Blog Move

Hello, All!

We haven't been getting SEO love here at blogger, so we've moved to wordpress.

http://acmetechworks.wordpress.com/

See you there!

Things Qwest should do

I admit it. I'm angry. Qwest has given Acme terrible service and they've treated some of our customers poorly. I write this blog having cancelled one of our Qwest accounts today. I plan on killing the other account we have with Qwest within the next 30 days. We'll recommend other service providers whenever possible from now on.

I'm not going to list my complaints. I'm just going to throw out some observations as I look back via my rear view mirror.

Qwest,

Go back to paying outside agents or show you are going to take care of the customer.

Back in the day, a subagent would get a kicker and residual from Qwest for taking care of customer needs. The subagent was local, so the customer would have a local number to call for help. The customer also benefitted because the subagent was always looking for the best Qwest deals. Now Qwest doesn’t pay the subagents if they improve the customer’s package. Qwest only contacts the customer to sell them more services by mail.

Make notes for installs/changes and make sure they are followed.

A business customer needs to move. They have a static IP that needs to move with them, plus the building they’re moving to has other Qwest customers, so the customer needs their stuff tagged so they can tell what’s theirs. All of this should be noted when explained to the Qwest rep at customer service. The rep schedules the move. The move happens ON TIME and a tech comes out. The customer can’t wait two or three days (soonest a Qwest tech can come out) so they pay someone to figure out what DSL line is theirs. The Qwest rep should also note static IPs and make sure they move with the customer. This is not hard.

Find out what will happen when you turn off services.

Of all my gripes, this one may be the least fair. What I do know is that Qwest came out looking pretty bad when they allegedly turned off Iptimize’s T1s. The story as I have heard it was that Iptimize didn’t pay their bill to Qwest. They were reselling Qwest T1s. So Qwest pulled the plug and a number of businesses went down. It seems like there could have been a better way to handle this. I think Qwest should have sent mail to all the locations first. They run the T1s, so they had to have the physical addresses.

Make it possible for a customer to break a contract if they upgrade other services.

Let’s say I have two DSL contracts because I have two locations. I need to consolidate to one location but I need more bandwidth and more services. Qwest won’t let me out of my contract with them, even though I’m going to increase services. I can’t even bond the DSLs together for more upload speed, because Qwest chooses not to offer it. Notice I said it’s a choice. You can bond DSLs with other providers. Why should Qwest treat contracted customers so poorly?

Don't create a new 3 year contract out of the blue--talk to the customer!

Aahhh. I feel better. Buh-bye, Qwest!

Customer service is more than skin deep

I had a couple great customer experiences yesterday on a business trip. I blogged about one of them at http://jeremeyweeks.blogspot.com/2009/08/brush-with-excellence.html.

I've decided to post the second one here because it's about an organization inculcating customer care into their employees.

I'm talking about McCall Memorial Hospital.*

My presentation was scheduled to take place at the hospital. I was glad to come because I had worked there a few years before. I'll talk about my experience there in a bit. First I want to share my wife's experience at the hospital.

My wife came with me on the trip and did some shopping while I was in the meeting. She came in the hospital to pick me up. When we got in the car, she mentioned that there must be someone in town that looks like her. She said several people had stopped and said, "Hi, how are you?" in the hall. I smiled and said that the hospital is that way with everyone.

My experience with McCall Memorial began with two interviews. The first was with the IT director, Guy Rivers. It was a typical IT interview. The second interview was with all of the department heads, who came in pairs and interviewed me. It was a grueling experience that lasted for hours, but it was necessary. The hospital expects employees to work well with each other. What surprised me was the intensity considering I was there for a network position with no management responsibilities.

I got the job. Guy began teaching me the hospital philosophy by telling me this...

"I don't care if it takes you half an hour to get back to the office when you go get coffee. Stop and talk to people."

I learned not just to say, "hi" but to look at people and smile genuinely, investing some of my time in them. The interesting part of this was that these people all had different personality types. Doctors and nurses were friendly and not patronizing or coldly clinical. No-one was better than anyone else and departments were expected to get along. Patients were number one.

