PC Building Service

[DogeOfTech]

I love building computers (safe to say everyone on here does), but I only have such a budget to keep upgrading my computer and there comes a point where you just want a new one to be able to have the satisfaction of building one from scratch again.

 

So my big question is this: how do I market myself to people who want someone to design and build a PC for them?

 

I've built a couple PC's for friends and I really enjoy it, but how do I get more people, and, more importantly, how do I get them to pay? Is there anyone out there who does this and if so, how do you go about it? 

[ARikozuM]

By word of mouth, mostly. If you can start building small, efficient machines for a low sum and make a decent profit, it'd be a great way to get to know the people in your area and find what the sample population is looking for. I work at a pet store and some customers that have been coming for food have asked for me to look at their computers which leads to more work and word spreads because of it.

 

Main things to consider:

What's your rate: Flat or percentage?

What's your niche: Small form factor, office, gaming, etc.?

What's your population like? Overall needs? This one is VERY IMPORTANT as a small build (even a Pentium or i3 as a base for the WHOLE can be changed with just a GPU for the smaller segments) will be easier to manage if your components are the same throughout each build. Don't build X99 for old ladies that won't use it, but for those that do: go ahead.

How do you present yourself: Professional attire or relaxed dress when in-person? Will you use posters or notice boards or business cards?

How knowledgeable are you? You may have to think on the spot to figure out an issue.

When are you available to help?

 

[d3sl91]

One of the key items, is to figure out your pricing, and then have a very good reason for why they should use you, instead of buying a prebuilt from Best Buy. 

 

As for marketing -

You will not be able to beat BestBuy's prices, so when that question undoubtedly comes up - have a good reason as to why someone should go with you versus the cheap dell. That's your marketing plan - give a good reason as to why someone should spend extra on you.

 

Getting folks to pay is easy enough - 

Just tell them what it will cost, wether that is a flat $50 build fee, or if it's a percentage. If you have already convinced them that it is a good idea to use you versus BestBuy, then getting them to pay isn't that big of a deal. 

 

 

[ARikozuM]

Forgot to mention that if you're a jack-of-all-trades and can work on networks, phones, and laptops as well as PC's it makes you that much more sensible since you can offer a service as well as a sale.

 

You wouldn't believe how many times I fixed poor WiFi with an additional access point when all I was asked to do is fix a laptop that couldn't use a program. Not only will they appreciate and pay for the added functionality you provided but it shows you care or are passionate about technology.

[DogeOfTech]

8 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

Forgot to mention that if you're a jack-of-all-trades and can work on networks, phones, and laptops as well as PC's it makes you that much more sensible since you can offer a service as well as a sale.

 

You wouldn't believe how many times I fixed poor WiFi with an additional access point when all I was asked to do is fix a laptop that couldn't use a program. Not only will they appreciate and pay for the added functionality you provided but it shows you care or are passionate about technology.

I can definitely see what you're saying, and I've built things from a budget Intel build to my +$1000 rig all the way to helping teachers at my old school troubleshoot their machines. But since I just moved, I have to bud a rep all over again, so the hardest part is just getting started and finding people to begin relationships with. I could see about getting flyers put up around my college, and would Craigslist be a good place?

[ARikozuM]

Just now, DogeOfTech said:

I can definitely see what you're saying, and I've built things from a budget Intel build to my +$1000 rig all the way to helping teachers at my old school troubleshoot their machines. But since I just moved, I have to bud a rep all over again, so the hardest part is just getting started and finding people to begin relationships with. I could see about getting flyers put up around my college, and would Craigslist be a good place?

Garage sales could be a great way to start if you're in the Bradenton area in Florida. Don't advertise too many services. Start with "selling productivity machines" at the college tailored to whatever the majority is looking for. If you have a lot of graphic designers, go with a Xeon build since it's cheaper than an i7 but has the same performance paired with a 750 Ti since Adobe Creative does really well with the 750 Ti. Using that as a base allows you to ask questions about the needs of the client (helping with an upsell) and showing them that they may benefit from a higher GPU.

 

I would post a simple flyer with two models.

!) Word processor with a Pentium or i3 mini ITX and 1x4GB RAM (paired with an SSD <= Very important as many OEM's still use HDD's)

2) Graphics design build with a Xeon and a 750 Ti mini ITX with 2x8GB RAM with SSD and WD Blue 1TB or Hitachi 2TB.

 

Price them accordingly and get a professional picture if you can.

Getting exposure is the key here.

Many students, at least where I went, barely know the difference between an i3 and i7 aside from i4.

[SLAYR]

19 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Garage sales could be a great way to start if you're in the Bradenton area in Florida. Don't advertise too many services. Start with "selling productivity machines" at the college tailored to whatever the majority is looking for. If you have a lot of graphic designers, go with a Xeon build since it's cheaper than an i7 but has the same performance paired with a 750 Ti since Adobe Creative does really well with the 750 Ti. Using that as a base allows you to ask questions about the needs of the client (helping with an upsell) and showing them that they may benefit from a higher GPU.

