If you've done a lot of research on computer consulting, you probably have information overload. In this article, you'll learn what steps to take when first starting your business of computer consulting.
Pick a Date
First, pick a definite date for launching your new computer consulting business and write it down: Launch date is ____/____/____. Why is that important? It gives you something to work towards, a concrete goal at which point you say you know you are starting your computer consulting business. Put the date on your calendar, whether it is six months from today or six weeks from today.
Narrow down your to-do lists and organize your tasks in top 10 priority. Write down everything that's floating around in your head and then go through that list and pick the 10 most important things.
Possible Top Ten Priorities
Your list might include:
· meeting with an accountant
· getting a business resale license
· opening up a distributor account
· picking a company name
· coming up with a business card
· looking through insurance options
· getting a Web site domain
· getting a business voice mail box
There are probably 30, 40, or even 50 things that are on your list. Narrow that down to the ten that you think are the most important to do before launching.
Order Your List
Once you get those 10, highlight them on paper and try to see if you can rank them in order of some kind of chronological order that makes sense to do. Just work on one or two a week. If you're a more analytical type and you think you work better on the screen, do this exercise in Microsoft Excel or do it in Microsoft Word. And then narrow your huge list down to your top 10 business priority tasks.
Develop a Timeline to Start Computer Consulting
Let's say you're launching your computer consulting business five weeks from now and you've got 10 things to do. Pick two things to do each week. It seems a lot more manageable when you put it in terms of that kind of time frame.
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Senin, 01 November 2010
Selasa, 26 Oktober 2010
IT Consulting in Micro Small Businesses
Small business is a hot market for IT consulting. There are different sizes of small businesses and they all have different IT consulting needs. In this article you'll learn some items you should be familiar with in order to provide IT consulting to these businesses.
Micro Small Businesses Defined
Micro small businesses are companies that have anywhere from 1-10 computers; windows based in most cases. Usually these companies employ 1-10 people. Revenue (in U.S. dollars) will typically be anywhere from $100,000 up to about a million or so.
The big differentiator in micro small businesses from others, as far as IT consulting is concerned, is that they have no dedicated server yet. They may be running a peer to peer system and that’s the major reason they are bringing you in there.
Don't have a “crisis of confidence”. Many people, when first entering IT consulting are not sure if their skills are strong enough. But most people will find that they are at least capable of working with at least micro small businesses as a starting point.
Micro Small Business: What Hardware You Need for IT Consulting
You need to know about basic desktop PC support, notebooks, PDAs like palm based PDAs and windows cd based PDAs, printers, how to set up servers and dial up modems, DSL, cable modems a little bit about how to set up surge protection, data line protection, and entry level battery back up units.
Software Requirements for Micro Business IT Consulting
You need to be reasonably familiar with the most popular desktop and notebook operating systems out there. But mainly just the basic Microsoft Windows flavors on the desktop and the desktop’s of notebooks and a little bit on PDAs.
Micro businesses are also looking for a lot of very heavy desktop office automation applications support, basic PC support, basic notebook support, the whole Microsoft Office family, Intuits Quickbooks the accounting software is very popular, the Best Software’s ACT software for management is also really popular.
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Micro Small Businesses Defined
Micro small businesses are companies that have anywhere from 1-10 computers; windows based in most cases. Usually these companies employ 1-10 people. Revenue (in U.S. dollars) will typically be anywhere from $100,000 up to about a million or so.
The big differentiator in micro small businesses from others, as far as IT consulting is concerned, is that they have no dedicated server yet. They may be running a peer to peer system and that’s the major reason they are bringing you in there.
Don't have a “crisis of confidence”. Many people, when first entering IT consulting are not sure if their skills are strong enough. But most people will find that they are at least capable of working with at least micro small businesses as a starting point.
Micro Small Business: What Hardware You Need for IT Consulting
You need to know about basic desktop PC support, notebooks, PDAs like palm based PDAs and windows cd based PDAs, printers, how to set up servers and dial up modems, DSL, cable modems a little bit about how to set up surge protection, data line protection, and entry level battery back up units.
Software Requirements for Micro Business IT Consulting
You need to be reasonably familiar with the most popular desktop and notebook operating systems out there. But mainly just the basic Microsoft Windows flavors on the desktop and the desktop’s of notebooks and a little bit on PDAs.
