Did you know there are Field Nation Alternative companies that provide service calls to techs like you? These clients work in similar ways to Field Nation and WorkMarket. They will call you directly and offer you great paying service calls.
Scott bought our Direct Client Package two months ago and has earned enough to pay for it four times over! See what he has to say about the Field Tech Academy Direct Client Package.
Click here for the full Direct Client Package: https://fieldtechacademy.com/direct
Save time and be more effective with the downloadable skillset and equipment list to help you fill out your Field Nation and Work Market profiles: https://fieldtechacademy.com/shop/
I have been in the freelance IT tech industry since 2000, on Field Nation since 2010, and on Work Market since 2011. Field Tech Academy gives you the secrets of 20+ years of experience how you can succeed as an Independent IT Field Tech.
Have questions about Field Nation, other tech platforms, Field Nation Alternative clients, or want me to cover something I missed in a video? Feel free to leave me comments and I’ll do my best to help! If you would like to learn more about how to find clients or about being an independent IT field technician, watch our other videos and visit our website for coaching services.
Subscribe to Field Tech Academy’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@fieldtechacademy
===========================
Connect with us!
Website: https://fieldtechacademy.com/contact-us/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fieldtechacad
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fieldtechacademy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fieldtechacademy
Video Transcript:
This is Michael with Field Tech Academy and today I’m visiting with Scott.
He bought our direct client package about just over two months ago,
and I’m following up with him now to find out what his experience is like.
How are you doing, Scott?
Doing really good. thanks for having me on.
Absolutely.
Scott, what part of the country are you in?
Southwest Louisiana.
So, what’s, relatively your population in your your service area there?
80,000. So we have to go out to Texas. We have to travel back east to Lafayette area, and we have to go north,
to kind of get a good,
workload.
We are competing against a lot of small
technicians and, some very large companies that have kind of cornered the market.
But we found
great niches.
The product that I use, in fact, helped me find some, some unknowns that were gem’s.
Well, and I think that’s interesting, too, because you
bought the package, but you actually
have a company and you are you do contracting already.
So you’re, you’re established in the industry.
Yes, sir.
I, personally before I even founded my LLC, I’ve been IT contracting since 2014.
Through, you know, the normal platforms.
There used to be Field Solutions and OnForce as well as Field Nation, Work Market. Now we’re just down to two.
And then there’s
these gems, these hidden Field Nation Alternative companies that,
Mike has,
if you like to direct contract, which I do.
I like direct contract. And this is really where you’re getting into the meat of it contracting.
So what is your tech background? What type of work do you typically do?
I’m a little bit of,
I don’t like you use the term jack of all trades because it’s specifically in the IT field because I taught myself desktop support and stuff all the way back
when I was 15, you know, talking 1998.
But I went to school for industrial electronics technology. So I have experience in Motorola radio communications. I’m a HAM.
I have experience in SCADA. I designed a custom SCADA system for a salt water injection site.
So I have familiarity
with oil and gas,
and other types of SCADA systems and communications.
I have some telecommunication experience. I really hate
POTS lines, but a lot of people call me because there’s not too many of us POTS guys left. Right.
and even PBX guys because everything’s VoIP now. And then I have experience with Linux.
Server administration. I did say desktop support.
But my new field is fiber.
There’s a great need for fiber, even, especially even contracting.
So that’s really my background. So,
I’m self-educated in some IT.
Technical diploma in industrial electronics, slightly different field as an ET.
I’m just a few credits short of a bachelor’s in information technology.
I’m an entrepreneur at heart.
What’s been your overall experience since buying the package?
Actually good.
It confirmed some suspicions I had about some customers I did know about, about pricing.
It elaborated on new
potentials,
for sure, because,
was one that I
vaguely knew about but could never locate, and it was one of those gems that I really,
appreciated about the package. Because I was able to get in contact with them and they hired me immediately, like, oh, yes, we need you.
Another client reached out to me. It took him about a month to reach back out to me, but they’re, when they had a need, they immediately reached out. And once we
negotiated and discussed,
they gave me an
extremely good rate.
And for a day’s worth of work for this type of contract.
Just doing three jobs have paid for the product four times.
That’s incredible. I love to hear that.
Yeah, I, I’m very grateful.
And I actually wish I would have had something like this when I was starting out, especially.
It would have been even more profitable. It would have paid for itself even quicker. Yeah. And way more than so far. And it’s only been three, three work orders.
it’s exactly why I did that, because 25 years ago when I started,
I was scratching and clawing to try to find the names of clients and companies that did this stuff.