 

I would post a simple flyer with two models.

!) Word processor with a Pentium or i3 mini ITX and 1x4GB RAM (paired with an SSD <= Very important as many OEM's still use HDD's)

2) Graphics design build with a Xeon and a 750 Ti mini ITX with 2x8GB RAM with SSD and WD Blue 1TB or Hitachi 2TB.

 

Price them accordingly and get a professional picture if you can.

Getting exposure is the key here.

Many students, at least where I went, barely know the difference between an i3 and i7 aside from i4.

8Gb is minimun these days for ram, and the 750ti is pretty outdated now ad the rx 460 easily beats it, and Matx is also quite a bit cheaper.

 

Also with custom computers you may be held responsible for if something breaks, or your parents if you are a minor. Plus the warranties may not transfer to a second owner, and you will have to pay for the computer up front, so you have to have a bit of money to start out with. People are also going to want tech support for it.

 

Overall unless you have a bit of money to start out with, and the time and patience for constant tech support it isn't worth it.

[ARikozuM]

1 hour ago, SLAYR said:

-snip-.

For a basic mini ITX build 4GB is more than enough for a base build with the purpose of word processing. The point is to get something usable for a low price while maintaining good performance in a nice little package.

 

And for Adobe the 750 Ti is great for a small form factor build as many Creative Suite products use CUDA and recommended is 1GB of GDDR5. If a customer needs something more powerful, an initial payment for insurance can be taken. 

 

He mentioned going to college which is why I suggest getting these machines as they are catered to the population. If someone is curious and wants something different, he can always meet with potential customers and find what their needs are. 

[DogeOfTech]

2 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

For a basic mini ITX build 4GB is more than enough for a base build with the purpose of word processing. The point is to get something usable for a low price while maintaining good performance in a nice little package.

 

And for Adobe the 750 Ti is great for a small form factor build as many Creative Suite products use CUDA and recommended is 1GB of GDDR5. If a customer needs something more powerful, an initial payment for insurance can be taken. 

 

He mentioned going to college which is why I suggest getting these machines as they are catered to the population. If someone is curious and wants something different, he can always meet with potential customers and find what their needs are. 

I don't know about graphic design, but I do know that they would be people interested in a PC. I would have enough money to start out, and being able to provide tech support wouldn't be hard, since I know my way around. But I will definitely see about getting flyers and such put up as well as putting myself out there, could you explain the garage sale thing more? Not entirely sure what you mean by that.

 

Also, I'm in the St. Pete area, so pretty close to Bradenton.

[Biggerboot]

Have a business card at the ready.  Networking is key.

[ARikozuM]

12 minutes ago, DogeOfTech said:

I don't know about graphic design, but I do know that they would be people interested in a PC. I would have enough money to start out, and being able to provide tech support wouldn't be hard, since I know my way around. But I will definitely see about getting flyers and such put up as well as putting myself out there, could you explain the garage sale thing more? Not entirely sure what you mean by that.

 

Also, I'm in the St. Pete area, so pretty close to Bradenton.

There are tons of garage sales on Saturdays in the area. If you could set aside one every month or two to show off your PC's with nice little signs it could be a nice way to get yourself noticed. Craigslist for our area has a good amount of high-end PC's so setting a low-end PC "ready to build" would help capture sone of that market.

[DogeOfTech]

6 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

There are tons of garage sales on Saturdays in the area. If you could set aside one every month or two to show off your PC's with nice little signs it could be a nice way to get yourself noticed. Craigslist for our area has a good amount of high-end PC's so setting a low-end PC "ready to build" would help capture sone of that market.

 That's a really good point, I rarely see people offering to build things other than crazy gaming rigs, and doing garage sales does sound like a good idea, now that I see what you mean. 

 

8 minutes ago, Biggerboot said:

Have a business card at the ready.  Networking is key.

Good point, never know when people are gonna bring it up!

[Biggerboot]

Just now, DogeOfTech said:

Good point, never know when people are gonna bring it up!

Not even that, just start handing cards out to everyone you know (or don't know).  Or at your next sale.

 

By the way, if you have money to invest, I think the best way you can increase your profit is buying in lots or bulk at a discount.  Especially stuff like older CPU's and RAM.  And like what was mentioned before, offer your services.

[paos]

To MARKET yourself, you'll need a visual portfolio. You'll need to take tasteful photos of the builds that you've done that would impress someone, and once you've hooked their interest, you''ll list the advantages of choosing you for their service, listing what you can do, and lastly, listing rates for such jobs. Make a website, get some business cards, and leave them around town with your contact info, and promote yourself on social media.