I think my wife encountered a little bit of McCall Memorial's attitude of service.

I don't believe that the hospital was perfect when I was there. There were agendas and perhaps business direction was lacking. But I believe that they had the most important thing down:

They're in the business of relationships.

McCall Memorial Hospital, thanks for a great lesson, one that I'm still learning!

*You may wonder if McCall Memorial is a customer of mine. They aren't. I was employed by McCall Memorial about five years ago and that's the extent of our relationship.

The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy: Part 6

Welcome to the 6th installment in the series of posts about starting your own tech business!

Here are the previous posts... Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

You have all the pieces now! Oh, you may need to buy some tools for your trade, but you are ready to go! There are but a few more things to cover, but they can make all the difference.

So let's start out right.

Get the right attitude. This is especially important if you have never had your own business. Sign up for some free podcasts about business and marketing. (you don't need an Ipod, figure it out!) It doesn't matter if the podcast isn't related to a tech business. You need to absorb the attitude, understand the challenges and gain the enthusiasm.

You can listen to those podcasts on your PC or laptop. Personally, I redeem the time I spend driving by listening to podcasts. You can't get a college education that will teach you what you need to know for this bold new venture. The right podcasts will give you a wealth of information that you can apply. They're gold!

Dress appropriately... all of the time. I'll never forget the time when I was grocery shopping and ran into an old friend. He works in finance and has contacts with a lot of businesses. I can't imagine that I made a positive impression in my torn up jeans and my worn "Rock On!" T-shirt! Ask for advice from those you respect if you have an inkling you aren't dressing appropriately.

Join! I'm talking about the local chamber of commerce, local networking events and community projects. Don't just spout about your business and hand out cards. Get to know people and help them out.

Pursue business relationships. Find businesses that can find value with your services. Be willing to subcontract or take a lower rate initially. Give local companies your business.

Be open. Always watch for ways to make your business more profitable. This may mean dropping a service that you thought would be a money maker. You might end up finding a niche that isn't being filled.

Look for marketing avenues. Never stop doing this. Unless, of course, you have too much business.

A final note. I can't tell you how much local exposure Twitter has given my company. Jump on Twitter, learn the etiquette of tweeting and join the community!

We hope you've found this series valuable. Please let us know your story, either here or at www.acmetechworks.com!

The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy: Part 5

We're Part Five of "The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy". How exciting!

Here are the previous posts just in case you missed one. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

The most important part of a successful business is cash flow. Cash flow is a chain that's made of several links. The links we're going to look at today are related to communications. How are your customers and vendors going to contact you? Where will they send their checks? Do you need a fax number?

You need a business address, a phone number and perhaps a fax number.

I'm going to assume you'll be working out of your home (though we'll address leases soon). You're going to work out of your home until you know your business plan is working well. You may find that the plan is good, but that all of your customers are 50 miles away. It would be bad to lock into a lease and then find out you have no customer base!

This is the 21st century. Faxes are of the 20th century. Remember the dark ages we refer to as "The 80's"? That's when faxes were big. Still, some customers and vendors need to be able to trade faxes with you. If this is the case for you, I suggest finding a service that will catch faxes to you and email them. You should also be able to send faxes by hitting the print button and selecting the fax printer. If you have paper (*shudder*) that you need to fax, head down to a copy store and fork out your dough.

DO NOT BUY A FAX MACHINE

I'm not sure you heard me, so I'm going to say it again. Don't buy a fax machine! I don't care that it can print and copy and scan too. The drivers and software that come with cheapie faxes are going to bog down your PC. The good fax machines are going to cost you over $1,000. You can't justify that at the beginning of your venture. I don't care if you're offered a great lease or financing or a loan. Just. Say. No.

You need a phone number. It needs to be local and have voicemail.

NO ANSWERING MACHINES. Remember the dark ages...

There are several ways to get a phone number.

