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I have many small clients, offices from 5 to 200 computers and I’m the only IT guy for them. As you know, usually is so hard to get budget for upgrades, new infrastructure, fixes, etc.

Well, with one of my clients, after YEARS of literally “begging” for $$$ to upgrade their old computers (~6 years old, 25 PCs) I got the green light to get new equipment. I still remember that day, I went home so happy. Had been testing Spiceworks and some other programs in my virtual home lab to implement there. We got the new computers (Dell i7, 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM, overkill for many users in that place, but kind of “futureproof” perhaps…) and other equipment. After a couple of days I had everything up and running. When the last computer was given to his user, the Director asked me to go to his office.

“Now we have brand-new, super-fast computers and they won’t break anymore. I can’t justify your IT services anymore”.

Just then his phone rings, and he excuses himself to answer it. I came up with a not so perfect but quite ok analogy and decided to make a slide in my laptop while he attends his call:

Untitled.pngOf course I could go on and on on that list, his call was 2~3 minutes long and those are the simplest things that came to my mind in that moment. BTW, he is a car guy and owns a Porsche 911, hence why I chose it. lol

Now it was my turn to speak: "In some degree computers are like cars. The fact that you get a brand-new car doesn’t mean that you never have to service it. But doesn’t matter if you get a Kia or a Ferrari, if the driver can’t drive well, he will break it somehow. The same happens with computers…"

As I said before, it was not a perfect analogy but he got the message. Usually most of my clients like to renew their 3rd party contracts every year (including mine). The next week he called me saying that he will extend the contract for 3 years.

Mission accomplished, I guess?

Have you had a situation like that before? How have you managed it?

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Nope, sounds like you handled that pretty well. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Just like with new cars, the maintenance needed on new computers is less than on old computers, so there might be less to maintain for a while and then we’re back to same ol’ eventually haha.

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I can pretty much guarantee that if they’re running W10, you’ll be getting calls!

Nice sales job. :wink:

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@alexw

Exactly, eventually it will happen again haha

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@rhummel

Oh yes, W10 and a couple of users complained that they can’t work with a dark Start menu… it’s just the beginning…

Thanks! I tried to do my best :slight_smile:

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I often think of this saying “L’esprit de l’escalier”. It’s basically the act of thinking about something you could/should have said when it’s too late. The “if only I had said that” moment.

Fair enough you got a few minutes but that few minutes actually gained you three years.

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@bsod I didn’t know that had a proper name haha.It always happens to me, but somehow this time I managed to say something :slight_smile:

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That was actually a brilliant analogy. Consider it stolen! :slight_smile:

(I’ll paraphrase. :wink: )

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Nice job!!

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Had a client insist that he was switching to Mac’s to save money “because they don’t break”. Guess who got a dispatch 3 months later as they were fed up with stuff not working or being compatible and needed to set up their new PC’s and move data off the Mac’s?

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Beautiful similarity, and a history of success.
For some it seems a simple commercial logic, but often those who buy a Ferrari claims to pay for the service as a small 500.
I have experience of service contracts renewals, and when you try to explain the level of spending, you have to deal with logic to the lowest bidder.
At best, they can do enter the game incompetent willing to make a name for peanuts…

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Nice analogy and good thinking.

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Well done. A bit of quick thinking and a good analogy save the day for you.

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You’ll need a licence for that hahaha :wink: )

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Very well handled, but it confuses me why your director thought that they wouldn’t need any support just because its new? It’s like giving a child a knife and say it will never cut itself cause its new.

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“Now we have brand-new, super-fast computers and they won’t break anymore. I can’t justify your IT services anymore”.

I would love to know where he got the impression that those computers would just run forever without needing any maintenance or support. Even with the best users in the world things can and will go wrong.

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You actually did a great job with that. I don’t think I could’ve come up with anything better in that time frame. I’m glad that everything worked out for you and that your contract was renewed.

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Well done. If IT ever fails you may have a place in sales lol

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He clearly said he was “Stealing” it… I don’t think you NEED a license for stolen property. :wink:

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Quick thinking! My boss and I often use cars as an analogy when we have to explain costs and maintenance to our various clients.

I love the “don’t kill me with your bills I’m just a small company and we’re having a rough quarter” and all the while I’m sitting there looking at their brand new sports car sitting outside. Not my fault you hated your husband’s Tesla and made him buy you an S-class to make up for it.

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