If you want to do this legit I can put together a marketing/advertising plan for you.
Obviously I don't think this would be something you could really do now, but after you've gotten a couple of customers and have money to advertise. Right now you'd pretty much just start doing jobs for neighbors, get referrals, family friends, etc.
Exactly. And, I have to decide how marketable this really is. Basically, why come to me instead of bestbuy or some other in-home service guys.
Your comparative advantage over Best Buy is that you're small, more customer-focused. This will be a huge asset in building customer relations. Maintain strong contact with customers, handwritten follow up post cards or Christmas cards or something. Be flexible with pricing to some extent (a dynamic pricing model) and for stronger customers throw in a part for free or at cost. The computer repair guy my mom uses for her work is just a small family business but they stick with him because "he takes care of her."
As for in home service people those are your biggest competition. People that are going to use Best Buy are going to use Best Buy anyway. You really have to rely on building a referral base, and getting your card into as many hands as possible. Do an exceptional job where you don't cut corners, put in the extra 5% to customer relations and being very personable, and you'll eventually build a following.
In any industry there are barriers to entry, and most companies have to deal with older competition at some point in their lifespan. If you can provide a comparable, (but ideally superior) service, and are just as if not more knowledgeable than your competition then you should be fine. Cut deals to your first few clients so you can actually get hired.
With each client leave 5 business cards to hand out to friends. Tell them that for each client they refer they'll get, say, 3-5% off their next service fee. (So they can get 15-25% off if they a) refer their friends and b) come to you again). By doing that you'll make client A a repeat customer, and gain 5 more. Do the same, Now you've got 6 repeat customers and potentially 25 new customers. Rinse and repeat. Now you're ready to hire another employee. A few more referrals down the line and you're ready to hire a marketing agency. *wink* *wink*
And with that I must stress how important it is to provide top quality service, turn around time, etc. to your customers. It pays you back 5-fold in referrals.