You can pay for a voicemail service in your area. The customer calls, they hear a ring and then they're in your voicemail. They leave a message (or just hang up) and that is that.

Call up the local phone company and pay for a telephone line and voicemail. This costs more than voicemail but at least you can answer the phone when you're in. Also, you'll make calls and your customers will see the caller ID. You'll need to buy a phone. Go cheap.

Hosted VoIP. What was that? No, I didn't sneeze and if you're a techie, you've heard of Voice over IP. This is a great choice if the price is right. The chances are that you'll have DSL or some kind of Internet access. Hosted VoIP will use your Internet connection instead of a phone line. This is good when the VoIP monthly cost is cheaper than the telephone line. There is a downside. If your Internet is down, so is your phone. If your Internet connection/network is slow, your phone quality goes down. There are many positives though. You can run software on your PC that turns it into a phone (it's called a softphone). Where ever you have Internet, you can get phone calls and make them. You may want to buy a "hard" phone. They'll start around $99. If you go this way, try to find a company that will introduce you to other businesses at networking functions.

Buy a phone system. There are digital phone systems and VoIP systems. Don't buy either until you're established in business. You don't need to invest money here...yet.

Go back to your local business owners and ask them what they use. We can also help you out.

Time to get an address so those fat checks can roll in! I recommend a P.O. box or a box at a shipping store. The P.O. box is good for billing and all the other stuff that the bookkeeper is going to need. The shipping store can be good because you can receive parcels from any delivery there.

Let's talk about business cards. Plan what you want on the card. I recommend a colorful logo that's recognizable as yours, even from 10 feet away. Put your phone number and email on it. For now let's not add twitter or other accounts. Have the front of it be shiny and the back blank and not shiny, so you and others can write on it.

I recommend that you order cards from someone local. This is more important than saving $20 or $30 on the Internet. You can engage different people who can do this for you. They should be listed at your local chamber of commerce as marketers (which they aren't). Find one that you think will help you meet other businesses and give them your business. Order a minimum amount. If they do a good job, recommend them to other people. Ask them to introduce you to others at networking functions. It may be that they can't help you network. At this point, order cards from someone else and try again. You'll probably want to change the look of your cards at this point anyway.

We're in the home stretch--just a few more posts to finish this series. As always, please contact us if you have any questions! www.acmetechworks.com. We look forward to your comments and questions!

The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy: Part 4

Thanks for driving by to read Part Four of "The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy". Here are the previous posts just in case you missed one. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

I hope you read all of the steps in this series before you dive into your own business. Remember that you can do several tasks at the same time. Feel free to get your phone number (next post!) while your website is being developed.

It's time to talk about your website and logo. How are you going to get them out to the Internet. How good will they look? We need to mention email as well.

There are several choices available to you, depending on your tech skills, creativity and budget.

1) Host your own, design your own. This is the cheapest up front. You only need a static IP address for your server (and hopefully a firewall, would you like to resell them? Contact us!). The IP address will come from your Internet provider, usually for $5 a month. You can download a Linux distro (I like Ubuntu) and install it on a 5 year old computer and it will do your hosting and email. A Linux install isn't impossible, even if you are a windows pogue technician. There is plenty of documentation online.

Hopefully you are also creative. Customers may turn away after seeing your website if it's not attractive. In some cases, a website is built only for customers to know your legitimate. If you have no expectation of using it as a marketing tool, then by all means, build away! Consider Drupal or Joomla.

You need pictures on your website. Look around for free stock photos for what you don't have.

A final note, Jay Berkowitz of www.tengoldenrules.com says that people decide if they like a website within 4 seconds. If the customer doesn't like it, they'll move on.

2) Pay for hosting, design your own. Hosting your website costs around $10 a month and email services will add more to it. I don't recommend using free email account from a provider like Yahoo or Hotmail. It tells your potential customers that you aren't legitimate.

3) Pay for hosting and design. You don't have the time, someone can do it better and you have the money to pay them. You lucky dog!

