How to Profit from the Unprofitable
Here we learn to deal with what would normally be an unprofitable job. Suppose you're speaking with a prospect who you can tell is going to be very demanding, or who is requesting your services for the type of work that you are uninterested in doing. The best ways to handle these situations include:
- raising the quote
- referring the lead to someone else
- saying no
Raise the quote high enough to reflect your concerns and bad hunches, but not so high as to send the client away. Raising the quote means raising your first quote, with respect to your normal rate. Otherwise, you'll be making someone angry. Are you "too busy to take work right now"? Don't turn them away; raise the quote.
Consider referring the lead to someone else. The goal is not to give someone a bad referral, but rather something they can handle better than you could. By having connected with some of your competitors ahead of time - ideally, who serve a slightly different market - you can send them the jobs that you can't handle (for example, you might not do laptop hardware repair). While it may seem counterintuitive to stay close to a few of your competitors in this manner, it will give you an advantage because you will now have a local lead generation network for computer repair. Here's how it works. First, make them aware of your area of expertise, and learn theirs (essentially by interviewing them as a customer might, asking them what their specialties are). If they might be a good "partner", let them know about your idea. When the time comes, you will probably have to take the first risk or two by sending them a lead for nothing except the expectation that they will send a customer your way in the future. If they reciprocate, then you've found someone who you can share a lead with again. It's good to have a number of referrals ready for when you are on vacation (but still answering your phone), or don't want to handle the work for any reason. After referring the customer, follow up by emailing your contact at that business, letting them know you just sent someone their way and that they should be expecting a call soon from them (give out their first name and the computer problem, so your friend will recognize the lead when it comes to them).
Finally, sometimes it's best to say no. Some jobs will cost you!
Will You Need Sales Skills?
Do you want to be really successful? Then yes. You're going to need a range of soft skills.
Most computer technicians aren't salesman; they are from from it, and that is the last thing they'd want to get involved with. However, that is precisely why Geek Squad has been successful - they've bridged the gap between sales and computers. If you are lacking in salesmanship skill and plan on starting up alone, then you're likely going to have a difficult time. Get a mentor, learn the art, or get a partner. Your business depends on someone having this talent.
On that note, dealing with customers eventually includes angry clients, rejection, and other emotionally challenging situations. Entrepreneurship is for the strong-minded and emotionally resilient.
How would you handle the following situations?
- You have just fixed the customer's computer, but he is unwilling to pay.
- The customer is blaming you for losing data that you know you didn't lose
- The customer is blaming you for data that was lost while repairing his computer.
- You are getting more work than you can handle, and your customers want their computer back asap.
- You are getting less work than you expected.
Bottom line: expect all of the above challenges, and work with someone who can complement your skill set if necessary.