Micro businesses are also looking for a lot of very heavy desktop office automation applications support, basic PC support, basic notebook support, the whole Microsoft Office family, Intuits Quickbooks the accounting software is very popular, the Best Software’s ACT software for management is also really popular.
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Sabtu, 28 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Which Business Is Right for You?
Some people decide they want to open up an independent doughnut shop instead of buying into one of the really large doughnut shop companies. If you want to make submarine sandwiches, you can do it on your own or you can buy into one of the big, extremely well known franchises. If you want to start a computer consulting business, you can be independent or part of a franchise.
It all depends on whether you want to build your business completely by yourself, or whether you want to try to take some shortcuts. Of course, with a franchise, you need to be prepared to up the ante. In this article, we'll explore some pros and cons to each choice.
Be Prepared to Put in Some Sweat Equity
Realistically, during your computer consulting startup phase, you're still going to have several months where you'll need to be out pounding the pavement, shaking hands and getting your name out there. You'll also follow up on a ton of leads, generate a lot of proposals and go out on a lot of sales calls. And you'll have to do all of this before you start getting a lot of billable projects. Don't think that just because you're buying into a franchise that those problems are going to go away overnight. You need to be realistic about the pros and the cons of buying into a franchise.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
The right decision for one person isn't the right one for the other. It really all depends on what you're looking for in your computer consulting business, your skills, and your available time and financial capital.
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It all depends on whether you want to build your business completely by yourself, or whether you want to try to take some shortcuts. Of course, with a franchise, you need to be prepared to up the ante. In this article, we'll explore some pros and cons to each choice.
Be Prepared to Put in Some Sweat Equity
Realistically, during your computer consulting startup phase, you're still going to have several months where you'll need to be out pounding the pavement, shaking hands and getting your name out there. You'll also follow up on a ton of leads, generate a lot of proposals and go out on a lot of sales calls. And you'll have to do all of this before you start getting a lot of billable projects. Don't think that just because you're buying into a franchise that those problems are going to go away overnight. You need to be realistic about the pros and the cons of buying into a franchise.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
The right decision for one person isn't the right one for the other. It really all depends on what you're looking for in your computer consulting business, your skills, and your available time and financial capital.
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Jumat, 27 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: The Initial Consultation
You have to think of the sales process as more of like a pre-sales consultation and with an emphasis on consultation. You really want to convey your professionalism and stand out from the other computer consulting "professionals" out there who want to act like used car salespeople.
In this article, you'll learn that this can be done by taking a sincere interest in your prospect’s business, taking a sincere interest in their problems, and getting a grasp on those problems so you can figure out if you have a solution for them within your computer consulting business.
Have You Dug Up Any Dirt?
There may be cases where you find some dirt on them that makes you not want to do business with them. The computer consulting sales call is really a two-way interview process. If you see some weird, bizarre stuff going on or there’s some weird, bizarre stuff in background and in the news about this prospect, you may not want their business. As strange as it sounds, you may want to turn down their business, but again, this is the importance of doing your homework ahead of time and being prepared for your initial consultation.
Realize Time is Money
You’ll probably need to take a half hour to an hour to put together a little introductory packet of things to give them. You’re going to spend a half hour to an hour driving over there. Your consultation will very rarely start on time or finish on time. So by the time you get done, even if you’re super-efficient, usually two or three hours has been spent.
If you take your hourly billing rate that you’re billing out for computer consulting service calls, let’s say you’re billing at $75 an hour for computer consulting, that means you invested $225 in time before gas and mileage and parking and tolls. Before you do that, make sure your computer consulting prospect is a good fit. One of the best ways you can do that is by qualifying them a little better. Doing your homework goes a long way towards this end.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
In this article, you'll learn that this can be done by taking a sincere interest in your prospect’s business, taking a sincere interest in their problems, and getting a grasp on those problems so you can figure out if you have a solution for them within your computer consulting business.
Have You Dug Up Any Dirt?
There may be cases where you find some dirt on them that makes you not want to do business with them. The computer consulting sales call is really a two-way interview process. If you see some weird, bizarre stuff going on or there’s some weird, bizarre stuff in background and in the news about this prospect, you may not want their business. As strange as it sounds, you may want to turn down their business, but again, this is the importance of doing your homework ahead of time and being prepared for your initial consultation.