4) My favorite, Host it yourself and pay for design. Why is it my favorite? The web server just sits there, quietly serving up your website. Back it up every time you make a change and you don't have to anything else. A linux web server is the geranium of the tech world. It takes very little care to keep happy. Why should you pay a hosting fee for that? Plus, you can have more whangdoodles and thingamabobs (spell check didn't like whangdoodles but thingamabobs was just fine) on your website, because you'll make sure PHP, Perl, etc are all running if you need them.

I don't mind paying for web design because it's an efficient use of my time and money. It would take me too long to do a nice website. Actually, I don't have the creative skills to do the website anyway. When your business gets rolling or if you're marketing online, pay somebody to to a nice content management system. The Boise Online Mall is my recommendation. Oh and get some good pictures on your site. The Imagery Lab can't be beat if you're in Idaho. In fact, both the Boise Online Mall and The Imagery Lab had a part in marketing this website which has been a world-wide success.

Still not sure which way to go? As of today, there's a place holder website at www.acmetechworks.com. In a couple weeks, a Content Management system (CMS) will be installed and running on our web server. It will be pretty. It will have been done by professionals. Let me give you a before and after picture of the logo work that's done already.

Before: (what I did)

after: (what they did)

And you want a good logo. It's going to go on your business cards, on your brochures, on your quotes and on the side of a vehicle eventually.

If you aren't going to host your own website and you want both web and email service, go with Network Solutions. They've taken good care of me and of my customers. You can get your domain name there as well.

You can add a blog, videos and podcasts when you're ready. Make a note to put them on the "to do list".

Next time we'll discuss phone numbers, faxes, addresses and business cards.

As always, please feel free to drop us a note. You can make a comment here or contact us at www.acmetechworks.com!

Creating Customer Demand (not just awareness)

I heard some wisdom while listening to Marketing over Coffee's podcast the other day. I'm going to paraphrase it. Hopefully the intent of the message won't be lost.

What I heard was that it can take a long time to market goods or services through new media if you are only selling your brand. You need to show that there is a need for what you're selling.

This idea struck me because I sell some great products at amazing prices but I don't see how consumers will find out about them. I understand that I need my brand to showcase my competence, that I'm a professional. But it seems like the long way of doing things.

I admit that I don't know how to measure the effect of my blogs and tweets at the national level. Locally, I do see relevance. I'm hearing from locals. It amazes me that Twitter brings me face to face with people that are close by. It's a classic "who'da thunk?".

My products are for IT people. I still consider myself in that group and I wonder about the ways that new media will help me reach these people. I haven't come up with many good answers. (thank goodness that Tricycle is helping me!)

I did get a glimmer of hope today while driving to a customer. I've been listening to 10 Golden Rules' podcast since June 20th. Today, I listened to episode 31, where Jay Berkowitz (@jayBerkowitz) interviews David Meerman Scott (@dmscott).

David referenced a fresh pasta company in Boston that used different methods of reaching their audience. (expect more about this in another post) When David first mentioned them, he talked about the need for fresh organic pasta. Now I'm a cook, but I wrote it off. It's easy to make pasta and if I wanted organic fresh pasta, I'd make it.

But thing that got me was that this company gave free recipe books in pdf format and made YouTube videos about Alfredo sauce etc. They created a demand for their product. Let me say that again... They created demand for their product. Furthermore, by providing recipes and training, they improved the product's chances of success. I'd buy their stuff if I still lived in Mass.

The path from brand awareness to the bottom line is shorter and straighter than I thought.

What do you think? Leave us a post or bug us at www.acmetechworks.com (please forgive the website construction, we'll have something really cool in a few weeks!)

The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy: Part 3

Last week we began a series of blogs describing how to start your own tech support business. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2.

Let us continue!

You have a business plan that you are sure is going to work. You're sure because you've done research. You've found vendors that will help you. You've found business resources that will support you.

