Elgin Computer Guy

Being a freelance computer consultant has its ups and downs. I sometimes get so busy I think my head will explode if the phone rings one more time, then I go through periods of sitting around and wondering if the phone will ever ring again.

As I recently posted, I’ve just started my biggest project ever as a freelancer. This broke loose about the same time I sent out a direct response mail campaign. That campaign has given me a bigger return than I’ve ever gotten before and I’m still following up on leads. In addition, when you do a google search on computer repair and specify my town, I’m in the top 3 for most categories. That means I get phone calls and emails based on Internet marketing as well. Sometimes the stars are aligned just right and the floodgates open. That’s what’s been happening the last couple of weeks. (Writing about it will probably cause it to shut down just as suddenly.)

My ultimate goal is to build this into a real business instead of just a job that is sometimes wonderful and other times the worst job I’ve ever had. Working with Robin Robins has had a huge impact on my business - not only are her ready to go campaigns working, but she inspires me to try new things and stay focused on marketing.

I don’t know who said this, but it couldn’t be more true… “No matter what business you think you’re in, you’re really in the marketing business.” If you’re not getting a steady stream of new leads and customers, you’re never going to grow. The ONLY way to get new leads and customers is through marketing. I can hear it now… “I get by on word of mouth”. Every business or freelancer gets referrals if they’re any good at what they do, but even that is a form of marketing.

That being said, even though I’m intentionally trying to get more business than I can handle, it’s still scary. There are times when I get so busy that I either turn away business (rare), try to get the customer to wait a little longer until I get to them, or if they absolutely must have help right away and I just can’t do it, I’ll work with other consultants in the area (when I can find them).

My experience has been that I’m never fully satisfied that the subcontractor does as good or thorough a job as I would. I’ve been working with computers for many years, mostly as a network administrator. I am humble and will readily admit when I don’t know something. I know there are others out there who are far more knowledgeable in many areas, but I’m very good at what I do. I sometimes make mistakes and sometimes wonder if I really know enough to be a consultant, but when I look at the work of other consultants, I’m mostly appalled at the lack of quality, customer service skills, and general resourcefulness that most of them exhibit.

So the dilemma becomes - how do I grow this business. I’m selling myself as much as I’m selling a service. How can I find trustworthy people with the proper skills? And more importantly, how do I find those people who are good at what they do, yet have time to help me? Most consultants who are any good are busy. If the answer is to hire a full-timer, how do I get to the point where I can afford one?

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at 11:02 am and is filed under Business, Computer Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.