Realize Time is Money
You’ll probably need to take a half hour to an hour to put together a little introductory packet of things to give them. You’re going to spend a half hour to an hour driving over there. Your consultation will very rarely start on time or finish on time. So by the time you get done, even if you’re super-efficient, usually two or three hours has been spent.
If you take your hourly billing rate that you’re billing out for computer consulting service calls, let’s say you’re billing at $75 an hour for computer consulting, that means you invested $225 in time before gas and mileage and parking and tolls. Before you do that, make sure your computer consulting prospect is a good fit. One of the best ways you can do that is by qualifying them a little better. Doing your homework goes a long way towards this end.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Kamis, 26 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: The Initial Consultation
You have to think of the sales process as more of like a pre-sales consultation and with an emphasis on consultation. You really want to convey your professionalism and stand out from the other computer consulting "professionals" out there who want to act like used car salespeople.
In this article, you'll learn that this can be done by taking a sincere interest in your prospect’s business, taking a sincere interest in their problems, and getting a grasp on those problems so you can figure out if you have a solution for them within your computer consulting business.
Have You Dug Up Any Dirt?
There may be cases where you find some dirt on them that makes you not want to do business with them. The computer consulting sales call is really a two-way interview process. If you see some weird, bizarre stuff going on or there’s some weird, bizarre stuff in background and in the news about this prospect, you may not want their business. As strange as it sounds, you may want to turn down their business, but again, this is the importance of doing your homework ahead of time and being prepared for your initial consultation.
Realize Time is Money
You’ll probably need to take a half hour to an hour to put together a little introductory packet of things to give them. You’re going to spend a half hour to an hour driving over there. Your consultation will very rarely start on time or finish on time. So by the time you get done, even if you’re super-efficient, usually two or three hours has been spent.
If you take your hourly billing rate that you’re billing out for computer consulting service calls, let’s say you’re billing at $75 an hour for computer consulting, that means you invested $225 in time before gas and mileage and parking and tolls. Before you do that, make sure your computer consulting prospect is a good fit. One of the best ways you can do that is by qualifying them a little better. Doing your homework goes a long way towards this end.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
In this article, you'll learn that this can be done by taking a sincere interest in your prospect’s business, taking a sincere interest in their problems, and getting a grasp on those problems so you can figure out if you have a solution for them within your computer consulting business.
Have You Dug Up Any Dirt?
There may be cases where you find some dirt on them that makes you not want to do business with them. The computer consulting sales call is really a two-way interview process. If you see some weird, bizarre stuff going on or there’s some weird, bizarre stuff in background and in the news about this prospect, you may not want their business. As strange as it sounds, you may want to turn down their business, but again, this is the importance of doing your homework ahead of time and being prepared for your initial consultation.
Realize Time is Money
You’ll probably need to take a half hour to an hour to put together a little introductory packet of things to give them. You’re going to spend a half hour to an hour driving over there. Your consultation will very rarely start on time or finish on time. So by the time you get done, even if you’re super-efficient, usually two or three hours has been spent.
If you take your hourly billing rate that you’re billing out for computer consulting service calls, let’s say you’re billing at $75 an hour for computer consulting, that means you invested $225 in time before gas and mileage and parking and tolls. Before you do that, make sure your computer consulting prospect is a good fit. One of the best ways you can do that is by qualifying them a little better. Doing your homework goes a long way towards this end.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Rabu, 25 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Take Some Action
Before you open the doors to your computer consulting business, you need to get your ducks in a row. You'll need to pick a company name and get your business cards printed. Then you'll need to consider what types of customers you want to pursue and where you can meet them. In this article, you'll learn how and why you need to accomplish these steps.
Get Your Business Cards Printed
Get your business cards printed, even if you don't think they'll last you forever. If you decide to change your company name, phone number or address 6 months down the road, that's okay-you can get them reprinted. At least in the mean time, you can start getting momentum going by handing out a couple of business cards to all of your friends and family members.