This would be a good point for you to figure out what your monthly expenses are. Try to guess how much gasoline you're going to burn, driving to customers, joining the chamber. Call up an insurance agent and ask how much liability insurance is. I'm not talking about insurance to protect you if someone trips on the sidewalk in front of your business. I'm talking about the policy that will protect you when you accidentally burn down a company's server. (I'm sure it won't be your fault!)

Don't forget money for all those meetings at coffee shops and restaurants!

Or, skip all that depressing stuff. Either this bird is going to fly or it won't. Let's get to the fun stuff!

It's time to pick out a name for your business.

Don't do it lightly. This is the first step in building your brand. Try to come up with a name that won't cause your future customers to doubt your competence. You know who you want for customers because you've done your research. Do you think a law firm is going to want to hire a tech company called "Monkey Business"? (another disclaimer, I don't know of any tech business named Monkey Business, this is just an example)

Some things to consider:

1) Names starting with "A" tend to be in the front of the phone book. Not a big deal, but something to remember.
2) You're going to need to get a domain name that matches your business name. Is it available? Go to Network Solutions or some other registry and do some searches.
3) I don't recommend too long of a name or use words that are hard to spell. The best brands tend to have no more than three words.

Got your name figured out? Sweet! It's time to register your business with the state. Check with your secretary of state's office to see if your business name is taken.

Read some books, talk to business acquaintances, accountants or tax preparers and get a consensus about the best way to set up your business. Your choices are sole proprietor (your business is you and runs on your social security number) or LLC (limited liability corporation). There are a couple of other ways to incorporate but they'll end up being more expensive. Do your research and make your choice.

Go to the secretary of state and register your business. Give them your home address and phone number for now. Plop down some money (usually around $100) and take a deep breath. Do you know what just happened? A business has been born. Amazing!

Now you need to get an EIN number. It's the Employer Identification Number that you'll get from the IRS. Here's the link to the online application.

Pick a bank or a credit union and open up a checking account. You'll need your EIN and paperwork from the state when you go in. You'll also need money, probably about $150 to open the checking and attached savings accounts.

Here are a few things to think about when you are shopping for a financial institution:

1) Credit unions are a great place to get your basic business banking done. My experience is that credit unions tend to educate the new business a little better than bigger institutions.
2) Credit Unions have more rules. This isn't usually a big deal, but it can be a pain.
3) Not all banks are alike. Ask your business acquaintances who they recommend.
4) There are banks geared for small and medium business needs. These are great but you have to know what your needs are before jumping into one of them.
5) Whatever choice you make, you can always move. There are too many good choices out there to stick with something that isn't working for you.
6) Location matters. If you find several good institutions, pick one that has a branch near you. You don't want to drive 10 miles out of your way just to make a $69 deposit.

Now go home and start thinking about a website layout!

Please contact us with your questions--by commenting here or contacting us at www.acmetechworks.com!

Mistakes are the best

This post should be a part of the series on starting your own tech business, but it applies in almost every business...

One of my vendors, a newer one to us, made a mistake. Their hardware showed up and it wasn't what we ordered. There are customers who need this stuff, so it's a priority.

I sent an email to the sales group there stating what had happened. I also sent another email to a specific person to make sure it was noted.

Here's what I sent...

Hi, (person's name)! I don’t know if you’re included on the email I sent to sales, so I wanted you to know I got a box today. The stuff in it didn’t seem to be right.

I figure in a couple orders, we’ll have this down pat. Got to love growing pains!

I sat back and waited to see how the company handled the issue. Here's what I got...

JeremeyThis is completely NOT acceptable... my very sincere apologies...

The rest of the email from them explained how they would fix the problem. It was a great opportunity to see their character in action. I want to do business with them more than ever. I know that they'll do the right thing. That's a good thing to know!

The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy: Part 2

It's time to dig into the steps you need to take to start your own tech support company! You should be excited, because this is not hard. Best of all, advertising your services is 100 times easier than a couple years ago!

Let's look at what you need to do first.

Phase I: Gather and Analyze Intelligence
I'm not talking about getting smarter (that always helps though!). You need to get information to see if a tech support business can survive and thrive in your environment.