And there just wasn’t any information out there. I mean, it was so hard to find, and that’s why I’m trying to do this for people.
And it’s definitely needed, and it’s going to help build another generation of techs.
We’re in a new environment in this world where freelance is
a lot of times preferred.
They need more of us and we need to be more focused and more specialized.
What you’re doing is, is you’re building that army.
I’m I’m glad I purchased the package.
You know, and one thing that I do want to mention is,
you know, some of these techs out there may know some of the names of the Field Nation alternative clients on the Direct Client Package list.
And when we first started talking, even I wondered, I thought, well, Scott knows some of these big players.
You know, because I want to be ethical, I want to do what’s right.
I had some concerns of whether or not you would get enough new business to make up for what you were paying for the package, and that’s been an encouragement to me to know that it has still helped you, even though you knew some of the names.
Yeah. And I want to reiterate some of those names that I mentioned.
It actually helped me with my pricing to to gauge whether or not I should go down or go up based on,
the package. It had some generalized pricing and I compared it to my own. So it isn’t just about learning about the clients, it’s actually getting another techs insight on their billable model. And that’s huge.
How many of the clients in the list have you been able to sign up with so far?
It’s been, at least three, and I’ve gotten work from two, like I said.
The rates that you’re seeing from the clients in the Direct Client Package, are you seeing those rates being higher than you would see on Field Nation and Work Market, or about the same?
Typically they’re going to be higher.
Each client has a different billable and accounts payable model for timelines.
So you may wait longer, but it actually averages out. You, you’re going to make more money.
You’re going to
balance your life.
When it comes to billables,
it just makes more sense, you’re going to get ahead.
Even waiting a little bit longer on your pay for some of these clients, you’re going to get ahead.
Yeah, I always view it as starting to fill up a pipeline.
If you’re consistently doing work and putting, you know, work through that pipeline, then once it starts coming out the other end, then it’s just going to keep flowing. And so it may take a little while to get there the first 60 days, but then after that you’re going to be consistently receiving income.
Absolutely.
I like what you did. The pricing thing to me was also,
As Cajun, we say that’s lagniappe. It’s extra.
But for me that’s good because I can look/peer into someone else’s eyes,
and see how they’ve negotiated pricing and really what these people like to see on their numbers.
Because <muted>
tells me all the time, we don’t like $85 an hour.
We know that your rate, but can you come down to $70 and we’ll give you more work?
Okay.
But they
pad me in other ways because they’ll give me an hour of travel when I don’t even have to go for an hour travel and make up for it.
Well, and I found that generally speaking, when you’re busier and when you can turn somebody down,
you don’t have to drop your rates, because if you’re busy enough, then they either take you rate or they don’t.
When it comes to the after purchase support and the updates and things like that, have you been pleased, do you have any thoughts on that?
Definitely. I receive, every time you update, I receive the email, so I open it up and, sometimes I’ll notice a new client
or you’ve changed contact information because, unfortunately, that happens a lot.
When these contract companies grow,
they change.
Or the,
the accountants no longer there. We got a new accountant. So
having somebody that’s doing that,
that’s a plus.
I mean they’re, they’re watching
our customer base for us
so we don’t have to.
In the real world you want to be out in the field making money. You don’t want to be dealing with all the extra
hassle paperwork if you can help it.
So that’s a little bit of extra time that he’s, that Mike’s saving us.
Overall, Scott,
if a tech was looking at the Direct Client Package and,
because obviously it’s more than just a client list. It’s exclusive videos. It’s after purchase support and updates. Would you say that it is a value that people should
purchase?
Oh, I’m I’m for it.
I’m for it, especially if you’re starting out. But even if you’re not,
like I said, you’re going to get perspective of another
business owner and techs eyes.
And you can compare it to your own. It’s very
helpful,
because it’s it’s like
walking into another competitor’s,
office
and opening up his books.
That doesn’t happen. So yes, it is.
It is worth it, guys. To me, it’s definitely worth it.
That’s a great perspective.
I didn’t tell you what to say in this interview, right? I didn’t coach you?
No sir, I’m not a paid actor.
I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn. I’m a real tech.
Been in the field for over 20 years, so. Yes, sir.
Well, Scott,
I appreciate you taking the time to give us your thoughts on the Direct Client Package. And I hope this helps other techs to see the value and be able to benefit from it as well.
Absolutely. As do I. Thank you. All right. Have a good day.
You too.