 2: Read the customer your policies 89
2.3 Step 3: Have the customer sign the disclaimer 89
2.4 Step 4: Have the customer explain the problem 89
2.5 Step 5: Reproduce the problem 89
2.6 Step 6: Identify the cause of the problem but do not fix it 90
2.7 Step 7: Obtain customer approval to complete the work 90
2.8 Step 8: Complete the work and check the computer 91
2.9 Step 9: Have the customer verify that the work is complete 91
2.10 Step 10: Collect your payment 92
9 Choosing Your Stock 93
1. What Type of Stock Do You Need? 95
2. Parts You Probably Shouldn’t Stock 96
3. Carrying New Computers 96
4. Carrying Notebook Parts 97
5. Finding Used Computer Equipment 97
10 Vendors 99
1. Finding Vendors 102
1.1 Industry wholesalers 102
1.2 Vendor terms 103
2. Building Your Own Computers 103
3. Auctions 103
4. What to Do If You Are Taken Advantage of by a Vendor 103
11 On-Site Service Calls 105
1. Discuss Payment Terms 107
2. Whether or Not You Should Go On-site 108
3. Tools to Bring to Every On-Site 108
3.1 Up selling with additional items 109
4. Special Order Items 111
12 Warranties 113
1. Warranty Seals 115
2. Keeping Warranty Costs Reduced 117
2.1 Make sure that the computer is under warranty 117
Contents ix
2.2 Software problems are almost never under warranty 118
2.3 Abuse should not be covered 118
2.4 Parts can be replaced at little or no cost to you 118
3. Look for Up Selling Opportunities 119
4. Don’t Let the Warranty Scope Creep 119
13 Provide Great Customer Service 121
1. Tips to Provide Great Customer Service 123
1.1 Plain language works best 124
1.2 Answer the phone politely 124
1.3 Empathize with your customer 124
1.4 Providing solutions, not just problems 124
1.5 Keeping the customer in the loop 124
2. When Something Goes Wrong 125
3. Handling Returns 125
4. Customer Lessons You Need to Learn 126
4.1 People lie! 126
4.2 Customers don’t always know what they need 126
4.3 Almost all customers care about their data 127
4.4 Do-it-yourselfers can be costly 127
4.5 People are willing to pay before the problem is fixed 128
4.6 People will want custom work done for free 128
14 Extra Sources of Income 131
1. Maintenance Plans 133
2. Computer Recycling 133
2.1 Repair and sell 133
2.2 Keep the computer for parts 134
2.3 Sell the parts on eBay or Craigslist 134
2.4 Scrap it 134
3. Website Sales 135
4. Inventory 135
5. Drop Shipping 135
6. Website Development and Domain Reseller 135
x Start & run a computer repair service
15 Expanding Your Business 137
1. Hiring Employees 139
1.1 Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork 139
1.2 Training new employees 140
1.3 Transitioning your existing clients to new employees 140
2. Opening a Retail Location 140
2.1 Find a great location 141
2.2 Buying an existing store 142
2.3 Buying into a franchise 143
3. You Can Make It Work! 143
Tables
1 Working from Home versus Retail Storefront 13
2 Where to Locate a Retail Storefront 15
3 Where to Complete Work 109
Samples
1 Virus Removal Agreement 62
2 Wipe and Reload Agreement 65
3 Data Transfer Agreement 68
4 Laptop Hardware Repair Agreement 70
5 Expenses per Hour 78
6 Computer Business Services Flat Rates 79
7 Common In-Store Services 81
8 Check-in Form 88
9 Computer Limited Warranty 116
10 Warranty Seal 117
Checklists
1 Tune-Up 60
2 Virus Removal 63
3 Wipe and Reload 66
4 On-Site Toolbox 110
Worksheets
1 Expenses per Hour 78

Sujets

Small business

Informations

Publié par	Self-Counsel Press
Date de parution	24 février 2012
Nombre de lectures	2
EAN13	9781770408340
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0032€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

START & RUN A COMPUTER REPAIR SERVICE
Philip Spry and Lynn Spry
Self-Counsel Press
(a division of)
International Self-Counsel Press Ltd.
USA Canada

Copyright © 2012

International Self-Counsel Press
All rights reserved.
Introduction

I love computers and have since I was in my early teens. Over the decades, I’ve watched them develop from giant clunky boxes with green screens to tiny works of art that project photo-realistic games on monitors the size of walls. I eagerly read each new issue of Byte and PC Magazine , waiting for the next breakthrough in hardware and software; it’s probably fair to classify me as a computer enthusiast.
As a hobby, it’s relatively inexpensive. Think about it — the most expensive desktop CPU in existence at any given time is usually a little more than $1,000. That’s it! Imagine having the ability to buy a Formula 1 race car engine and pop it into your car for less than the cost of cable TV for a year! Of course, engines don’t double in power every two years, but the ease and simplicity of computer upgrades have made most of us relative experts in working on our own systems.
Six years ago I was in this position. I had built my own computers for years and was the guy everyone came to for help. I’d been an IT professional for more than a decade so when my wife Lynn and I started looking for business opportunities we saw a computer store as a natural fit. I’d managed people for years and I loved computers. What could be better? I found a profitable store for sale, bought it, and prepared to enjoy my hobby while the money rolled in!
What followed were the most grueling three years of my life. My wife and I received a crash course in retail sales, customer service, follow-up, technical support, marketing, and on-site service. The lessons in this book are the direct result of years of trial and error, and of failing miserably and working through it, to emerge successful, happy, and profitable.

