Computer Consultants Secrets ™

Want to learn how to start a computer business?  If you are like many others trying to get into computer consulting, you might be wondering, “Can I cut it?”

The truth is, if you have a basic understanding of computers, great problem-solving skills and a true desire to help others, you already have the ingredients for a great computer business.  The following four steps can help you learn how to start a computer business.

   1. Start a Computer Business to Enjoy Great Opportunities.  In a typical corporate computer or IT job, your earnings potential and career advancement possibilities are constrained by elements you can’t control:  lazy, incompetent peers; ineffective management; and a seniority system that is not necessarily based on the hard work of employees.  When you decide to start a computer business, you get rid of many of these annoyances and barriers.  You get to be your own boss, find your own peers and clients, and be appreciated for what you do.  Plus, the market for those trying to start a computer business is diverse and continues to grow.  Today, no business can exist without some type of computer help.  So you will be needed and have many opportunities to earn substantial revenue from great, loyal clients.

   2. You Need Specific Skills to Know How to Start a Computer Business.  When you are planning the future of your computer business, list your own current computer-related skills.  Are you the one those in your office, or your friends and family members, turn to when they need technology help?  If the answer is, “Yes,” you already have a lot of marketable skills.  You don’t have to be a complete expert in every single detail of using and repairing computers.  In fact, this level of knowledge is nearly impossible given how diverse the technology industry is.  If you are fairly skilled at working with computers and have specific areas of expertise, you can always find partners and subcontractors with complimentary specialties to help you fill in the skills gaps and build a strong computer business.

   3. Think About the Move from Employee to Business Owner.  If you are currently the employee of a business within the computer industry, learning how to start a computer business could be a really smart move.  When you make that choice, you increase your income potential for the same work you are already doing and get to work for yourself.  But how do you handle the transition?  Many technology professionals start by moonlighting, so they can try out what having this type of business is like before leaving the safety of a full-time day job.  Moonlighting can also help you build a steady client list and get reference accounts to give yourself a head start in building a long-lasting computer business.

   4. Don’t Forget about Non-Technical Skills.  If you want to know how to start a computer business, you need to think about more than just your knowledge of technology.  A few traits can help:  the ability to be self motivated; the drive to work without having an employer looking over your shoulder; the ability to wear multiple hats to manage all the different elements of your business; strong marketing skills; excellent administrative and planning skills; and the ability to efficiently delegate tasks to other employees, contractors, and partners as your business grows.

This article introduced you to four important action items to think about as you plan how to start a computer business.  To learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients, sign up for free tips on How to Start a Computer Business now at the attached link.

Copyright (C), StartAComputerBusiness.com, All Rights Reserved

Would you like to close more IT sales? One of the best ways for selling IT is to differentiate yourself from others in your local marketplace.
 
An important method for closing more IT sales is to focus on your unique expertise and communicate it with your marketing materials. Because your clients are buying you and not products or simple "services" or "features," you need to really let your prospective clients get to know you by setting yourself apart from the competition.

This article explores 4 ways you can close more IT sales by customizing your marketing strategies to fit your IT company’s unique identity.

1.    Don’t Be a Commodity. The word “commodity” implies “cheap,” and if you set your company up as just another purchasable item, you will attract price shoppers and not those willing to invest in real, high-end IT support. To avoid getting the attention of prospects looking for the lowest perceived price, focus on selling IT through your expertise and your own brand of problem solving. Present your services in terms of real benefits to the clients you serve.

2.    Don’t Hide Behind Your Marketing Materials. You need to make sure that your marketing materials list you as the owner. Your Web site, business cards and any brochures you provide need to have a personality if you want to be successful with IT sales. Don’t try to hide the size of your company or your identity by keeping details anonymous. You need to sell your legitimate background and the background of those working for you. Communicate your unique beliefs and philosophies about how you help small businesses with their IT challenges.

3.    Being Unique is Key. A lot of computer consultants ask, “Is there one cost-effective way to get great leads no matter where you are in the world when selling IT?” One of the biggest problems IT consultants have is that they neglect to come up with their own unique IT sales pitch and just use something they heard worked for someone else. You need to come up with a pitch that reflects who you are and what you do… and most important of all: what problems you solve for your clients.

4.    Your IT Marketing Materials Must Be Unique. Put your marketing materials to the test. Look at your business card and your home page. Then gather a couple business cards and home pages from local competitors and create a list of differences. A lot of people are selling “PC hardware and software, networks, and service” when selling IT. While this might be what you do too, you need to say something that will set you apart from the competition.

If you want to close more IT sales for your computer consulting business, ask this question: “Do I want to compete against 5-10 local competitors … or a few hundred?” If you can make yourself truly unique as an IT consulting business, you will be well on your way to getting high-paying, steady clients to invest in your sophisticated business solutions.