Get the Word Out about Your Computer Consulting
Whenever you're in networking situations, whenever you're meeting people at your kids' soccer games, or church or synagogue, or you're standing on line talking to people at the movies, you'll have the opportunity to tell them about your business and hand out your business cards. These people can then become part of your extended sales force.
Get Involved in Your Business Community
Get involved in some local organizations where small business owners meet. Look for three or four good local trade groups to get involved with. One might be your chamber of commerce, related user group or trade group, and possibly an industry-specific trade group.
Start Where You Know
Many times it makes sense to pick an industry focus where you come from. There's always opportunity to branch out into other places. But at least if you start with a niche, you're already familiar with, you'll already have some credibility. You'll find it easier to come up with a marketing message that hits home. You'll find it easier to be memorable, because you're not looking like everyone else who's in the phone book or everyone else who could conceivably do the job who doesn't have expertise in that particular niche.
Evaluate Your Computer Consulting Niche for Enough Prospects
With that nursing background, for example, you could focus some of your early marketing and business development activities on small doctor's offices in your local area… as long as you have a fair amount of confidence that there are at least 500 or 1,000 prospects in a one hour radius of where you're located. Your knowledge should be a big hit with both the key decision makers and the individual PC users.
You may even want to consider branding yourself by putting your industry focus in your name. For instance, you might add health care systems, medical office systems, or medical office technology as part of your computer consulting company name.
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Get Your Business Cards Printed
Get your business cards printed, even if you don't think they'll last you forever. If you decide to change your company name, phone number or address 6 months down the road, that's okay-you can get them reprinted. At least in the mean time, you can start getting momentum going by handing out a couple of business cards to all of your friends and family members.
Get the Word Out about Your Computer Consulting
Whenever you're in networking situations, whenever you're meeting people at your kids' soccer games, or church or synagogue, or you're standing on line talking to people at the movies, you'll have the opportunity to tell them about your business and hand out your business cards. These people can then become part of your extended sales force.
Get Involved in Your Business Community
Get involved in some local organizations where small business owners meet. Look for three or four good local trade groups to get involved with. One might be your chamber of commerce, related user group or trade group, and possibly an industry-specific trade group.
Start Where You Know
Many times it makes sense to pick an industry focus where you come from. There's always opportunity to branch out into other places. But at least if you start with a niche, you're already familiar with, you'll already have some credibility. You'll find it easier to come up with a marketing message that hits home. You'll find it easier to be memorable, because you're not looking like everyone else who's in the phone book or everyone else who could conceivably do the job who doesn't have expertise in that particular niche.
Evaluate Your Computer Consulting Niche for Enough Prospects
With that nursing background, for example, you could focus some of your early marketing and business development activities on small doctor's offices in your local area… as long as you have a fair amount of confidence that there are at least 500 or 1,000 prospects in a one hour radius of where you're located. Your knowledge should be a big hit with both the key decision makers and the individual PC users.
You may even want to consider branding yourself by putting your industry focus in your name. For instance, you might add health care systems, medical office systems, or medical office technology as part of your computer consulting company name.
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Selasa, 24 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Some General Tips
To run a successful computer consulting practice, you need to be able to deliver on that end-to-end solution. Have a good service agreement ready to go. Have an IT audit checklist. Have partnering agreements. Be prepared to take your clients from the beginning to the end of the process with you.
Computer Consulting Service Agreements
If you don’t propose the service agreements to your customers, your small business decision makers probably won't ask for them. You have to tell your computer consulting clients that this is how you work with other customers. You build mutually beneficial relationships where your company essentially becomes your computer department.
Take Your Prospect from Free to Fee
You need to learn how to take your prospects from free to fee. You should never spend several hours on just a proposal. A proposal has no value added and it leaves you in commodity status. That numbers game you don't want to play - it's not very high profit.
Tackle One Thing At a Time
Pick one thing a week for next several weeks and just start working on it. Whether it’s coming up with a couple different marketing ideas you can work with, whether it’s coming up with a service agreement that you can start marketing to your existing computer consulting clients, or whether it’s coming up with customizing the IT audit package.
Start getting your ducks in order. You should be getting your plans in place and building up your network. Make sure you have everything ready so you can hit the ground running. Be ready to do a full frontal assault on the marketplace to let your slice of the market know that you’re out there.
