It is crucial to identify your customers. These clients are often small businesses or home users. My experience has shown that small businesses are great clients. I prefer small businesses with 10 PCs or less (some clients have 20 or more).

While I do have some clients who are home-based, my primary business is with small businesses. Small businesses will often pay more for specialized services. It may seem strange to home users. Many home users have grown to accept help from their neighbors’ kids with their computers, either for free or at a substantial discount. This is great for home users, but small business clients require someone who understands small business technology needs, such as file sharing, security, printers, networking and printers at Computer Repairs Capalaba site here.

A small business client can be a realtor (working at your home), an appraiser company, a lawyer, small legal firm, manufacturing plant, hospital or doctor’s office. Potential clients can be any business owner. Your ability to manage technology will determine the size of your client. A server may not be necessary for small businesses. They may only need a few laptops, a printer, and a DSL connection. Others work remotely, and may have multiple printers or an email server.

You might not be a good fit for a client if you don’t know the technology used in their office. Once you’re familiar with the technology, you can determine how much attention and time a client will require. A meeting with the client is a good way to determine this. Ask them about their needs and expectations. To get an idea of the service they expect, ask them questions.

I have seen IT/computer techs get in over their heads. It is important to know what you are capable of handling. You should let potential clients know if you find a client who uses a Linux server. It is much more expensive to damage someone’s server than just turning down a client.

Take some time to think about who your ideal client might be.

1) In what profession do they work? If it matters,

2) How many computers can you handle per client? The more computers they have, the more attention they will need. They will likely have a dedicated server, so make sure you can take care of it.

2) Location – Define your service area. What distance will you travel? If you get a job, are you open to traveling outside your local area? Is there an additional travel fee if so?

4) The amount you charge will filter out many people. For whom is your rate appropriate?

I work with a variety of clients. I’m not a specialist in any one area. I’m more of an “all-rounder”. The family doctor is different from the podiatrist (the doctor who treats feet).

However, specializing can be a great option. One of my friends has an IT company that only deals with doctor’s offices. It’s evident in everything, from their logo to their name. They know who their target client really is. They are also familiar with the technology used in doctor’s offices.

Others only work for law firms. They often have the software and systems that lawyers only use.

My rates, or what I charge per hour or service, are never reduced. My rates are set in stone. If a client claims that I am “too costly” or “more than my last computer guy”, and they don’t want to pay my rates, they are not my client. Clients who pay my rate are happy to do so and have no issues. My rate will not be reduced. It is a decision that I feel justified by my work experience and the time and money I can save my clients.

This is important before you go out looking for clients. Be flexible about your availability. If you are part-time, when is the best time to see clients? Only weekends and evenings? Your skill set.

Don’t be afraid to reject a potential client if they aren’t the right fit.