This is the type of e-mail's I get from others in the industry ;) Dan, I need your help. None of this crap works. I just finished reading posts on Technibble and Podnutz for the past few years and haven't made a dime. I bought e-books, video courses, audio courses, key word tools, and complete businesses in a box and NONE of them work. I am a member of some of the community groups in my town. I thought about going to a Chamber of Commerce meeting, but I bet they already have people there who are providing the exact same services I offering. So, I thought about building websites, but everyone I know already has one. I thought about offering SEO services, but I can't even remember what SEO stands for, so that's probably not the service for me. Plus, I never update [+]

Started receiving these new e-mail scams just this week. I must admit I almost fell for it. Was using my new iPhone (yes it drops calls) and saw this email that had a "subject" line of:  "David Beckham died" I thought to myself  "wow, I wonder what happen", now this is the normal thought most people would have and that is exactly what the email is hoping for. But, once you open the email there is an attachment typically titled "news.zip"... And it had content in the email that said: "Brad Pitt died along with 34 other people when the Air Force CT-43 "Bobcat" passenger plane carrying the group on a trip crashed into a mountainside while approaching the Dubrovnik airport in Croatia during heavy rain and poor visibility.  Please see attachment" Once I saw what it said and the attachment then I knew [+]

Recently started getting a few calls into the shop from a person that said he was part of the "Verizon Win Back Team". I have never heard of such a thing. So after letting him call a few times I decided to take the call. Come to find out what Verizon does is have a team and they are the "Win Back Team" and it's for getting customers that have left advertising with Verizon Superpages to come back to them. No to me this really does not make much sense, so in my mind I try to rationalize it out. If in my business I lose a customer due to something I did then I really do not think i'll call them and tell them I am part of the "Win Back Team". In business you typically get one chance to [+]

Paradigm Shifts for Techs Part 5:  Cheap Clients-hardware is a commodity, excellent customer service is not By Derek Iannelli-Smith, IT Strategist, Progressive Integrations, Inc., Question:  What do you think my approach should be to introducing this new service (managed services) to "cheap" customers? You make some great points, and I am quite familiar with them.  Considering most of our clients are consumers, I hear them regularly, which is why educational marketing is the key (http://computerrepairblog.com/paradigm-shifts-for-techs-educational-marketing.html).  Nickel-and-diming clients are easily handled with proposals/quotes, and a good disclaimer statement upon acceptance of 80/20, for instance my proposals and quotes state:  “If you accept this proposal/quote, we require 80% up front and 20% upon completion of the project.  If you would like to pay by credit card, we can also accommodate that for you, please touch base with billing/finance to work out details.”  Why do I do [+]

Been getting these emails recently from Fast Certifications .  Here is the way it works: "100% Pass Without Any Test (exam) Or Study, Our professionals will help you to take your tests (exams) In pearson VUE and Thomson Prometric. No risk, payment through Paypal, moneygram, western union, Moneybookers, Xoom.com and bank wire transfer. Check your Results on Vendor official website first, then pay Us. " Now after you pay the money you can login to Pearson Vue or Prometric and see your test results. I have no doubt that you will pass the test. I also have no doubt that you "WILL" get caught.  It might not be that day, but you will be caught doing this.  Actually I am really not sure how exactly they are pulling this off.  Some test require you to sign and have a picture taken. Now [+]

Business: Certified Tech PC and MAC Computer Repair Services of Peterborough, NH Website: www.ctechrepair.com Owner: Jeff Bruere Family: Single First Job: Farm hand Where did you grow up: Tewksbury, MA What did you want to be when you grow up: I didnt know How did you end up owning your own business: Entrepreneur at heart What is the biggest decision you are wrestling with now: Pricing What is one thing you would change about your job: Relocate to more urban area What do you like most about your job now:  Troubleshooting What motivates you: Learning and Fixing What do you do for fun: Yoga What do you consider your greatest achievement so far: Bachelors Degree in Business Science What the best career advice anyone has given you: Do what you want to do not someone else [+]

I visit alot of forums and one thing that remains constant is the amount of business owners that talk about marketing and what is working and what is not working. The one thing you always read is "what can I do that is guaranteed to work"....I always read that and for some crazy reason I will read the next few replies actually thinking to myself  "I'm going to find out the REAL answer" . Well as you can guess, I never do find out. The reason for this is there is NO real answer when it comes to marketing. Every business owner must decide for themselves how much they can afford, what their area supports for advertising and basically what does and what does not work in their area. I've known some businesses that can put out a few road signs and [+]

        Featured Business Business: Mid-Iowa Computers, Inc. Website: www.midiowacomputers.com Owner: Noah Deters Family: My lovely wife of 8 years and a smart and sassy daughter First Job: Retail computer sales Where did you grow up: Central Iowa - So I know the area that I am trying to serve. What did you want to be when you grow up: I wanted to either run my own business or try and be a high end specialist in computers How did you end up owning your own business: While working my full time position I had a large number of people asking me for computer help, and after I reached a certain customer base decided to formalize it into a company. What is the biggest decision you are wrestling with now: How to grow the business while still having [+]

Burning Bridges Some of you that are not youngsters probably have heard these words at some point or another. Typically it's used in sentences such as "Don't burn any bridges"...Basically what that means is to think before you do something because if you don't you won't be able to correct it. Now, don't get me wrong in my 40+ years I have "burned bridges" and even pulled a "Bridge on the River Kwai" (if you have never seen it great WW II movie), where I went well past the burning of the bridge. In hindsight I have never looked back as any that I burned and wished I could correct or made amends. That is not to say it is a good thing, burning any bridge is never a good thing in life or in business. Maybe if I had burned them in my earlier years [+]

Paradigm Shifts for Techs: Customer Service - Part 4 By Derek Iannelli-Smith, IT Strategist, Progressive Integrations, Inc., The birds are singing, your coffee is just the right temperature, and your favorite song is playing on Last.FM. You are working in a software package and all of a sudden, the computer locks up, fades and the top-most window bar says, “Not responding” and it’s the 4th time that has happened today with this particular program. What are you thinking? Maybe you have felt like this guy did? Maybe one more applicable to us techs? It is one of those days at the IT shop, finally, able to catch up on some of the details in the inbox, and one of your fellow employees says, “Can you come here for a minute, my computer is acting weird, and I wanted you to see it before [+]