Peanuts to Profits With Thor Schrock
Peanuts to Profits With Thor Schrock

The audio for the July 24, 2010 Compute This Radio Show is now available online.

You can right click here to download the audio to your computer or MP3 player.

On this show, Thor and Chris touched on the following topics:

• Launch of the Smart Summer of Savings Sale Event
• Examples of Great Schrock Service
• Lots of Callers With Great Questions

Computer This airs on the following stations. Each show is a live broadcast and callers are always welcome:

• KFOR 1240 AM on Saturday from 10-11 AM – 489-1240
• KFAB 1110 AM on Sunday from 7-8 AM – 558-1110 (coming August 1st)

Also, don’t miss the Living Digital Show on 1240 AM KFOR Saturdays from 2-5. Thor brings you the latest technology news from a non-technical perspective.

Schrock Innovations has been a staple in Nebraska’s computer repair industry for over 11 years. Testimonials like the one to the left explain how Schrock attained that position and how seriously we take our reputation in the community.

During that time, our Lincoln Service Center has won eight Best of Lincoln awards and this year we were honored as Nebraska’s #1 Customer Service company (out of all Nebraska businesses) by the Nebraska Retail Federation.

Although many of our successes have come from our Lincoln operation, Schrock is no stranger to the Omaha Metro area.

In 2005 we won a Best of Omaha award and we are presently building a $750,000 Service Center at Village Point Mall on 168th and Burke (scheduled for a September opening).

All promotional stuff aside, there are no computer repair businesses like Schrock Innovations in Omaha.

Most computer repair shops are focused on making a quick dollar. They are very willing to help people with their problems, for a price.

At Schrock Innovations we choose a different path. We want to build a relationship with you and earn your trust. Then, when you really need us, you can feel comfortable picking up the phone and asking for help.

That is why we offer a free hour of labor coupon for new customers (just mention it when you call 934-9423), that is why we recycle old computers free of charge, and that is why I get up every Sunday morning to do this show.

Compute This! and Schrock Innovations exist to help you make your computer do what you want it to do.

I am the 100% owner of Schrock Innovations, so when you hear me on the radio you know you are talking to a person who is in our Service Centers every day. I take pride in the fact I know my customers by name and I expect nothing but the best from my staff of trained technicians.

I wanted to start this show a few weeks before we opened our doors for business because building relationships takes time.

All I am asking from you is to listen every Sunday from 7-8 AM.

I promise that you will learn things about your computer that are genuinely interesting and useful. This is not a computer show for techies. This is a show for real people who just want their technology to work.

With that aside, let’s cover one promotional item for the show.

Every person who calls the show Sunday at 558-1110 with a question or comment will receive a free $50 Schrock gift card.

Just call, ask a question, and get a free $50. It’s that easy.

Normally we give away one $25 gift card PER SHOW, so $50 per caller is a VERY rare opportunity. Don’t miss out!

Tune in August 1 from 7-8 AM to Compute This!



This afternoon at 2:00 CST Chris Goforth and I will be kicking off a new syndicated radio show called Living Digital.

Many of you know that I currently do a 1 hour show every Saturday at 10 AM CST called Compute This. Living Digital will be similar in concept to Compute This, but will differ in some important ways.

Compute This is designed to be live and local. It is specifically designed to service the people of Lincoln and the current and future customers of Schrock Innovations.

Living Digital is designed to have a more widespread focus and cover areas that are influenced by technology, but are not necessarily computers.

For example, Living Digital will cover televisions, cell phones, gaming systems, digital cameras and more. With all of the new technologies coming out it is easy to become overwhelmed. The Living Digital Show is designed to make your technology work for you and be more of a help than a headache.

You can listen to Living Digital every Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, NE on http://kfor1240.com (KFOR 1240 AM). This week the show will be slightly shorter in Lincoln because of Nebraska Weslyean Basketball coverage, but I promise it will be a blast!

If you listen to my weekly radio show, have had your computer in to Schrock Innovations, or generally have not been living under a rock for the past ten years, you know that you need to have security software on your PC.

You probably know that you need anti-virus software and you might even know you need a firewall program.

However, Secunia.com reports that many security suites attempt to detect threats when they arrive at the PC rather than preventing those threats by closing the doors they come through.

Your Computer Can Catch H1N1 – Here’s How

Most security software works in a similar way to your immune system. Your immune system sees a new intruder, fights it and defeats it. It then creates a set of detections based on that infection’s signature. Your detections are supplemented by inoculations (definition updates) to teach your body how to fight intruders it has never seen before.

Now imagine that a new intruder comes along and smacks your immune system. Imagine this infection is H1N1. Your body has never seen it before. Your body will probably beat the infection, but there is a chance it could get through and cause all kinds of problems, even death.

To help reduce the risk of being exposed to the virus you are told to prevent infection by reducing the number of infection opportunities – wash your hands, cover your cough, etc..

When is the last time you reduced the risk of being infected by washing your computer’s digital hands with some serious anti-exploit soap?

So Why Don’t We Do That With Our Computers?

We are all told to get our Microsoft Updates and update our security software. While these sound practices help reduce some infection opportunities, Secunia.com reported recently that 28% of the applications on your computer are probably insecure.

That means that common programs that most of us use every day like Flash, Java, Skype, iTunes, and more may be out of date. Software programs are constantly under attack by an ever more sophisticated culture of digital thugs seeking to use your computer for their purposes.

