Guide to Pricing Your Computer Repair Business Services

Guide to Pricing Your Computer Repair Business Services

Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business blog series. If you found a blog out of order, you can start with the first blog by clicking here How to start a computer repair business. Each blog will lead you to the next one until you reach the final blog.

In this series I will give tips, examples and information about how to start a computer repair business that I learned on my own initially and then later on through the help of online technical resources & friends.

I will also offer advice on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, remote support, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair business might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice.

This blog post is about pricing your products and services for your computer repair business. Pricing your products and sales can be tough in the beginning because you don’t want to have prices too high and not get clients and you don’t want to be too low and appear to be cheap.

Back in 2007 when I was just starting out, I had no computer repair shop/store/pricing experience at all. So for me, it was a bit tough to figure out my “right price”, so here is what I did to get going. I started checking out my competitors’ prices and what the techs on Craigslist were pricing themselves at. I knew that I didn’t have the experience of the current businesses running and knew that I would be higher priced than Craigslist, so I created a number right in the middle.

My beginning rates were $75 onsite for an hour. In 2007, all I was doing was onsite. I figured this was a fair rate comparable to other onsite techs in the Minneapolis area and I was new, so there would be some “give and take” because I would make some mistakes and have to bill fairly for those mistakes. You will make some mistakes and you should not charge clients for that.

A few months after I got going, I started offering remote support. Since I was not on the road and driving, my remote support rates were only $60 per hour. In time, I got better at remote support and onsite jobs, so I started raising my prices. In 2009, I was charging $85 for onsite and $70 for remote. In 2010, I raised my rates for onsite to $100 and $90 for remote. Then we stabilized for a while and in 2012 we raised our onsite rates to $125 an hour and $99 per hour for remote. In 2013, we kept our onsite rates at $125 but remote went up to $109 an hour. This is now our “nice price” that works for us. We are faster, have more knowledge and can command rates at this level.

Pricing comes with experience. The more experience you have, the higher your rates should be.

Another thing to consider is the community you are servicing. If you are in a very small town, your prices may have to change or be comparable to what your community will pay. I know some remote techs only charge $40 per hour, some only charge $20. This is all up to you to figure out – your bills, your overhead, your wages needed to earn a good income.

To view my current price list, click here.

To check out the next blog click here –> Marketing Advice for Computer Repair Businesses

Call That Girl’s eBooks and Training Videos

Welcome to my eBooks and Videos sales page. Below you will find everything I sell and support as well as some free information at the bottom.

Lisa’s eBooks, all 5 eBooks $39

The Remote Support Guide (Best seller!)

• A step by step guide to setting up your business to have a successful remote support business
• Tips and information on how to service your clients remotely
• How to increase your daily sales with new services, prepay tickets and daily monitoring plans
• Includes templates for email booking appointments, client & project agreement forms, terms and conditions, small business proposal, pricing guidelines and scheduling appointment forms.

The Manual of Operations 

• This is an old document but many still like using it for a template
• 40 page Word document
• Delivered as a Microsoft Word Template, easy for “cut and pasting” your business name into the document
• Standard operating procedures
• Employee conditions for employment
• Job descriptions
• Human Resources policies
• Much more…

The Social Media Guide 

• 29 page workbook style (outdated but have valuable info!)
• Great tips and tricks that I learned the hard way
• Easy to understand steps on how to push out social media messages
• Newsletters, blogging and WordPress information
• Toolkit information you will need and other things you will need to use social media
• A social media to do list
• How to do a social media blast

The Guide to Microsoft Exchange Migrations 

• 22 page PDF
• Step by step instructions on how to do a migration without tools with screenshots
• Learning how to back up current mailboxes, calendars and contacts
• Learn how to update the DNS for migration
• Importing mail/calendars and contacts into new server
• Aftercare lists
• How to sell administrative support tickets

How to Start a Computer Repair Business 

• Get all the free blogs in a 48 page PDF
• Conversational Style Guide

$199

Created just for technicians! Outlook is a program that contains a lot of data, lots of moving parts and offers 100’s of features which are all guaranteed to break at some point. As well, it’s the program most used with the Office 365 Business Plans. These videos will train you how to properly prepare, repair and learn Outlook in a 360 view.

