Matt Jones,
Geek IT
Working 12-Hour Days, 6 Days A Week, Without Growing My MRR, I Was Officially STUCK
Like my grandfather – my hero – I’ve always had an affinity for helping people. In addition, I love technology. At age 18, I combined those two passions in a unique and profitable way. I went to RadioShack and bought a few Optimus speakers, some PylePro amps, NSYNC headset mics and lights. My friend and I started transforming lame school dances into high-tech, blockbuster events for $200 a night! But it was never about the money, it was about seeing those kids’ faces light up as they danced the night away.
Years later, my love of technology backfired on me when a computer randomly laid me off. So, after two corporate layoffs and growing up with a family of self-starting hard workers, I decided it was time to do my own thing. That’s when Geek iT was born. I started in a 30′ x 30′ building doing virus removals and fixing computers, cell phones and tablets. In the next couple of years, I added another location and then another and another. Growing WAAAAAAAAY too big too fast, I scaled back to one break-fix shop and one corporate office for commercial MSP work.
In the summer of 2019, I was officially STUCK. I was in a rut and lost my motivation. Sure, I loved my company. I loved helping others. But something was missing. First thing missing was my free time since I was working 12-hour days six days a week! Having a three-year-old daughter, one-year-old son and 17-year-old son puts everything into perspective. Second thing missing…MONEY. My gross monthly recurring revenue was about $7K. My break-fix shop was doing ehhh (that means FAILING, but I didn’t want to admit it).
Inspired By One Of Robin’s Members
Instead of chasing virus removal and cell phone repair, I wanted to become a true MSP and strictly focus on business clients. I wanted to be home by 5:30 p.m. every day, enjoy a nice recurring revenue and never again have to worry if I’ll make enough that month. That was my stuck. I needed inspiration. I needed a distraction. So, I did what most stuck IT business owners do…I opened Facebook.
I browsed through an MSP owners group on Facebook, and this one guy’s profile picture struck me. For two solid hours, I watched videos of Stephen Taylor from LeadingIT talk about cyber security tips and growing his MSP. I was trying to reverse engineer how he had become so successful. Then I saw it! In the background of a picture of him and Daymond John, I noticed a logo with “RR” in the middle. Suddenly it clicked! That was the same logo I saw months earlier on a big red envelope.
Words cannot describe the severity of the rut I was in. I was severely depressed. I knew the company should be doing better, but I couldn’t put a finger on what was missing. But I had these black-and-white results from Stephen Taylor and other Technology Marketing Toolkit members in front of me. I was officially done being stuck. So, in a matter of seconds, I was spending money I didn’t have so I could attend a marketing workshop in Nashville.
A Mindset Shift About Marketing And What’s Truly Possible
After going to the Rapid Implementation Workshop, I felt like I was drowning under a tidal wave of information and resources. It was paralysis by analysis. I figured I would change my whole system. Then I remembered how many times I had changed systems in the past and how it NEVER worked out. So I stopped.
Instead, I committed myself to being on every call, every week. I committed myself to doing the work exactly as it was presented to me. I committed to avoid reinventing the wheel by using every Done-For-You service that Technology Marketing Toolkit offered. It WORKED! In fact, the results we saw immediately from the 9-Word E-mails we sent were surprising. Clients who had never responded before were now engaged and ready to spend money!
If I’m being honest, the initial implementation that started producing results wasn’t a letter or a duck. It was my mindset and my confidence. Simply making the investment to attend the Rapid Implementation Workshop changed everything. After going to the workshop, meeting other IT business owners who had gone through my same struggles and getting on the weekly calls, I felt like Superman. From stuck and depressed to growing and elated, I was no longer afraid of putting myself out there. I was executing marketing, knocking on doors and calling. I was sparking interest!
Priceless Lessons Learned
Only RESULTS-DRIVEN Marketing Counts – My old self would say, “Look at all these pretty business cards and brochures I made. Plus, I joined the Chamber. I’m a true marketer now.” NOPE. That’s just branding and networking. Your marketing needs to drive real results, such as generating leads, appointments and new sales.
Always Consider The Done-For-You Option – I knew I didn’t have the time to implement all of this marketing. So, if Robin offers a Done-For-You option, jump on it. For example, I know we need a better social media presence. But, instead of learning how to do it and spending hours each week executing, we will simply sign up for Robin’s Done-For-You Social Media Posting Service.
