Maintaining steady work in a competitive market: Meet Eric Zuelke

Summary

In 2008, after transitioning away from OnForce, Eric Zuelke joined Field Nation. Eric began building a successful computer repair business in 2006 and switched to Field Nation to find more work and connect with more clients. Eric loves his work and his customers, which is how he’s managed to gain new clients and maintain a steady flow of work for over 10 years.

Background

In 2006, Eric started working on his own as a Computer Repair Technician. In the beginning, he advertised locally and found clients through word-of-mouth. At the time, Eric was mostly working with individuals doing software, hardware, computer, and server repair. However, as he grew, he wanted to branch out into more commercial work – which is when he turned to Field Nation.

“The type of work on Field Nation I get are types of jobs I prefer over others,” Eric says. “My commercial jobs are in a lot of different environments, everything from grocery stores to banks.”

The variety in his work allows Eric to put his skills to the test, and he loves the chance to solve people’s problems, large or small.

“I like to get people out of jams. A lot of people depend on their computers,” Eric says, “That’s what makes it worth it.”

Growing a successful computer repair business

Over the years as technology shifts, many technicians may find it hard to keep up with the industry. On the other hand, for Eric, that constant change is exciting, challenging, and something he uses to stay on top of his game.

“My business grows mostly through word of mouth, and I have grown a lot. As the industry shifts and changes over time, people need different things and I try and keep up with that as much as I can,” Eric says.

One of the biggest drivers of his growth, according to him, is the fact that he’s learned how to fix the problem while also building rapport with the customer.  Eric emphasizes the importance of learning soft-skills like constructive communication, de-escalation for tense situations, and general rules of professionalism.

“You have to know how to talk to people and put them at ease. If you don’t know how to be professional on-site, take classes, watch videos, learn how to be professional,” Eric says. “You have to look at it from a business-minded aspect and not just a computer repair.”

Eric credits much of his success and ability to land consistent work to those people skills.

“I think the most rewarding part about that is the consistency of work has improved over time. After a while, you don’t have to worry about finding work as much because the work comes to you a bit more consistently,” Eric says.

Building client relationships

Eric always goes above-and-beyond to make a good impression, especially on commercial jobs.

“Any time I go into a commercial job, I aim to leave it better than it was when I went in there,” Eric says. “For instance, going into a server room, if the rooms a mess while I’m standing around waiting for my tech people to do what they need to do, I’ll clean the server room up. I’ll do what cable management I can do while I’m there.”

It’s small steps like these that make a technician stand out in a client’s mind. Going that extra mile can build trust and establish quality that could net you more work with that client in the future.

Growing with Field Nation

As Eric continues growing his computer service business this year, he’s using Field Nation to find more work and strengthen existing relationships, and he recommends other technicians do the same.

“There are lots of other platforms people can choose from, but when it comes down to the daily nuts and bolts of using it, I’ve never had a problem with Field Nation,” Eric says. “I would recommend Field Nation to other techs. It’s easy to use. The companies who use Field Nation have done their due diligence.”