Don't focus on reaching everyone. Define who you’re trying to reach and limit the size and scope.
Consider Yourself an Outsourced IT Department
If you think of the five or six different functions that small businesses need, from the needs analysis, the project management, the training, the desktop rollouts, the desktop fixes, the server, setting up and configuring the servers, maintaining the servers, and build your computer consulting business around that, your business will grow.
Additionally, it will give your client the single point of contact that they really desperately want. The number one responsibility is to think of yourself as your computer consulting client’s outsourced IT department.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101 Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Computer Consulting Service Agreements
If you don’t propose the service agreements to your customers, your small business decision makers probably won't ask for them. You have to tell your computer consulting clients that this is how you work with other customers. You build mutually beneficial relationships where your company essentially becomes your computer department.
Take Your Prospect from Free to Fee
You need to learn how to take your prospects from free to fee. You should never spend several hours on just a proposal. A proposal has no value added and it leaves you in commodity status. That numbers game you don't want to play - it's not very high profit.
Tackle One Thing At a Time
Pick one thing a week for next several weeks and just start working on it. Whether it’s coming up with a couple different marketing ideas you can work with, whether it’s coming up with a service agreement that you can start marketing to your existing computer consulting clients, or whether it’s coming up with customizing the IT audit package.
Start getting your ducks in order. You should be getting your plans in place and building up your network. Make sure you have everything ready so you can hit the ground running. Be ready to do a full frontal assault on the marketplace to let your slice of the market know that you’re out there.
Don't focus on reaching everyone. Define who you’re trying to reach and limit the size and scope.
Consider Yourself an Outsourced IT Department
If you think of the five or six different functions that small businesses need, from the needs analysis, the project management, the training, the desktop rollouts, the desktop fixes, the server, setting up and configuring the servers, maintaining the servers, and build your computer consulting business around that, your business will grow.
Additionally, it will give your client the single point of contact that they really desperately want. The number one responsibility is to think of yourself as your computer consulting client’s outsourced IT department.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101 Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Senin, 23 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Should You Moonlight While Starting Up?
A tremendous number of people are able to earn sizable supplemental income by having a moonlighting computer consulting business. But even more importantly, by moonlighting, you can figure out if you enjoy computer consulting before you take the plunge into building a full-time computer consulting business.
Learn True Billable Hours
Moonlighting as a computer consultant will also give you an appreciation of true billable hours. What does this mean? For example, let's say you spend 10 hours working, but you may only be able to bill for 4. Or you spend 10 hours and can only bill 6 or 7 of these 10 hours. That's the reality. You can read about it until the cows come home. But unless you experience it firsthand, you will not get the full picture.
What Constitutes Non-Billable Hours?
What takes up those non-billable hours? The other responsibilities of running a business. These include:
· Marketing
· Business Development
· Paperwork
· Organization
· Billing and Collections
· Accounting
Until you experience owning a computer consulting business firsthand, it's very difficult for you to know whether you're really going to enjoy it, and whether you're really cut out for small business computer consulting.
The Benefits to Moonlighting
But the number one benefit of moonlighting while you still have a day job is there's no pressure on you. If you don't like computer consulting, oh well, no big deal. But the moonlighting experience gives you a great way to put your toe in the water without making a huge commitment. Plus, you don't have to bet your family's financial well-being on the whole thing.
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Learn True Billable Hours
Moonlighting as a computer consultant will also give you an appreciation of true billable hours. What does this mean? For example, let's say you spend 10 hours working, but you may only be able to bill for 4. Or you spend 10 hours and can only bill 6 or 7 of these 10 hours. That's the reality. You can read about it until the cows come home. But unless you experience it firsthand, you will not get the full picture.
What Constitutes Non-Billable Hours?
What takes up those non-billable hours? The other responsibilities of running a business. These include:
· Marketing
· Business Development
· Paperwork
· Organization
· Billing and Collections
· Accounting
Until you experience owning a computer consulting business firsthand, it's very difficult for you to know whether you're really going to enjoy it, and whether you're really cut out for small business computer consulting.
The Benefits to Moonlighting
But the number one benefit of moonlighting while you still have a day job is there's no pressure on you. If you don't like computer consulting, oh well, no big deal. But the moonlighting experience gives you a great way to put your toe in the water without making a huge commitment. Plus, you don't have to bet your family's financial well-being on the whole thing.