Here's what you do to gather intelligence.

Find someone who owns their own business. Hopefully you can find someone who give you advice about the things you need to do. Pick up tips such as who is a good bookkeeper to use.

Talk to your local chamber of commerce. Your chamber of commerce should have demographic information about the people and businesses in your community. A good chamber representative will want to help you so you'll join. Don't join yet--you need to see if your business can take off first!

Scope out the competition. Are they good? If they are, is there room for you or do you have a value proposition that is different than theirs?

Find good vendors. I don't care if you're planning to only do service based work. You need to do this because you will run into helpless customers. You'll need to buy firewalls, switches, etc for them. The vendors you want should be able to educate you about their products and make good recommendations. I recommend using a VAR (value added retailer) because they'll let you know about alternate ways of doing things.
I've heard rumors of competitors going through a competitor's dumpster to see who their parts source is. I don't recommend this because it's probably illegal. The part source may inform your competitor that you've called as well.

Write down all that you learn from each of the sources we've mentioned. What are the things you think will be easy? What are the difficult things? You should be getting excited about possibilities and strategizing your way around problems.

Keep your notebook with you at all times. Add stray thoughts and ideas, potential customers and anything else to what you've started.

By now you should have a sense of how your business could make money. Diagram the different ways you can create income streams into your business.

Make no mistake, you're drawing up a battle plan. The first stage tells you what the battlefield looks like, so DO NOT take Phase 1 lightly!

We'll discuss incorporation, insurance and a bunch of other things in Part 3. Please comment, email or call us if you have a question or think we've missed something!

Ciao!

When the Customer is Wrong Redux

I thought I should post the fallout of When the Customer is Wrong.

I got a call from the customer today. He's upset that no-one else has pointed out the problem.

He chose to go through the documentation I sent and has put the brakes on his other plans.

We're going to save his company about $30k.

'nuf said

www.acmetechworks.com

The Bare Minimum to start a Tech Consultancy: Part 1

I'm writing this blog in several parts. To keep you hungry, we think you can start your own tech support company for less than $500. The best part is that you don't have to do it all at once!

Let's throw the disclaimer in right now. We're discussing setting up a business in the U.S. We aren't legal experts and we aren't responsible for the decisions you make in your business.

Why are we chopping this subject into several posts? There are some things that we need to take time to study, and I don't want anyone missing reality because they're looking at bullet points.

Speaking of reality: before you dive in the pool, let's take a look at your goals.

If you start a business, how are you going to know it is successful?

What would your 6 month goal be?

First year goal?

What's the minimum acceptable income at 6 months or a year?

Do you want to have your own business?

Is this choice for personal reasons or because you are unemployed and you have to put food on the table? (this affects your attitude)

Do you think you have to be a good sales person?

Running a business will take money at first. You need to know when you need to kill the business and when to hang in a little longer. Make those goals and set those limits now and then stick to them. You don't want to be so emotionally invested that you go down with the sinking ship.

Wanting to run a business or for personal reasons ("I hate my boss" or "I could make more on my own") can be good. Those personal reasons will also set the limits though. You may not like your boss, but if you have a big mortgage, you'd better start this business on the side. If you're unemployed and you are desperate, well, you're going to be a great sales person. Just don't chip your teeth, because you might be gritting them a lot!

You need to be a sales person. You don't need to be Billy Mays, but even if you don't do this, you're going to have to sell your resume and you in an interview somewhere down the road. This is priority 1. You can do it!

That's it for now. Here's what we'll be covering over the next few posts...

Incorporation

Website/Email

Phone/Fax

Business Cards

Insurance

Advertising

Finding parts distributors/value added retailers (VARs)

"Oh crud, I can't Fix it"

and more!


As always, feel free to post here or reach us by phone or email at Acme Techworks!

B2B: When the Customer is Wrong

Today I told a customer that their plan was wrong.

The customer wanted to buy too much and deploy it incorrectly, even after I explained how the product worked.