Just Shut Up And Do It – “But I can’t afford it.” “I don’t have time for this.” “What if it doesn’t work?” These are the same thoughts that kept running through my mind. But I’ve since learned to quiet those voices because I kept getting IMMEDIATE results. While at the Rapid Implementation Workshop, I closed a deal. Then, while at the DC Roadshow, I closed another deal. It works. Just jump in, shut up, duplicate what she has done and sit back and watch the results roll in.
DOUBLING Our Monthly Recurring Revenue In 12 Weeks Flat!
I’ll admit, after seeing what Stephen Taylor and other Technology Marketing Toolkit members accomplished, my expectations were sky-high going into Robin’s Rapid Implementation Workshop. And then I EXCEEDED those expectations!
I really can’t believe how much I accomplished in just 90 days. Before I started, I didn’t think I had time for marketing…I didn’t think I had time for an accountability call each week…and I sure didn’t think I could afford to do marketing the way it’s intended. Now I know I can’t afford NOT to do marketing right. All told, in the 90 days of this workshop experience, I:
- More than DOUBLED our MRR – from $7,000/month to over $15,000/month
- Added $37,867.04 in new client project work
- Converted my remaining break-fix consumer store to a cell phone repair franchise so I could focus on marketing my enterprise IT company
- Hired an amazing manager to keep our systems rolling
Among our most successful campaigns within those 12 weeks were the following:
Adding $3,200 In New MRR Using A Cool Twist On The Aspirin Campaign
We have proven beyond doubt that Robin’s Aspirin Campaign absolutely works…even if you send out only 25 letters a week like we did. We’ve generated three appointments, three pending quotes and several new clients that added $3,200 in new MRR! Because we’ve been so busy with the new business we’ve generated from this campaign, we’ve only mailed 500 total so far.
Pro Tip: To bypass the gatekeeper, we are mailing the Aspirin sales letter in a package that looks like it comes from Target. This unique twist gets it to the decision maker and gets it opened!
Awakening Clients From The Dead With Our Weekly Cyber Security Tips
“Out of sight, out of mind.” When prospects, clients and past clients don’t hear from you, you fall off their radar. By e-mailing Cyber Security Tips on a weekly basis, we have awoken four previously “dead” leads and generated $800 in MRR and $1,300 in new project work.
Beyond “awakening the dead,” we saw our clients started talking again about how great we are and how we are on top of things. This goodwill should help convert future quarterly business reviews into new business!
Dark Web Scans + Golf Tournaments = $300 In New MRR
To maximize your marketing, you should always strive to be where your target market hangs out. For us, that’s on the golf course. So, during the 12 weeks of Rapid, we sponsored a golf tournament by offering free dark web scans via ID Agent. This single event helped land us nine first-time appointments, including a university that had 3,000+ compromised passwords. So far, we have added $300 in new monthly recurring revenue as a result!
Automating Our Marketing With MAP By Infusionsoft
I had heard from other members that once they started using Infusionsoft, their production (and results) significantly increased. Since I was already experiencing immediate results, I signed up for Infusionsoft my first day at the workshop. Within a WEEK, this essential investment had paid for itself!
Thanks to Infusionsoft, rather than executing campaigns intermittently and haphazardly, we now have an automated marketing system. Today, we utilize Infusionsoft to help implement several marketing campaigns, including our monthly newsletters, weekly direct mail campaigns, monthly webinars and our weekly Cyber Security Tips e-mails.
A Whole New Outlook. A Whole New Me.
By going through Robin’s Rapid Implementation Workshop and continuing on with this higher level of marketing, my mindset has for sure changed. I have had clients and family members ask, “You’re carrying yourself differently nowadays – did you change something about yourself?”
Yes, something absolutely changed. It starts with my confidence. I can now pull the trigger on important things that I should have years ago. Now, at five o’clock, I go home to be with my family. On Saturdays and Sundays, all phone calls go straight to voicemail. Of course, I’ll always respond to any emergency. But what’s the point of having your own business if you can’t enjoy more freedoms to spend time with your loved ones?
Here’s the REAL difference in where I’m at today: just this morning, I thought I was going to lose a client. Before working with Robin, I would have chopped my price in half to avoid losing this client. Today, I have the confidence to say, “I know the value of the service I provide and cannot lower my price.” Because we have marketing systems in place, I’m 100% confident we will replace any lost client. Today, there is ALWAYS light at the end of the tunnel.
Since I first discovered the person who made such an impact on Stephen Taylor’s business, I’ve added $9,624 in additional monthly recurring revenue and $51,329 in new project revenue! It’s clear that Robin and the TMT family share the same character traits as me and my grandfather – they love to help. This is why this group truly feels like family to me.