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Sabtu, 21 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Prospective Client Red Flags
Is there a pattern to watch out for with computer consulting prospects that might act as a red flag or early warning detection system? Yes there is - and you’ll get better at spotting them as you go along.
It’s more of an art than a science, but if it looks like the Dilbert cartoon, it probably is going to work out that way.
Do Your Potential Computer Consulting Clients Respect Your Time?
If you walk in and you have a one o’clock appointment and they make you sit around in the waiting room for 15 or 20 minutes, unless there’s a real bona fide emergency, your wait time probably won't decrease once you actually have them as a computer consulting client.
You’re going to show up on time and have to wait. You'll be running up your non-productive time, because they’re disorganized.
Are They Pleasant?
If they’re late, if they’re particularly obnoxious or abusive or nasty or if you find out that the owners or the managers don’t have any respect for their employees, these are subtle clues.
If you get an early warning sign on your first meeting, don't immediately walk out the door. Take it all in, put it in your notes. These are the kinds of things to think about, whether you really want these computer consulting clients or not.
It's a Two Way Street
It’s really a two-way interview process. You should be interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you, to see if it's a match for computer consulting. They need to have a clear idea of where their business is going, what they think they want to use IT for, and what their experience has been in the past with other technology providers.
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It’s more of an art than a science, but if it looks like the Dilbert cartoon, it probably is going to work out that way.
Do Your Potential Computer Consulting Clients Respect Your Time?
If you walk in and you have a one o’clock appointment and they make you sit around in the waiting room for 15 or 20 minutes, unless there’s a real bona fide emergency, your wait time probably won't decrease once you actually have them as a computer consulting client.
You’re going to show up on time and have to wait. You'll be running up your non-productive time, because they’re disorganized.
Are They Pleasant?
If they’re late, if they’re particularly obnoxious or abusive or nasty or if you find out that the owners or the managers don’t have any respect for their employees, these are subtle clues.
If you get an early warning sign on your first meeting, don't immediately walk out the door. Take it all in, put it in your notes. These are the kinds of things to think about, whether you really want these computer consulting clients or not.
It's a Two Way Street
It’s really a two-way interview process. You should be interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you, to see if it's a match for computer consulting. They need to have a clear idea of where their business is going, what they think they want to use IT for, and what their experience has been in the past with other technology providers.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Jumat, 20 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Finding Your Prospects Among Your Leads
Some signs are important to look for when looking for your sweet spot computer consulting clients. Most of these businesses will be doing at least a seven-figure annual sales volume with 10 to 25 employees. In this article, you'll learn how to use additional criteria to pick out your sweet spot computer consulting clients.
Computer Consulting: The Good Signs and the Bad
Some industries tend to be more IT-intensive than others. Soon, you'll learn the industries that are most likely to need your computer consulting services. There are some good signs and bad signs when it comes to the probability of a business hiring you. You will learn to recognize right off the bat whether a business is going to be receptive to spending $1,000 to $2,000 for computer consulting services.
A really good sign is if you go in to meet with a prospective client and you find out that they’re working with another solution provider in your local community but they’re dissatisfied. Why is that a good thing for you? If they’re dissatisfied and looking around for someone else, that tells you that they’re willing to pay for professional computer consulting services.
A bad sign is they’re working with a moonlighter or they have a friend or a family member who helps out once in a while or they’re getting volunteer support, and they’re not used to paying for high-level professional services. That's a big red flag. Any price you quote them is going to seem really high when they're accustomed to getting service for free.
Sweet Spot Clients Run in Packs
Your sweet spot clients that are willing to spend $1,000 to $2,000 per month on IT services are going to have relationships with other trusted business advisors in the local community like accountants, attorneys, and management consultants. Sometimes they’re even working with other niched tech providers. This will work to your advantage when they start referring you to their contacts.