I don't know if the customer is happy, but I am.

We all have different gifts and different failings but one thing we can all offer each other is the truth.

It's not my job to make the customer happy. My purpose is to help the customer identify their needs and possible solutions correctly.

I'm not happy when the mechanic tells me I need new brake pads. It's not his job to make me happy either. He's just telling me the truth, presenting reality.

There isn't much more for me to say about this. I'd like to hear your opinions, even if it's a couple years from when this is posted. Feel free to comment here or call/email us!

--the crew at www.acmetechworks.com

The five levels of local referral generation: Dissecting the perfect lead

Here is a post about local leads generation...

We received a referral today. It's a good referral, not an "I heard that so and so needs..." kind of lead. This is a lead where we were introduced, there was a hand off and the the customer and I were face to face. (If I was really cool, I would have said, "belly to belly", but that's fairly disgusting for you visual people.)

Let's dive into this lead and see how it came about, in reverse chronological order.

5) The lead is in a peer group with a customer of ours.

4) The customer of ours has used our products and services for a year and a half.

3) We got this customer (who gave the referral) when we did work as a subcontractor for them.

2) The contractor gave us the work because he knew it would be done right.

1) The contractor got to know us when we hired them to do work for us.

I like this example because there are lead opportunities at every level.

See level 5? Are you talking to your peer groups? Are your customers talking to their peer groups? You should ask them, "who else could use my services/product?". Check into your local chamber of commerce and other professional groups.

Level 4: Seek ways to repeatedly (not one-shot) bring value to customers. They'll remember you and it will be easier for you to come to their minds when they have needs or have peers that have needs.

Level 3 is all about finding novel approaches to business. In our case, subcontracting put extra money in the contractor's pocket and encouraged them to use us in more opportunities. There are few business segments that have no way to add value. If you can't think of any for your business, email us and we'll give you some pointers! You can reach us on our contact page at http://www.acmetechworks.com/.

Be passionate about your work and Level 2 will happen. Earlier, we wrote about Craig Gamb (http://acmetechworks.blogspot.com/2009/07/value-of-networking-tribute-to-craig.html). You need to be like him in your business field.

Level 1 is all about the first six words: "The contractor got to know us..." Feel free to substitute contractor with the influencers around you. Some sharks have little fish that follow them around. These fish are called pilot fish and they actually clean the shark's teeth. An influence is like the shark, bigger than you and more influential but will give you value (the pilot fish isn't hungry!). You just need to find ways to show your value.

Any one of these levels can bring income. Imagine what can happen if you operate at every level!

You cannot afford to delude yourself--the chances are that income is not going to jump into your lap by setting up a website and getting an office phone. For some, networking is foreign. I recommend reading books such as the "Rich Dad" series by Robert Kiyosaki. The value in those books lies in getting you into a business mindset. This isn't a hobby. This is your livelihood.

What to expect from your reseller or distributor

Our apologies--this blog has become a list of expectations and it doesn't read in an entertaining way. On the other hand, if customers and sellers had a social contract, we wouldn't need to write this.

Finding a good reseller or distributor can be a rocky experience. Here are a few of our thoughts about some key traits of a good reseller.

First off, a reseller is NOT a distributor. A distributor is a reseller. Confused yet? Usually distributors sell to resellers, but the biggest difference between the two is that the distributor should have equipment on the shelf. We aren't saying they'll have every gadget that they are selling, but they most likely will have a warehouse or two.

Distributors are the middle men between the manufacturer who doesn't have time to fiddle around with sales channels and the reseller who is in the trenches, working with customers.

Resellers call upon their distributors when they need clarification about specs, configurations, etc. Distributors have the answers or know who to talk to at the manufacturer.

A good reseller knows what their products do and the areas where they shine. They may not know how a products works in a specific circumstance. They'll be able to give you references for where this product has worked.

A good reseller or distributor will not charge you shipping if you place a big order unless it is an item that has very little margin. Some tech equipment is a commodity and there might be only $3 or $4 made on a per item sale. You'll have to buy a pallet of monitors to get shipping waived. Don't hold your breath even then!

