WTF So I just dick'd my butt
- Thread starter fly
- Start date
Amstel
The Hoarse Whisperer
So, I've spent an hour of my time (4 calls about 15 mins each) with a customer who needs a $20K machine replaced because he's 'losing customers because it's been broken so much.' We have to get going on this right away! each call was 13 minutes longer than needed, but this guy is a friggin' talker. . .
He also spent about 1.5 hrs on the phone w/the equipment sales rep before me.
He's approved & now has all paperwork in front of him.
I just spent another 15 minutes on the phone with him.
Him: Not sure about this. We've only used the current machine 24 times in the past 2 yrs, @ $20/session.
me: wait, what?
Now, the sales rep is gold so I know he can still close this, but WTF?
DUDE! If you had disposable CASH would you part with $20,000 to make $240/year? We haven't gone this long into working with you to get you this equipment if you're not making changes in your biz strategy to make great $$ with it. (fwiw, the other customers we've got in his area are making bank with their units).
He also spent about 1.5 hrs on the phone w/the equipment sales rep before me.
He's approved & now has all paperwork in front of him.
I just spent another 15 minutes on the phone with him.
Him: Not sure about this. We've only used the current machine 24 times in the past 2 yrs, @ $20/session.
me: wait, what?
Now, the sales rep is gold so I know he can still close this, but WTF?
DUDE! If you had disposable CASH would you part with $20,000 to make $240/year? We haven't gone this long into working with you to get you this equipment if you're not making changes in your biz strategy to make great $$ with it. (fwiw, the other customers we've got in his area are making bank with their units).
nukes
I Eat Buttholes Raw
[GIPHY="making bank with your unit"]https://media3.giphy.com/media/7gg7V3r2B6T8k/giphy.gif[/GIPHY]
Dory Berkowitz-Bukowski
Clam whisperer
Had my interview today for my MSc in Person-Centred Psychotherapy. Got accepted on the spot by the course lead. Cannot wait to start late next year then shortly after quit this dumb job and find something else. My current plan of action is to save up a butt ton to pay off all my tuition fees and support myself with part time working (possibly) for years 2-4 of the masters. Year 1 will be easier to maintain the 24/7 job I have plus the masters but after that I'm totally done.
Drove 3.5 hours in a snowstorm to the US/Canada border to install some Cisco equipment for AT&T. Finished here at 5pm now freezing rain, headed back home. Probably 5 hours back. FML.
Damn man, hope you gettin paid. You need a fucking employee.Drove 3.5 hours in a snowstorm to the US/Canada border to install some Cisco equipment for AT&T. Finished here at 5pm now freezing rain, headed back home. Probably 5 hours back. FML.
316mi driven in 8 hours yesterday. Had the worst weather on the way back. Heavy freezing rain and sleet. Kept having to reach out my window, grab the windshield wiper, and slap it to get rid of ice build up. Then I got stuck behind a tractor trailer for like 30mi, encasing the front end of my van in 2 inches of ice. Engine almost overheated because it wasn't getting any air. Pulled off the highway and chipped it off.
Made an easy $600 so there's that.
Darth Handsome
Not Nearly as Handsome as Advertised.
Valve1138
I like the AB in the GB
Work was easy, just racking a Cisco router and place 4G LTE antennas and install a OOB MGMT pots modem. Spent more time on the phone waiting for the tech to verify access than anything else.
Have you ever seen the NSA listening rooms inside any of these telcos?
pfft, he lives in maine, noone cares about maine.
I feel like Josh is one of those dudes that puts incredibly high standards on his quality of work, and would have trouble finding someone he could trust to meet his standards.
I do love demarc rooms and central offices. I guess it is the idea that not many people have access to these locations and know what all the parts are.
You're probably right.
Main reason I don't have any employees right now is not enough recurring revenue coming in. Trying to switch my clients from break-fix to monthly managed services has been a tough sell.
Could you run the average yearly costs for them. Then ask to charge that in monthly payments. At the end of the year, if they haven't used xxx hours, you'll give them a 10% rebate or something.
In reality, they'll probably start using your services MORE since they aren't paying per incident. Once they do that, you can come back a year or two later and say you've got to increase prices.
It's possible that you might do a bit more work for less money the first year, but I bet that's not likely.
Amstel
The Hoarse Whisperer
I think part of the strategy of peeps that go into biz for themselves is believing they are 'less expensive' than the next guy so they jump into business. They're making more $$ than when they were an employee, but Exec pay. That scenario(fly's) plays out all the time. The 'on call/break-fix' pricing needs to be higher *because* there's a cheaper monthly membership type of arrangement.
Like gym memberships. $20 for the monthly renewal plan, but if you just want to drop by for a day, $15.
If the product (in Josh's case, outstanding service) is top notch you can charge the same as the big boys.
I opened up my biz the same way. I can do more and save customers $$. Lots of work, staying afloat, but growth wasn't anywhere near where I wanted, and it's tough to hire employees when 'lower cost' is your lead in. How do you pay the employees and have an owner make some $$ while taking all the responsibility?
One morning I woke up, said fuck all this, raised prices, & none of my customers even blinked. Now I have flexibility to do the things I thought (wished) I could do when I was on the cheap.
Like gym memberships. $20 for the monthly renewal plan, but if you just want to drop by for a day, $15.
If the product (in Josh's case, outstanding service) is top notch you can charge the same as the big boys.
I opened up my biz the same way. I can do more and save customers $$. Lots of work, staying afloat, but growth wasn't anywhere near where I wanted, and it's tough to hire employees when 'lower cost' is your lead in. How do you pay the employees and have an owner make some $$ while taking all the responsibility?
One morning I woke up, said fuck all this, raised prices, & none of my customers even blinked. Now I have flexibility to do the things I thought (wished) I could do when I was on the cheap.
Dory Berkowitz-Bukowski
Clam whisperer
If I get through til the new year without punching a work colleague in the face I deserve a medal.
I can't even.
I can't even.