What you get with your purchase

• 7 videos
• 4 hours of intense training ~each made in short videos so you can stop & practice
• Access to Lisa’s private Facebook group

SEO/Google Ranking Services

Get found today! So many technician friends I know have great websites up, but not many have good SEO to help them get found. My services help you get found by creating content in your website using your location and your services. I have a starter set for $450 and buy as you like “next level” for $175. No contracts, no monthly fees, just buy as you want.

Click here to learn more and get found on the internet! If you can’t be found, you can’t be called right? 

Free Learning Guide

Sign up for my newsletter

Check out my Podcast

Need to Hire Me? Below is a list of tech to tech services I provide. Contact me below.

• Outlook Expert
• Exchange Migration Coaching
• Exchange Migration Management
• Client Outlook Training
• OST recovery
• Email investigation

Tips on Growing Your Computer Repair Business

Tips on Growing Your Computer Repair Business

Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business blog series. If you found a blog out of order, you can start with the first blog by clicking here How to start a computer repair business. Each blog will lead you to the next one until you reach the final blog.

In this series I will give tips, examples and information about how to start a computer repair business that I learned on my own initially and then later on through the help of online technical resources & friends.

I will also offer advice on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, remote support, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair business might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice. 

When you first start out with your own computer repair business, fantasizing about what your business can and will become is part of the fun. I can recall many days of dreaming of what would become of Call That Girl and now over 7 years later, it’s nothing what I dreamed of in 2007.

My first dream was to have techs all over the Minneapolis area doing the onsite work and managing the jobs. I even bought a 6 foot map of the Twin Cities to post on my wall, and circled all the suburbs where I wanted techs. But the problem I found was this…when I first started out, I did the math (like you probably did, we all think alike!)

• I need to do 5 jobs per week to make $375 and that is enough for me to LIVE on. Barely
• I need 10 jobs to make $700 per week, GOAL! If I could make that, I would be thrilled!

Then of course, the dreams grew…. but hey, it takes a long time when you first start out to get just 5 jobs a week and when you get over 5 and dream for 10, that takes time. In that first year, I did so much marketing that it took me well into a year to get to the 5 per week. Then after my first year, I immediately jumped to 10 per week consistently. I think all that hard core marketing paid off!

Eventually I found out as the years went by, that I was not doing what I really loved. Doing the onsite was fun, but after I found remote support, I was back in love with my desk life again and didn’t prefer onsite jobs. So I got an office for people to bring computers to me so, yep, I could be in one place. Through the years, I hired techs and opened stores and managed contracts. Again, not doing what I loved, what I had passion for. As you read in my first blog, I eventually closed all my stores and went remote only.

Dreaming…

• Dream of growth, but don’t get too excited too early on. You will get there if you want a bigger store/business. You have to go through the tough times of figuring out your company first. Fix processes that need be in place. fix broken processes that don’t work. Every time you experience a failure of any type, try to figure out a success that came from that failure. You will have many and don’t worry, you are not alone here. It has been said that without failures, you cannot succeed. I firmly believe that and still have failures even after 7 years.

 

• Don’t consider projects too big for your britches. I learned this the very hard way. I took on a contract that I was not ready for. In 2010, I had an opportunity to support a retail location for computer refreshes. After succeeding with one store, they asked me to do 3 more stores, then after that 2 more stores…and within 5 months I was offered all 22 of their stores. In 9 months, I had techs in 4 states and 22 stores. Did I know what I was doing? Hell no! But I did get a managed system in place eventually and by the time it was working like a system, they told me that they decided to go in-house. I didn’t have a good contract in place, I didn’t have a paid lawyer review the terms of the agreement and really….it was all too much for me. After they closed the contract, I had to slowly start letting employees go and some of the CTG FT employees, as well. Now that I think back, it was an experience, but one I will never do again.

 

• Don’t dream of having employees until you have too much work on your plate for many months. If you get excited too early on and start hiring, then you might go through some slow times (for months) and will not have enough work to pay them.

