Is the TV repair shop business on the decline?
Here is an interesting question that was posed in an article that I found while doing research. The author who happens to be a fellow webmaster (http://www.jestineyong.com) raised some interesting points that were somewhat similar to those that I raised in one of my previous TV repair business related posts. In that article I suggested that the key to surviving the current competitive environment is to expand your current business into including other aspects of electronics repair. If you currently offer repair services only for CRTs, then start offering services like basic LCD TV repairs or plasma TV troubleshooting and repair. Or perhaps learn how to repair LCD monitor so you can add that to you services menu as well!
Electronic repair service - Is it a Dying Trade? by Jestine Yong
I have received the same question many times from my friends, colleagues and students asking if electronics repair is a dying profession. My usual answer to them is it depends on how you handle your repair business. I am aware that in the current situation many consumers may prefer to purchase a new rather than have them repaired because electronic equipments are steadily getting less expensive. However, this is only true for certain types of equipments.
Here are some questions I suggest you think about, would you buy a new LCD TV set if your it is merely having a sound problem? Would you buy a new monitor if you are merely having color problems on the screen? Would you get a new laser printer just because of a simple paper jam? Would you buy a new dot-matrix printer just because of alignment problems? If you talk about lower-priced equipment such as a unbranded VCD or even a DVD players, indeed it is understandable that the users may just prefer throw it away and simply get a new unit with a one year warranty. However, if the equipment costs several hundreds or thousands of dollars, definetely the users will tend to consider sending it for repair first. Fact is, there is still a significant number of users falling under the second category that are willing to send their machine or equipment for repair.
Few years back, my sister purchased a cheap, no brand 21-inch TV which was priced half of the branded counterpart. After 2 weeks of normal use, the front button panel broke down. The remote control did the same thing and ceased working after just 2 weeks! I tried repairing it the substandard parts that they used proved to be impossible to work with. Further, the quality of the picture produced by the TV was so dull and lacked ideal contrast. Since then I have resolved not to buy any unbranded equipment in the future.
The new 32" LCD TV that I bought few months back was a LG brand. Even though there were other cheaper unbranded LCD TV, I did not buy it as I knew the quality is inferior to the branded one. The reason I am telling you this story is because I think there will come a time when the behavior of buyers will change. That will mean consumers will be getting smarter and may reject stuff that are low in quality.
If more consumers start preferring branded equipment and stop minding spending a little bit more, in the long run, it would benefit the electronics repair business. Why? Because we would be getting more things to repair (consumers rarely scrap their equipment at first sign of trouble) and that means more revenue for the business!.
Now, if customers send their faulty equipments to you for repair, how fast you can fix and how good is your communication (people skills) with your customers (either end users or dealers)? I'm asking because these are some of the factors that will really affect your business. Even if you are the best electronic repair person in the world but you do not know how to communicate or talk to your customers, then your repair business may end up losing to your competitors. In today's competitive business environment, you need to build strong relationships with your customers more than ever before. I understand that most of us as in the technical field may have some difficulty in facing customers (communication). The way we convince our customers is not as good as those born with good communication skills like a good salesman that they can easily treat any customers like they're long lost friends. I'm not here to ask you to compare with them but we have the choice of improving ourselves. Many of us like to dwell in our comfortable place (technical department) and concentrating doing our repair job and at the same time ignoring what happen to the surrounding (including of entertaining your customers) am I right? My friends, if there are no sales and no customers; there would be nothing for us to repair. Without sales, there would be no activity in your company!
I have had the chance to talk with some of my colleagues who had given up their electronic repair service businesses to find other jobs due to the strong competition in this repair field. When I asked them why they quit the answer that I get indicate their frustration about them having less to repair and the sad result of dwindling income. I asked them if they tried searching for new customers and offered other services related to fax machines and computers. I asked them if they tried marketing strategies like visiting electronic or computer shops, or distributing flyers, etc. Most of them answered no! You see, as mentioned above, if there are no sales coming in, your repair company will surely have to close down. Not only that, most of them do not have the people's skill to convince their customers. Sales won't come in into your doorstep on its own unless it is recommended by your friends or customers. Why those big corporate engage lots of salesman? Because no sales means no business!
Some final advice: Charge your customers with reasonable price, build a good relationship with your clients or customers, do not cheat, work hard and smart, improving yourself and learn how to get sales and with the perseverance in you , I don't see why a person can fail in his electronic repair business. At this moment, my company still has lots of customers sending faulty monitors and printers for us to repair and lately LCD Monitor repair is a blessing to us because we can charge a higher price.
Lastly, if you serve your customers great, you will eventually have a base of loyal customers who will promote your organization or company which will ultimately be good for any electronics repair service business. It is now your choice whether you wish to change and improve yourself or to remain where you are.
Author Jestine Yong is the owner of the very informative website LCD Monitor Repair.