Recently these thugs are finding it easier to attack your insecure programs to gain access rather than your more heavily fortified Windows Operating System.

If you keep all of your applications patched with their most recent security updates, you are in effect reducing the possibility that any viruses or malware infections will find a way into your computer – you are in effect washing your computer’s hands with some really good anti-bacterial soap.

Think You Are Up To Date? Scan and See

I own and run a computer repair company. I read all of the boring stuff online about trends, infections, updates and the like. I would consider my computer to have one of the cleanest sets of hands around.

I decided to run a free scan from Secunia.com to see how many of my computer’s programs are not up to date with the most recent security patches. I was stunned:

Run the scan yourself and see how your computer does!

This month you could win a $1,500 Schrock Innovations 2009 Holiday Special PC with Solid State Hard Drive Technology just for watching the morning News!

Here is the spot that is running on Channel 10/11 to promote the contest:

This week Schrock Innovations started a new series of commercials running on three different radio stations in Lincoln (KFOR, KZKX, and KIBZ) that talk about the features of the 2009 Holiday Special and the benefits of choosing a Modular PC.

Chris Goforth and I met up to make the spots and to be honest I was just not in rah-rah marketing mode that day. I knew what I wanted to talk about, but did not have a script or even a bulleted list for that matter.

Chris and I were talking about what we wanted to do and I suggested that rather than the traditional commercial that we style the commercials in the same tone that we do our weekly radio show. Chris agreed so he hit record and we went to work.

I have to honestly say that these commercials were the easiest, least forced, and most informative spots I have ever done for any product. A couple days later Chris and I ran into each other at the studio and he even commented that when he hears the spots its like he has been teleported into our show for that minute.

Take a listen to these two spots and tell me what you think of them.

Spot 1 – The Features of the 2009 Holiday Special PC

Spot 2 – The Benefits of Choosing a Modular PC

We have a third spot that will begin running on Monday, that talks about Schrock’s award winning service. I am not allowed to talk about that just yet, so subscribe to my RSS feed to hear all about it in your email Monday morning!

Schrock Innovations is sponsoring this year’s Lincoln America Recycles Day Celebration by donating a new $1,300 Modular Computer to one lucky winner.

There are some really great prizes, and you can enter as a business or as an individual.

Here is the release that was sent yesterday:

PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES DEPARTMENT

Recycling Office, 2400 Theresa Street, Lincoln, NE 68521, 441-7043, fax 441-8735

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2009

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Gene Hanlon, Recycling Coordinator, 441-7043

CITY ENCOURAGES PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE IN AMERICA RECYCLES DAY EVENTS

The City Recycling Office encourages the public to participate in America Recycles Day November 15, an effort to encourage recycling and the purchasing of recycled products. Residents have the opportunity to make a pledge to improve their recycling efforts and to participate in several special events.

“America Recycles Day is an opportunity for people to shape part of the environmental impact they have on our community and the world,” said City Recycling Coordinator Gene Hanlon. “By making a pledge, residents have an opportunity to make a commitment to increase their recycling efforts and help reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.”

Those who fill out a pledge form are entered into a drawing to win prizes, including

• computer system valued at $1,300, donated by Schrock Innovations;
• a six-year curbside recycling subscription, donated by the Lincoln Journal Star, Midwest Refuge, Recycling Enterprises and Star City Recycling;
• $100 gift cards donated by Russ’s Market and Wal-Mart;
• free Panera Bread for one year.

The pledge drive runs through Sunday, November 8. Prizes will be awarded at noon Saturday, November 14 at EcoStores Nebraska, 530 W. “P” St. Pledge boxes are located at Russ’s Markets, Lincoln City Libraries and select recyclers. Pledge forms and more information about America Recycles Day also are available online at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: ARD).

Several other recycling-related events will take place in Lincoln next month:

• A free tire collection will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8 at N.W. 38th Street and West Webster Road. The collection is sponsored by the Emerald Sanitary Improvement District and funded by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
• EcoStores Nebraska will host a usable latex paint exchange from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 14. Usable paint is free, and $2 is charged for disposal of unusable paint.
• Paper shredding and electronic equipment recycling events are also being planned. Locations, times and fees will be announced at a later date.

I had a little debate today with some of the staff about Schrock’s 2009 Holiday Special system.

We have always offered a complete system (CPU, monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers) for $1499 in past sales. We have offered a tower-only option for $200 less, dropping the price to $1299.

So here is the question…

Do we advertise the Holiday Special as a $1299.99 tower only system and then offer the monitor and accessories as separate items for purchase or do we assume that most people will want the accessories, market it at $1499 and then offer the take-away discount?

If you Were Buying a New PC Right Now

If you were in the process of buying a new PC right now would you want to replace your monitor and accessories for the $200 or would you fly with what you have?

Do you still have that old computer of yours from the early 90’s? Statistics show that there are enough computers in storage in the U.S. to provide every man, woman, and child with three computers!

So how can you get rid of your old worn out computer? What do you do when you decide to upgrade? Here are Frequently Asked Questions about computer recycling.

Today is the last day to purchase an Ultimate Upgrade PC at Schrock Innovations and receive the free double your memory upgrade from 2 GB  to 4 GB! Be sure to stop into the service center to find out how the Ultimate Upgrade can take any old, tired PC and give it new life!  If […]