Books, Websites, and Other Resources
This book is focused on giving you the critical information you need to begin on the right foot, but as you grow you will run into situations where additional help is required. As much as we’d love to have a comprehensive collection of answers for every situation you might encounter, it’s just not reasonable or even possible. Fortunately, we live in an age where information is only a few clicks away!
For instance, while we may recommend inexpensive sources of advertising that have been effective for us, there are entire books and websites dedicated to finding the most effective advertising for your business. Therefore, throughout this book, you will find links to websites, books, and resources that can help you find what’s best for you.
That said, we cannot guarantee that the resources listed will be the best for you or your business. Sure, there are others out there and you may find better or worse, but these are the ones we have used successfully and believe have fair prices and good service. We don’t get anything from these sites for mentioning them and they are listed here because they helped us and we hope they can help you.

Forms
Throughout this book, you will find many references to forms and other documents that you can use in your business. Before you create or use any of these documents, you should consult your own attorney or accountant as the laws in your state or province may be different and the documents may need to be worded differently to be applicable in your area.
1
Computer Repair: An Opportunity in Any Economy

Almost six years ago, my wife and I decided we were done being corporate drones and working 70 hours a week climbing the ladder of success. We’d chased the corner office, we’d taken endless flights, and we were tired of our shoulders drooping from carry-ons packed with multiple laptop computers. There was no end in sight and we realized it was time for a change. Fortunately, our timing couldn’t have been better.
In 2006, the economy was booming and people had more money than they knew how to spend. The real estate market was going crazy and houses were appreciating at 30 percent per year. The instant equity created allowed people to take out loans — there was disposable cash everywhere! With this much cash in the economy, new construction and new businesses opened daily. Instead of clawing and scratching for every dollar, many business owners just hung out their shingles and waited for people to show up — and show up they did!
As suited corporate members, we were used to spending years working on projects only to see them abandoned when new leadership came in. We needed a change. We considered opening a consulting firm, but the market was flooded with them and we didn’t know how we could differentiate ourselves. A friend of our suggested we look into purchasing a business instead of starting one from scratch. He said we might be able to save ourselves some time and money by plugging ourselves into a company with a proven revenue stream. It sounded good, but which company? There were thousands!
We began our research. If memory serves, we looked at more than 3,500 businesses in the Phoenix area alone! We checked out everything from coin-operated Laundromats to print shops. There were so many interesting opportunities and as we continued to research, we realized each of them was missing something. During a strong economy, they could make money, but if anything were to happen, they would be in real trouble. For example, selling high-end granite kitchen counters is fine when million-dollar homes are being built faster than people can buy them, but bull markets can’t last forever and we were looking for something long-term. So, what type of business could grow during both economic growth and economic recession?
Just when we were about to give up, we found one business that looked really promising. It was a local computer store and it was selling computers as fast as the staff could build them! The store was packed with people, it was stocked from floor to ceiling, and the employees were happy. This business looked like many of the businesses we’d seen but one thing stood out — it didn’t just sell a particular item, the staff did repairs as well! This, combined with my personal interest in computers made this business a very strong candidate.
When you run any business you can only sell two things: time and components. Computer businesses are no different. If people aren’t buying computers, they better be buying service or you’re out of business. Fortunately, the single greatest reason customers enter our stores is because their computers are malfunctioning. Sure, some customers come to our stores because they want to upgrade or just need a new computer, but let’s be honest, more than 80 percent of the time something’s wrong.
However, the solution to this problem is to repair it or replace it. When people have money, they don’t want to mess with the old system. They shrug like it’s nothing for them and pay $2,000 on a new system. Why should they bother fixing their old system? They are people of means and see no reason to trifle with a dusty old piece of junk. Flash forward a few years; the home equity line of credit has been drained, the real estate bubble has popped, and the dusty piece of junk that will cost $100 to repair starts looking good.
If you don’t have the ability to tap into this type of need, and your only revenue stream is component sales, it is monumentally harder to stay afloat. You might need to adapt to the market conditions, but you can survive. Businesses that don’t have that capability are dying all around us while we prosper and expand because we have a business that services people in both an up and a down economy.

1. The Computer Business during a Boom
Of course, if the economy is doing well, people have money to spend and a computer business can make high profits. People buy new, high-end gaming machines, companies want expensive high-capacity servers, and businesspeople start shopping for the best laptops available. If you are in business during this economy, you can find that custom computers can routinely make margins as high as 30 to 40 percent. This means that on a $2,000 gaming system, retailers can make as much as $800 on one sale! During a booming economy, the computer business will realize the following:

• Customers choose to replace instead of repair broken computers. Customers often don’t feel like investing $150 into an old computer when a new computer is only $400. Plus, they’ll often give you the old one if you transfer their information to the new computer.

• Customers may bring in older, working machines and request a full rebuild of the computer (replacing all the interior parts to upgrade the machine).

• Customers consider fast computers a “need” instead of a “want.” Businesses want bigger, better computers and servers to make their employees “faster.” Individuals want better machines to allow them to play games, edit videos, and, in general, have a faster, better experience.

2. The Computer Business during a Bust
When the economy is doing poorly, people cut back. They start looking at ways to save money and repairing computers is often far less expensive than buying new machines. This means that while other businesses are watching their customers dwindle, sales plummet, and foot traffic reduce, a computer repair business actually starts to grow! This is what the business looks like during an