From the trenches: Head to the LAN party

OPINION: The geek market is probably the most difficult of all to crack. Those pizza-eating, Jolt cola-drinking geeks know what they want, where to get it and, most importantly, how much they should be paying for it.

Our cover story this week takes a look at how to “get those geeks”. How to break into a tribe of people that is web-savvy and demands the latest and greatest in IT kit.

We’re not talking about first-time or second-time computer buyers here, or mid and enterprise clients who are willing to pay a little extra for good service and a strong relationship with their reseller partners.

PC “modders” and “overclockers” make serious emotional investments in their equipment. So how do you muscle your way into the geek market? Personally, being the non-geek that I am, I can’t imagine having to hang around the local LAN party selling my wares to prospective buyers.

If you have a shop front, maybe you could hold your own LAN parties -- if you don’t already -- and subtly pitch your wares while they break from eight solid hours of World of Warcraft multi-player action.

Or what about a pizza night? Free food and drink (probably alcoholic) might work a treat. Some bikini-clad female models dotted around the place spruiking your top-selling brands probably wouldn’t hurt either.

Undoubtedly, it’s always tough to do well in a market where the buyers know exactly what makes this industry tick.

Still, I would assume that if you find the right buyers and, as our story points out, have the same passion for the high-priced gear that goes into souped-up, water-cooled boxes, you’re probably going to be on the right track.

Unfortunately, even the newest kit -- the stuff that has literally just come off the boat from Taiwan or China -- is not always going to attract the best margins.

These buyers have probably ordered their stuff from some overclockers’ website somewhere a few months earlier.

I’d love to hear about your experiences selling into such a specialised circle. How do these buyers behave? I’d like to know how you got in there and what it takes. Email me your thoughts on the issue.