 

• Before you hire employees, consider many factors
  • Do you have enough money to keep them on payroll for a few weeks if you are slow?
  • Do you have a good bookkeeping system?
  • Do you pay your bills on time now? If not, you need to fix this fast.
  • Taxes are due when they are due, or else you pay penalties.
  • Do you have a training manual in place?
  • Do you have the patience to train someone?

 

• Before you open a store, consider many factors
  • How much overhead you will have
  • How many unexpected expenses you might have
  • How much money you need to live on
  • Taxes! City, State, Federal
  • Profit, you will need it to keep the store running and make you happy
  • Savings for when times are slow and you can pay the bills
  • Insurance needs for the store/employees
  • Workers Compensation
  • Location, is it in a good visible place for traffic and foot traffic to find you?
  • Parking, you will need good parking
  • Do you have the money now to buy all the print materials to set it up right?
  • Do you have the money to get the furniture and desks and equipment to set it up right?

Click here to read the next blog How to start a remote support business

 

Call That Girl’s eBooks and Training Videos

Welcome to my eBooks and Videos sales page. Below you will find everything I sell and support as well as some free information at the bottom.

Lisa’s eBooks, all 5 eBooks $39

The Remote Support Guide (Best seller!)

• A step by step guide to setting up your business to have a successful remote support business
• Tips and information on how to service your clients remotely
• How to increase your daily sales with new services, prepay tickets and daily monitoring plans
• Includes templates for email booking appointments, client & project agreement forms, terms and conditions, small business proposal, pricing guidelines and scheduling appointment forms.

The Manual of Operations 

• This is an old document but many still like using it for a template
• 40 page Word document
• Delivered as a Microsoft Word Template, easy for “cut and pasting” your business name into the document
• Standard operating procedures
• Employee conditions for employment
• Job descriptions
• Human Resources policies
• Much more…

The Social Media Guide 

• 29 page workbook style (outdated but have valuable info!)
• Great tips and tricks that I learned the hard way
• Easy to understand steps on how to push out social media messages
• Newsletters, blogging and WordPress information
• Toolkit information you will need and other things you will need to use social media
• A social media to do list
• How to do a social media blast

The Guide to Microsoft Exchange Migrations 

• 22 page PDF
• Step by step instructions on how to do a migration without tools with screenshots
• Learning how to back up current mailboxes, calendars and contacts
• Learn how to update the DNS for migration
• Importing mail/calendars and contacts into new server
• Aftercare lists
• How to sell administrative support tickets

How to Start a Computer Repair Business 

• Get all the free blogs in a 48 page PDF
• Conversational Style Guide

$199

Created just for technicians! Outlook is a program that contains a lot of data, lots of moving parts and offers 100’s of features which are all guaranteed to break at some point. As well, it’s the program most used with the Office 365 Business Plans. These videos will train you how to properly prepare, repair and learn Outlook in a 360 view.

What you get with your purchase

• 7 videos
• 4 hours of intense training ~each made in short videos so you can stop & practice
• Access to Lisa’s private Facebook group

SEO/Google Ranking Services

Get found today! So many technician friends I know have great websites up, but not many have good SEO to help them get found. My services help you get found by creating content in your website using your location and your services. I have a starter set for $450 and buy as you like “next level” for $175. No contracts, no monthly fees, just buy as you want.

Click here to learn more and get found on the internet! If you can’t be found, you can’t be called right? 

Free Learning Guide

Sign up for my newsletter

Check out my Podcast

Need to Hire Me? Below is a list of tech to tech services I provide. Contact me below.

• Outlook Expert
• Exchange Migration Coaching
• Exchange Migration Management
• Client Outlook Training
• OST recovery
• Email investigation

 

Tools You Need to Start Your Computer Repair Business

 Tools You Need to Start Your Computer Repair Business

Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business blog series. If you found a blog out of order, you can start with the first blog by clicking here How to start a computer repair business. Each blog will lead you to the next one until you reach the final blog.

In this series I will give tips, examples and information about how to start a computer repair business that I learned on my own initially and then later on through the help of online technical resources & friends.

