sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Looking for advice from all you 'old-timers'.

Terry:

I do more wiring than system installation, so this advice might not be exactly relevant to your situation.

I have found a niche doing renovations to installations that would qualify in the "Ugly Work" category. I have 40 years+ experience doing trouble-shooting. I have almost zero experience installing modern electronic key systems.

I approach builders, contractors, architects, electricians, alarm companies, HVAC companies, etc. and hand them a full-page write-up about me, my experience, and what a good installation should look like.

I also tell them that if they have a customer with weird telephone problems that the lunatics at Verizon can't fix, to have them call me. If a contractor is going to renovate a bathroom, or put on a deck, or do any other odd job, chances are that there will be wiring to do.

When a customer migrates to a TV company-based telephone service, invariably there will be work. The cable companies do not understand telephony. Period. They will 100% of the time screw things up, ranging from simply not being able to get all the phones in a business or house working, to royally screwing up an alarm system, with great potential for disaster.

I keep busy due to the incompetence of others.

As an added note: "I gotta get out of this business..." too.

Man you guys are bumming me out!!! Someone get me a razor blade and start running a hot bath!! Oh well, the job market in the York, Lancaster, Harrisburg area is dismal to say the least so I guess the option I have to keep plugging away at the accounts I serviced and see if I can drum up new business is about all I have.
I do appreciate the input so far and look forward to someone giving me some good news!!

I was trained by phone guys at the interconnect company my dad works for. From my experience there I got interested in computers and networking. I took a two year tech ed program in high school and I am currently in college studying computer networking.
Business wise, I do a bit of everything...from fixing a computer in someone's house to commercial voice/data cabling.

Jeff: I don't think you qualify as an old-timer. Just my $0.02.

Now i'm getting our of here before Ken shows up and tells me about his pair of boots that are older then I am.

I never said I was, just sharing some experience.

so true , so true

Telco incompetence , CG's and Alarm techs doing installs , keeps the calls coming

Terry, PM sent.

I am not quite as grey as some here but telecom makes you old quick.

For us it's always been cabling and mac work. We do not advertise so word of mouth it what keeps us going. It also helps to sub for other established and trust worthy contractors. We have good relations with a few local builders and it provides OK. Just keep your head up and plug along like the rest of us and you will be fine. Also train up on your IP skills it will carry you when the famines hit.

System sales are secondary for us and there is not allot to be made in that end anyway unless like Avalon said they are a fortune 500 company.

Some of us have a good list and a bad list for nationals so you might want to get plugged in and chat with a few privately here. It makes for OK residual.

I haven't been doing this as long as many on this board, about 8 years, but I'll give you a list of what I tried and whether or not it paid off.

Yellow Pages: Don't bother

Newspaper ad: Don't bother

Radio ads: Don't bother

Name number on truck: Well worth it

Went to Chamber site and emailed all members: Not worth it

Joined Chamber and went to several events: Not worth it

Mailing with flyer and business card: Pretty good

Door to door: Didn't help much

Cold calling: Didn't help and I hated doing it

Listing on Sundance and a few other sites: Has helped, mostly with nationals. Of course as was stated, check here before accepting work from a national. Search the site to see if they've been cussed or discussed before.

As others have said, word of mouth seems to be the best. I'll be the first to tell you I'm no salesman, so that may be why the door to door and cold calling didn't produce much, actually seemed to piss people off more than help. I've had my best luck with mailings with introductions, flyers or brief news letter, always with business card enclosed.