The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting
By learning to recognize the characteristics of a sweet spot client, you'll save yourself lots of time and energy and more easily turn your prospects into clients. In this article, you’ve learned more about computer consulting.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Computer Consulting: The Good Signs and the Bad
Some industries tend to be more IT-intensive than others. Soon, you'll learn the industries that are most likely to need your computer consulting services. There are some good signs and bad signs when it comes to the probability of a business hiring you. You will learn to recognize right off the bat whether a business is going to be receptive to spending $1,000 to $2,000 for computer consulting services.
A really good sign is if you go in to meet with a prospective client and you find out that they’re working with another solution provider in your local community but they’re dissatisfied. Why is that a good thing for you? If they’re dissatisfied and looking around for someone else, that tells you that they’re willing to pay for professional computer consulting services.
A bad sign is they’re working with a moonlighter or they have a friend or a family member who helps out once in a while or they’re getting volunteer support, and they’re not used to paying for high-level professional services. That's a big red flag. Any price you quote them is going to seem really high when they're accustomed to getting service for free.
Sweet Spot Clients Run in Packs
Your sweet spot clients that are willing to spend $1,000 to $2,000 per month on IT services are going to have relationships with other trusted business advisors in the local community like accountants, attorneys, and management consultants. Sometimes they’re even working with other niched tech providers. This will work to your advantage when they start referring you to their contacts.
The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting
By learning to recognize the characteristics of a sweet spot client, you'll save yourself lots of time and energy and more easily turn your prospects into clients. In this article, you’ve learned more about computer consulting.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Kamis, 19 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Finding Your Prospects Among Your Leads
Some signs are important to look for when looking for your sweet spot computer consulting clients. Most of these businesses will be doing at least a seven-figure annual sales volume with 10 to 25 employees. In this article, you'll learn how to use additional criteria to pick out your sweet spot computer consulting clients.
Computer Consulting: The Good Signs and the Bad
Some industries tend to be more IT-intensive than others. Soon, you'll learn the industries that are most likely to need your computer consulting services. There are some good signs and bad signs when it comes to the probability of a business hiring you. You will learn to recognize right off the bat whether a business is going to be receptive to spending $1,000 to $2,000 for computer consulting services.
A really good sign is if you go in to meet with a prospective client and you find out that they’re working with another solution provider in your local community but they’re dissatisfied. Why is that a good thing for you? If they’re dissatisfied and looking around for someone else, that tells you that they’re willing to pay for professional computer consulting services.
A bad sign is they’re working with a moonlighter or they have a friend or a family member who helps out once in a while or they’re getting volunteer support, and they’re not used to paying for high-level professional services. That's a big red flag. Any price you quote them is going to seem really high when they're accustomed to getting service for free.
Sweet Spot Clients Run in Packs
Your sweet spot clients that are willing to spend $1,000 to $2,000 per month on IT services are going to have relationships with other trusted business advisors in the local community like accountants, attorneys, and management consultants. Sometimes they’re even working with other niched tech providers. This will work to your advantage when they start referring you to their contacts.
The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting
By learning to recognize the characteristics of a sweet spot client, you'll save yourself lots of time and energy and more easily turn your prospects into clients. In this article, you’ve learned more about computer consulting.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Computer Consulting: The Good Signs and the Bad
Some industries tend to be more IT-intensive than others. Soon, you'll learn the industries that are most likely to need your computer consulting services. There are some good signs and bad signs when it comes to the probability of a business hiring you. You will learn to recognize right off the bat whether a business is going to be receptive to spending $1,000 to $2,000 for computer consulting services.
A really good sign is if you go in to meet with a prospective client and you find out that they’re working with another solution provider in your local community but they’re dissatisfied. Why is that a good thing for you? If they’re dissatisfied and looking around for someone else, that tells you that they’re willing to pay for professional computer consulting services.
A bad sign is they’re working with a moonlighter or they have a friend or a family member who helps out once in a while or they’re getting volunteer support, and they’re not used to paying for high-level professional services. That's a big red flag. Any price you quote them is going to seem really high when they're accustomed to getting service for free.
Sweet Spot Clients Run in Packs
Your sweet spot clients that are willing to spend $1,000 to $2,000 per month on IT services are going to have relationships with other trusted business advisors in the local community like accountants, attorneys, and management consultants. Sometimes they’re even working with other niched tech providers. This will work to your advantage when they start referring you to their contacts.