I will also offer advice on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, remote support, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair business might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice. 

When you first start out with your ideas for a computer repair business, you might already have some tools, heck you might be already doing computer repair “on the side” and have a full tool kit. Since I am talking about four different scenarios for support: Onsite, store/shop, office or only remote…creating a tool list is a bit tough, but I will do my best.

 

1. Hardware – This will be determined by the types of hardware you support – basic tools of course are necessary. If you support hardware, you already know what you need (I hope); if not, you can discuss this topic on Technibble.com (I am not a hardware tech and only can recommend talking to others).
2. Software – I keep a “software kit” of all my software tools in Dropbox. Back when I was onsite and had techs, we kept a good list on Dropbox, then saved to USB drives to use in our shops and on the road. All virus removal software of course is needed, all of your tune up tools, Windows repair disks, Winsock utilities, drivers, etc.
3. Remote support software – If you are going to be doing remote support, you will need to do testing on products you will want to use. Matt Rodela did a great review of many products and voted for his remote support software of choice. To read that article, click here.
4. Forms – You will need forms for your clients and also forms for your business for general use. Technibbles’ Business Kit is the perfect “everything” kit, I highly recommend you check it out – you can review it here
5. Ticketing – There are many ticketing programs out there to review and try. When I first started out, though, I didn’t even know ticketing systems existed, so I just used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my jobs. I also kept track of the marketing in the spreadsheet, “How people found me.” In 2010, once I hired employees, I had to move to a ticketing system, because I had 2 stores to support. (Honestly, I still keep and use that original Excel spreadsheet!). Currently I use Mhelpdesk for all my ticketing, invoicing and client data tracking. If you want to check it out for 14 days, click here.

 

To check out my next blog click here –> Guide to Pricing Your Computer Repair Business Services

 

 

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Resources for Computer Repair and Support Businesses

Resources for Computer Repair and Support Businesses

Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business blog series. If you found a blog out of order, you can start with the first blog by clicking here How to start a computer repair business. Each blog will lead you to the next one until you reach the final blog.

In this series I will give tips, examples and information about how to start a computer repair business that I learned on my own initially and then later on through the help of online technical resources & friends.

I will also offer advice on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, remote support, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair business might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice. 

When I first started my computer repair business, I only had one resource…the internet. Back in 2007, there was a lot out there, but it took me a long time  to find “the good stuff” aka….Resources for computer repair and support businesses

Below is a list of resources I use often, listen to, partner with or have become a member of the community.

Good tech support, advice and help (to get listed here, please contact Lisa@callthatgirl.biz)

Magazines and Online News

ChannelPro Network, chock full of goodies there folks. Free subscription! Click here to check it out.

eBooks

Computer Repair Business Lessons Learned by Dan Hand; you can check it out here.

MSP or Fail by Dan Hand is available here (Never read it, but from what I have heard, it’s a good read for those wanting to get into MSP).

Matt Rodela How to Quit Your Job and Start a Computer Business, 80+ Ways to Advertise Your Computer Business and 20 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Computer Business, Check them out here

LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn has some great groups with good discussions going. Here are some I am in:

ACRBO is a group that was created to support ACRBO members, it is all basically computer repair and support discussions. Click here to join.

Technibble also has a lively discussion group on LinkedIn, click here to apply to join.

MAXFocus is a GFI based group. The topics mostly revolve around GFI, but sometimes you’ll find a good nugget of other info, click here to join.

CompTIA, group discussions are about CompTIA certs and IT related stuff.  I don’t really do a lot of it, but I went to their convention in Phoenix last year and had a nice time. Met a lot of cool techs from around the country. Click here to check out their group.

Websites & Forums

Technibble  Membership forum, ask and give tech advice, focused on anything in general about tech support and owning and running a computer repair business. They sell a good Business Computer Kit, you can view it here.

Britec Tech Support Forum  Membership forum, ask and give tech advice. Focused on Malware/Viruses.

Bleeping Computer A Website where a lot of downloads are to fix and help you repair issues (esp. viruses) You can find their forums here.

Tom’s Hardware Pretty much an “everything tech” type of website and forum, click here for the forum.