A reseller should help a customer avoid ordering the wrong thing. This is part of being a VAR (value added retailer). If the reseller makes the mistake, the reseller should eat it.

Distributors who don't have parts in stock should not charge their customers higher shipping for the product.

A reseller who will get you parts after 5pm on Friday is gold. Treat them well and send them M&Ms! (we like the plain ones!).

We'd like to hear your thoughts, let us know what your expectations are!

--the crew at www.acmetechworks.com

The value of networking: a tribute to Craig Gamb

The past few days I've spoken with some amazing sales and tech people who have lost their jobs because of circumstances they couldn't control.

No matter who you are or how good you are, you need to be networking.

Make no mistake, networking is selling you. You're offering people your knowledge, your friendship, your humor, your dedication and more.

Let me give you an example. His name is Craig Gamb and he is quite simply the best data cabler there is. He knows his stuff and he has all of the certs. I've called upon Craig as he's worked for himself and while he's worked at two other organizations. Craig has consistently done the right thing with no shortcuts. His work always reflects positively on me.

Craig has moved up in the world. Now he sells for a data cabling company. I still use him because he ensures that the cablers do what they're supposed to do and do it right.

I also use Craig because he has invested in me and my work. Just today I had a referral that said Craig told them to call.

It's ironic that Craig doesn't blog. I doubt that he'll see what's been written here. You won't find him selling his work on Facebook and he doesn't tweet. But what Craig does have is a network of friends and work acquaintances that would go the extra mile if he needed it.

Are you good at something? Are you sharing your talents? There's no excuse not to. Reach out to those you can help, do the best you can at your work, be professional and you'll become a good networker!

A non-tech subject most techs should be aware of

Just a caveat here, this isn't a fun subject. We all want to play with our networks and servers. Just understand that this is good medicine and it's going to help you help others and maybe get you a few new gig PoE switches!

If you're a VAR or tech consultant and you want to be good at what you do, you must know about grants and subsidies. The money could pay for your goods and services.

If you're a CIO or IT director at a private or public company and your company expects you to have a budget, you must know about grants and subsidies. The money could help you achieve initiatives and/or save the company money.

If you're an IT director or sys admin for local or state government facilities, you definitely have a budget and should know about grants and subsidies. Schools, libraries and medical facilities are prime examples where there is free money out there to pay for telephone and Internet costs, buy servers and much more.

Here's an example that recently popped up on our radar...

Rural Utility Service announced the availability of $4.7 BILLION in grants and loans to bring broadband Internet access to un-served or under-served rural communities. This money is for infrastructure development. One of the goals of this initiative is to "provide broadband access, education, awareness, training, equipment, and support to community anchor institutions (e.g., schools, libraries, medical facilities)". http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/files/BB%20NOFA%20FINAL%20with%20disclaimer_1.pdf

There is also money for private and publicly owned companies who move some or all of their business into HUB zones. A HUB zone is a Historically Underutilized Business zone. The government wants to increase business and industry in these areas. http://www.sba.gov/hubzone/section05b.htm

Here's a website to check out: http://www.usac.org/default.aspx

There are non-tech parts of being in a tech industry. Be a well rounded tech and people will see the value that you can add to their world.

Welcome to our blog!

Our blog is going to focus on three themes.

The first theme is about best practices in IT. Our hope is to give value to the sys admin, IT director, CIO, IT consultant and VAR.

The second theme is about neat gadgets that have caught our eye. We’ll talk about the tools our services division uses to be successful as well as networking and telephony products that we offer at Acme Techworks.

The final theme is business related. We’re going to share our experiences about being a tech business and talk about marketing successes and failures. There’s a lot to discuss regarding managing your customers, capital, office space and much more.

Most importantly, we’re looking forward to the chance to interact with you through this blog. This blog is our blog, because this blog is yours too. Please let us know what you agree with, don’t like or think we should mention!