In this article, we outlined 4 tips that can help you close more IT sales and get better clients for your computer consulting business.

To learn more about proven IT sales techniques that help you close more IT sales faster, sign up for free IT sales tips now at the attached link.

Copyright (C), ITSalesKit.com, All Rights Reserved.

While the most profitable way to be a small business IT professional does not typically happen when you want to become a laptop reseller, there are ways you can add reselling to your business.  However, the most successful IT professionals working with small businesses find that the money is in building relationships with steady, high-paying clients that need your expertise in helping them build and maintain stable networks.

If you decide to become a laptop reseller or to resell any sort of products, you need to think carefully about how you will use it as part of your services. Many resellers negotiate with companies for a certain quantity of product at a certain percentage off the list price.  But you typically have to sell a LOT of laptops to make this worth your while.  And the amount you will spend on marketing will typically far exceed the profit you will get.

The truth is, margins in the electronics business unless you are a HUGE company are not great.  Your best bet if you really want to become a laptop reseller is to work on building relationships with clients and offer advice on the right products to help them round out sophisticated solutions and help procuring them.

To learn more about reselling and what it means to become a laptop reseller (or a reseller of any other product!) visit the attached link.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

IT management involves a lot of responsibilities.  Which should you make part of your comprehensive services?

1.    Coordinating Telecommunications Solutions.  When you’re dealing with small business clients and providing a comprehensive IT management plan, you will probably have to coordinate your own services with local telephone companies, ISPs and other providers.  You will also probably have to coordinate tech support with ISP’s for Internet access.    

2.    Testing.  As part of your IT management duties, you will have to get involved in vertical industry-niched applications.  You will either have to bring them in yourself or test applications already explored by your clients before they make a huge IT investment.  You need to evaluate how vertical applications fit into their networks.  

3.    Training the Guru … or Other Users.  Your firm will have to be involved in training if you are going to provide good IT management services.  This might be either formal end-user training or informal internal guru training (the person everyone in the small business comes to typically with tech problems).  When you train the guru, you can help train others on more routine matters.  

4.     Planning for Disasters.  As part of your IT management duties, you will have to be involved in disaster recovery planning, checking out data backup systems, antivirus software, power protection and security.  You also can’t neglect proactive maintenance which can help avoid disaster!

Providing effective IT management will be a huge part of your job as a computer consultant for small business clients.  For more information on this topic, visit the attached link.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

There are many different types of computer consultants that perform a variety of functions for small businesses, and some of them are systems integrators.  If you are just starting out in the IT consulting world, you might be wondering which area of computer consulting is right for you and which type of computer consultant you want to be.

Being a specialist and marketing yourself as such in small business computer consulting is essential to solving complex problems, and systems integrators perform a lot of complex tasks that can be very rewarding.

Three Things to Know about Systems Integrators

1.    Systems integrators specialize in bringing together subsystems that are part of larger systems and making sure everything works together.  In the IT industry, systems integrators typically integrate multiple systems that contribute to inputting, processing, interpreting, storing and putting data into categories.  

2.    Systems Integrators have to excel at putting clients’ needs together with technology products.  While systems integrators are specialists, they need to be very good at generalist tasks, and like many other computer consultants will find themselves doing a lot of “generalist” tasks such as diagnostic and troubleshooting work.  

3.    Good small business systems integrators excel at presenting technical information in easy-to-understand business terms.  Communication – as it is with any other IT consulting specialty – is critical to building successful relationships with clients.

Today we talked a little bit about what systems integrators do and the skills you might need to participate successfully in this specialized IT field.  To learn more about this subject and many more, visit the attached link!

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

If you want to provide the best computer small business consulting services possible for your clients, there are three key questions you can ask that will help you grow your business and keep those steady, high-paying clients.  These questions are best asked as part of regular surveys (sent with invoices, support contract renewal reminders, etc.) and can really help you gauge the health of your relationships and the strength of your solutions.

1.    “How can we improve the level of service we provide your company?”

You need to ask this question on a regular basis, both in surveys and in person as you are doing work, at least a couple times per year.  The suggestions you get will be incredibly enlightening!  Usually they will tell you things you can implement without charging them another cent like e-mail reminders about scheduled visits, etc.  Other times you might get suggestions on how you can improve the benefits you offer, such as response time or specific specialties.  Take to heart those that would actually improve your business and consider which ones just won’t work.

2.    “Is there anything else IT-related that your company needs?”

Even if you’ve been providing stellar service, sometimes you might overlook something that is really bothering them (or maybe they’ve been too afraid to ask!) related to their IT assets.  Make sure you regularly ask for their concerns with their IT assets and how it is working to inform the sophisticated solutions you provide.

