Final warning

by Colin MY COMPUTER TUTOR

I talked about this last year and I posted these same pictures too, so this is the last time I'm going to mention advertising by business cards in Sainsbury's. To be fair, it's not just Sainsbury's because there is a similar display of these business cards in my local Tesco.

And to be absolutely fair all round, I'm not blaming anyone for my experience because, as I said last year, it seems like a good idea...

I paid ADC £600 for two years' advertising in Sainsbury's.

My business cards were displayed on a board, with 20 other sets of cards, which is by the checkouts, near the café and the toilets. A great position, you would think.

And yet, over these two years I have had only three enquiries directly attributable to this advertising, one of which developed into a course of 12 lessons which earned me £360.

So I lost on the deal.

The ADC salesman assured me that I'd get 3-4 enquiries a week. This time last year I collected other cards from the stand and followed up some phone numbers and email addresses to ask the other businesses how successful this advertising had been for them. Some had paid much more than £600! And I couldn't find anyone who'd had any leads from it.

ADC is a subsidiary of WRT Group. If you are approached by them, be polite but I'd advise you to say 'No'.

They keep your cards stocked up - in fact they stuff so many cards in it's very hard to get one out! They are selling what sounds like a good idea but it didn't work for me and I have yet to meet someone for whom it did work.

There are other companies offering this form of advertising. I was phoned up last summer by one whose idea was to put my business information and logo on beer mats in the local golf clubs. Two years ago I would have thought it a good idea. Now I know better.

Colin

One thousand!

by Colin MY COMPUTER TUTOR

I have just taught my 1000th session since starting this business on 5th November 2008.

Some of my clients have had only one session, some of them have had more than 40. The raw average is a little over 5 sessions per client. As I've recently started keeping a record of the number of male clients, I can tell you that there is no significant difference between the ladies and the gentlemen; the gents average at 5 sessions.

I'm coming up to the end of my third business year. It looks as though the turnover will clear £15000.

I'm quite happy to come clean with my figures, in fact I'm proud of them. I have no idea how this compares with other one-to-one home computer tutors. Do let me know how things are going for you................

Colin

Holiday snaps

by Colin MY COMPUTER TUTOR

Just an apology that I haven't been able to include any pictures recently. I was advised many months ago by a seasoned blogger friend that you really should break up your wodges of text with a picture or two.

And I really do intend to include pictures - but the simple fact is that I'm waiting for my camera to come back from the repairers. I took myself on a holiday at the very end of August - just 5 days on the West Welsh coast. It wasn't a brilliant August, was it? But one day was warm enough for me to go on the beach. (I've just worked out that it was 1st September!) And I slipped on a rock and dropped my camera.

I inspected it closely and it continued to take photos for the next couple of weeks. But one day I turned it on, it made a painful whistling noise and reported a "lens error". My friendly local camera shop reckons that a grain of sand is in there and has worked its way into an uncompromising position. So the camera is being professionally dismantled and cleaned as I write

At least I can show you a picture of the beach where it happened! This is Clarach Bay near Aberystwyth.

Actually, the beach is behind you (as you look at this) and I should have stayed there. I clambered over the rocks to get to this little cove to eat my lunch. Never climb over rocks in flip-flops!

Here's a nice sunset. Good night!

Colin

October Charity

by Colin MY COMPUTER TUTOR

Yes, I got caught again in Hereford High Town and her name's Michelle. She flattered me outrageously - said I stood out miles away as the most handsome man she'd seen all her life blah-dy blah-dy blag...and she was trying to get people to sign up for Shelter.


So, gentle reader, what could I do? At my age, you've gotta take any flattery you can get! Michelle was far too young to remember the TV play "Cathy, Come Home", but I told her a bit about it and how it had first brought homelessness and the organization "Shelter" to my attention.
Here's the Wikipedia reference for "Cathy, come home". I always thought that Shelter sprang directly from the reaction to this TV play in 1966, but it was already established. However, it thrust the organization into the conscience of the British public - 12 million of them watched it!


I was brought up in well-heeled Surrey. My parents' house wasn't quite "stockbroker belt" but we never went short of a two-week summer holiday and life was generally plentiful. "Cathy Come Home" made a big impact on my sister and I - certainly my sister anyway, because she persuaded me to come with her around the neighbourhood collecting door-to-door for Shelter.


I remember knocking at one door of a house in a leafier lane than mine and a boy of my own age answering. He and I were still at school - the same boys' grammar school - but he was in the Arts Sixth and I was in the Science Sixth, so of course he didn't recognise me! (I know, my school was hardly out of the P'tang yang kipperbang era!) He curtly told me that he hadn't heard of the charity and they didn't give at the door anyway.


I remember his name to this day. He's probably a merchant banker now. He certainly was then....




Colin