Ryan Kristopher Level: Basic PLUS
Ryan Kristopher is an independent marketing consultant, sales trainer, and author of MarketMeIT.com who specializes in inexpensive and highly effective marketing strategies for computer service ...
With the official release of Windows 7 due out on October 22, computer consultants and IT service providers are quickly having to decide whether to embrace or snuff Microsoft's newest operating system.
Due to the longevity of XP, millions of users rely on their local computer consultant for support and advice regarding the operating system.
So it's your responsibility to do your due diligence with the operating system, understand the emerging market trends and decide what you feel the best solution is.
Many articles are springing up about how much faster and more resourceful Windows 7 is compared to Vista and XP. The reality is, Windows XP is 10 years old and will not be compatible with future hardware products.
Yet, despite all the good feedback circulating about Windows 7, many IT administrators are not planning to migrate. The bad economy is a major factor that is contributing to these statistics. 35% of companies say they are skipping upgrades or technology purchases (PC World). So what can you do?
While there are many articles online discussing Windows 7's features, there isn't a lot of talk about profitability for the technology service provider. You have several angles you can take:
Do Nothing. Push Security. Many IT consultants will choose to not support Windows 7 until Service Pack 1 is released. If you're one of them, you should educate your clients through email, your website, and ad campaigns regarding the security issues that Windows 7 will have. You can offer a security service and software package as an economic way of securing XP and keeping clients current with new security threats.
Sell A Solution To Bring Windows 7 Features Into XP. If your area is hit hard by the economy and you forsee a long uphill battle educating your clients and convincing them to spend the money on Windows 7, you can offer a service to install all of the features that Windows 7 boasts on XP or Vista. There are many free programs and online services that your clients can use to achieve similar functionality without having to spend money on an upgrade.
Push a Windows XP to Windows 7 Upgrade. It's no secret that upgrading from XP will be very difficult for end users. It's also no secret that Microsoft does not support XP anymore. Microsoft is actually recommending that people simply buy a new computer if they want Windows 7 rather than try and upgrade from XP. Surprised? The problem is, again, the economy. There will be a large market of people wanting to upgrade who cannot afford (nor should they have) to buy a new PC. You can offer a service that specializes in performing the upgrade.
It's important that you have a plan. If you support Windows 7, you'll want to know exactly why and how you are going to profitably make that work for your business. The same holds true if you decide to wait on supporting Windows 7. The key to any successful marketing campaign is educating your clients and then motivating them to take a desired action.
The average end user is not going to spend months researching the development and release of Windows 7. They will be relying on you to do the leg work and make a recommendation for them. They are also going to rely on computer repair consultants to educate them about the new operating system and why it may or may not be the right choice for them. If it is not the right choice, they are going to need to know what is.
This article has been viewed 3 time(s).Article Submitted On: September 28, 2009
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