The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting
By learning to recognize the characteristics of a sweet spot client, you'll save yourself lots of time and energy and more easily turn your prospects into clients. In this article, you’ve learned more about computer consulting.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Senin, 16 Agustus 2010
Computer Consulting: Do Your Homework
Beware of vendors who ask you to explain what you do in your business. Instead, give a basic explaination of what your computer consulting business is all about so a client can determine if he has any product or service that’s in your picture. Rather than be reactive, go to the interview being proactive! Know what they are doing before you go in and be prepared to help them with their needs.
Computer Consulting: Research to Prepare for Your Meeting
Even though it might take you 30 to 45 minutes to do some homework ahead of time, you need to do your research to increase your chances at closing the sale, either on the spot or within a week or two afterwards. For them to agree to your computer consulting services, you will have to build credibility and mind share with that prospect. It shows that you care about their business.
There's really no excuse for not doing your homework anymore. Today, you can easily go to the Google search engine and type in the person's name or phone number or address and find out everything under the sun that you can about them.
Computer Consulting: What You Need to Know about Your Clients
You should really have a complete profile of:
-What their business is all about
-What industry they’re in
-What types of services they provide
-How many locations they have
-How long they’ve been in business
Find Out Recent News about Your Client
You’re probably going to be able to find articles that have been in the local newspaper about them that might either show up in Google or you can find by going to the newspaper doing a search function there. You want to look for anything you can that’s going to give you extra background and an extra edge so when you go in there, you already know what they’re doing.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Computer Consulting: Research to Prepare for Your Meeting
Even though it might take you 30 to 45 minutes to do some homework ahead of time, you need to do your research to increase your chances at closing the sale, either on the spot or within a week or two afterwards. For them to agree to your computer consulting services, you will have to build credibility and mind share with that prospect. It shows that you care about their business.
There's really no excuse for not doing your homework anymore. Today, you can easily go to the Google search engine and type in the person's name or phone number or address and find out everything under the sun that you can about them.
Computer Consulting: What You Need to Know about Your Clients
You should really have a complete profile of:
-What their business is all about
-What industry they’re in
-What types of services they provide
-How many locations they have
-How long they’ve been in business
Find Out Recent News about Your Client
You’re probably going to be able to find articles that have been in the local newspaper about them that might either show up in Google or you can find by going to the newspaper doing a search function there. You want to look for anything you can that’s going to give you extra background and an extra edge so when you go in there, you already know what they’re doing.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Jumat, 16 April 2010
IT Specialists: Finding Your Niche
Finding a niche is an important step in becoming an IT specialist. In this article, you'll learn about how to develop your niche.
A Horizontal Niche
Instead of all your ideal clients being in the same industry (a vertical niche), maybe you realize that most of your clients' main contacts are office managers. What do you do next? Take an informal survey. Ask them what their biggest IT problems are, what their biggest business problems are, and make sure that you're working towards becoming a solution to those problems
This will help you retain those clients. But also, more importantly, it's going to give you a heads up on what the big business issues are and what they see as the biggest IT issues. That's going to enable you to craft your marketing pitch to go after other clients that are just like them. Begin looking for mailing lists, organizations, magazines, and conferences where you'll find a lot of office managers.
What IT Specialists Should Know:
For marketing purposes, you need to ask the following kinds of questions about any target market:
o Who are “they”? ____________________________________________________
o What do they read? _________________________________________________
o What trade publications are out there? ___________________________________
o What e-zines? ______________________________________________________
o What newsletters do they get? ________________________________________
o What local and regional conferences might they already be attending? _________
o What trade groups have local chapters that they belong to? __________________
o Where do they hang out? ____________________________________________
o What do they talk about? ____________________________________________
o What do they worry about? ___________________________________________
To get the answers to these questions, talk to your best clients… but only if you want to be an IT specialist with more clients just like them.
Chances are you've developed personal relationships already. So take your clients out for breakfast; take them out to lunch. Tell them you want to be an IT specialist and ask them your questions so you know exactly where to look for more new clients just like your current ones.
The Bottom Line on Being an IT Specialist
To get more clients in a horizontal niche, you need to find out as much as you can about your clients jobs, where they hang out and how you can find more clients just like them. When you do, you've given yourself the distinction of being an IT specialist.
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