

Ask HN: Experience with bundling laptops w/ startup app? - aik

I've got a complete management system web-app (with a 2-year contract) I'm selling to a particular small business niche.  More often than not, these businesses don't have computers, which I believe is one factor limiting sales.  I believe if I could offer hardware along with my app, more businesses would bite.<p>Does anyone here have experience with bundling hardware (laptops) with your product?  Do any major hardware sellers work with small guys like me (Dell for example)?  I haven't been able to find anything.  I'd even be willing to swallow some of the laptop costs to gain a few more sales.<p>Any advice?
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brudgers
Pure speculation:

Price the computers, figure a healthy markup and list them on your sales sheet
to see if anyone bites. Worry about the logistics of volume later if you have
it. Don't eat any costs.

~~~
aik
What I'm specifically wondering though is if there are any special programs
for situations like these. For example, it's common for corporations to have
contracts with large computer manufacturers (like Dell) where they pay a flat
sum and get upgrades every so often and support. Does anyone do that on a
smaller scale? There's definitely no way I can support the hardware in
addition to my app.

This could perhaps even be a new startup idea: A startup that provides
consultation services or in some way handles all hardware related tasks for
specific small businesses with specific needs.

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apowell
It'll be tough to avoid supporting the hardware. If it's provided by you and
used to run your application, then you're going to get the support calls.

You can push the client to call the hardware vendor ("we don't support
hardware, read your contract, here's the number for Dell"), but that's going
to frustrate the client and reflect poorly on your business.

It sounds like a losing proposition unless you price the hardware and hardware
support into the cost of your system.

~~~
aik
Yeah, good point. We already get hardware related calls and just deal with
them. Getting more of those and actually being responsible for them,
especially from around the country, I don't believe would be worth the cost if
can be avoided.

Perhaps we could just provide consultation services for the client on what
good and applicable hardware they could purchase. That is something most of
them already need, since they have no IT department or IT knowledge, and at
the same time it would be removed enough from us.