Here are some lists in Google I found of tech forums

Top 10 Computer Repair Forums and Message Boards, click here to check ’em out.

TOP 10 COMPUTER FORUMS YOU CANNOT IGNORE IN 2014 Click here to read ’em.

CNET Newbies forum, if you’re new, this might be for you 🙂 Click here to read up.

Top 10 Sites For Computer Troubleshooting & Tech Support – more forums! It never ends! Click here to check out their list.

Podcast Shows

Podnutz, a Tech Podcast Network offers a variety of live and downloadable tech podcasts with many hosts. (Including my own Office 365 show!) Click here to subscribe and listen while you work!

Mike Tech Show is a weekly live tech podcast with video and live chat room.  Click here to download past shows.

Matt Rodela’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Computer Guy.  Matt has an active blog, podcasts and has 3 eBooks available for purchase. You can click here to read more.

YouTube Channels

If you’re into videos, you need to follow these two guys, and me!

Call That Girl Offers videos from her podcast shows and how-to tutorials about Outlook and Office 365.

Britec “Your Computer Paramedic” Britec Tech Tips – Malware Removal – PC Computer Repair” How-To videos and Troubleshooting and Repair videos to help those to help themselves on how to fix computers.

Technical Groups

ACRBO Association of Computer Repair Owners, free and paid memberships.

To read my next blog click here –> Computer Repair and Support Podcast Shows

Call That Girl’s eBooks and Training Videos

Welcome to my eBooks and Videos sales page. Below you will find everything I sell and support as well as some free information at the bottom.

Lisa’s eBooks, all 5 eBooks $39

The Remote Support Guide (Best seller!)

• A step by step guide to setting up your business to have a successful remote support business
• Tips and information on how to service your clients remotely
• How to increase your daily sales with new services, prepay tickets and daily monitoring plans
• Includes templates for email booking appointments, client & project agreement forms, terms and conditions, small business proposal, pricing guidelines and scheduling appointment forms.

The Manual of Operations 

• This is an old document but many still like using it for a template
• 40 page Word document
• Delivered as a Microsoft Word Template, easy for “cut and pasting” your business name into the document
• Standard operating procedures
• Employee conditions for employment
• Job descriptions
• Human Resources policies
• Much more…

The Social Media Guide 

• 29 page workbook style (outdated but have valuable info!)
• Great tips and tricks that I learned the hard way
• Easy to understand steps on how to push out social media messages
• Newsletters, blogging and WordPress information
• Toolkit information you will need and other things you will need to use social media
• A social media to do list
• How to do a social media blast

The Guide to Microsoft Exchange Migrations 

• 22 page PDF
• Step by step instructions on how to do a migration without tools with screenshots
• Learning how to back up current mailboxes, calendars and contacts
• Learn how to update the DNS for migration
• Importing mail/calendars and contacts into new server
• Aftercare lists
• How to sell administrative support tickets

How to Start a Computer Repair Business 

• Get all the free blogs in a 48 page PDF
• Conversational Style Guide

$199

Created just for technicians! Outlook is a program that contains a lot of data, lots of moving parts and offers 100’s of features which are all guaranteed to break at some point. As well, it’s the program most used with the Office 365 Business Plans. These videos will train you how to properly prepare, repair and learn Outlook in a 360 view.

What you get with your purchase

• 7 videos
• 4 hours of intense training ~each made in short videos so you can stop & practice
• Access to Lisa’s private Facebook group

SEO/Google Ranking Services

Get found today! So many technician friends I know have great websites up, but not many have good SEO to help them get found. My services help you get found by creating content in your website using your location and your services. I have a starter set for $450 and buy as you like “next level” for $175. No contracts, no monthly fees, just buy as you want.

Click here to learn more and get found on the internet! If you can’t be found, you can’t be called right? 

Free Learning Guide

Sign up for my newsletter

Check out my Podcast

Need to Hire Me? Below is a list of tech to tech services I provide. Contact me below.

• Outlook Expert
• Exchange Migration Coaching
• Exchange Migration Management
• Client Outlook Training
• OST recovery
• Email investigation