3.    “Do you know anyone else – business associates, friends, family members, etc. in the area that could use some help with computer problems?”

To give your clients some help as your extended sales force, spend a minute or two when you ask this question (and any other time it’s appropriate!) reminding your clients what to look out for when they are talking to their friends and professional acquaintances.  For example, if they are on the phone with a vendor or supplier or family member that is complaining that everything is slow or the LAN’s down again, etc., this is an excellent time for them to point the person in your direction!

Today we talked about how to improve your computer consulting services by asking important questions of your clients on a regular basis.  To learn more about this subject, visit the attached link!

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

When you are deciding how to set up your IT consulting business, one of your options is to build an IT franchise.  Many consultants wonder, “Is an IT franchise a good idea?”

The Benefits of an IT Franchise

1.    You get the perks of being part of a larger company;

2.    You get a built-in organizational peer support network;

3.    You get access to a LOT of tools and resources;

4.    You already have people (clients) to go with problems.

The Negatives of Being Part of an IT Franchise

While there certainly can be big benefits to owning an IT franchise, there can also be some significant “cons.”

1.    You need a substantial capital investment to start an IT franchise.

2.    You will be paying a percentage of your revenue or profit every month to a franchiser in the form of a royalty.

3.    You will be restricted as to what you can and cannot do with your business.  

The Main Point about Buying into an IT Franchise

Usually, starting a computer consulting business from scratch is a much lower overhead investment than starting an IT franchise.  However, you can expect to spend significant TIME on this type of business, when much of the work of starting an IT franchise has already been done because you are buying into an existent, thriving organization.

Today we talked about some pros and cons of buying into an IT franchise.  To get more business development tips and learn more about IT consulting, visit the attached link.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

While the sweet spot of computer consulting is best for most that want to run a profitable small business IT business, many consultants have to start small and build.  Micro small businesses can often be a jumping off point for those with an IT business.

Tip 1:  Know What "Micro Small Businesses" Are

Micro small businesses are companies with 1-10 computers that are typically Windows based or 1-10 employees and $100,000 - $1 million in annual revenue.  Micro small businesses are different from others when it comes to your IT business because they will not have dedicated servers and will be running a peer-to-peer (P2P) server.  Often your purpose in being there is to get them to the point of being able to manage a dedicated server. 

Tip 2:  Know Your Hardware with Micro Small Businesses

You have to know which type of hardware your micro small clients will be using and how your IT business will handle it. 

What will you need to know?  You’ll need to know basic desktop PC support, notebooks, PDAs, printers, how to set up servers, DSL, cable modems and a little about surge protection, data protection and entry-level battery backup. 

Tip 3:  Software You Need to Know for Your New IT Business

When you start an IT business and work with micro-small businesses you will need to know the most popular desktop and notebook operating systems, but mostly just the basic Microsoft Windows products on desktops, some notebooks and PDAs.  Micro-small businesses will also be looking for heavy desktop office automation applications support, basic PC support, basic notebook support and the whole Microsoft Office family or products.

Today we talked about some tips for those starting a new IT business that want to use micro-small businesses as a starting point.  To learn more about this topic, visit the attached link. 

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

When you’re thinking about becoming an IT consultant, remember – it really doesn’t matter if you lack advanced technical computer skills.  This can be remedied through self study … and many business and social skills are going to be a lot more important to building the relationships you need to sustain your business anyway!

To learn technical skills when you’re becoming an IT consultant …

You can get not-for-resale (NFR) copies of products you want to sell, install and support and work on them in the confines of your lab.  If you have a spare hour or half an hour, you can walk through basic installations, break them, and reinstall until you get comfortable.  

A lot of the installations you’ll be handling for small business clients when you’re becoming an IT consultant will be pretty self driven, meaning they have wizards for basic installations and won’t require advanced computer skills.  

Technical Skills You Need When Becoming an IT Consultant:

1.    Strong PC hardware skills;

2.    The ability to handle a peer-to-peer (P2P) set up;

3.    A knowledge of TCP/IP;

4.    An awareness of POP3 and SMTP;

5.    A familiarity with how to work basic SOHO routers.  

If you have these skills, you are on your way to becoming an IT consultant!

To learn more about this topic and many others, visit the attached link!

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

If you own your own computer repair business, you know that your time is money, and a lot of your time can be spent on unbillable hours filling out computer repair forms, networking to drum up new business and countless other administrative activities that suck up time you could be spending working in the field.  

So why not get your hands on some templates that can save you time and money? The Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course offers a large collection of immediately downloadable, field-tested and PROVEN customizable computer repair forms and countless other templates that can get you started today taking YEARS off your learning curve, saving yourself hundreds or even thousands of hours of your time and adding tens of thousand dollars OR MORE to your company’s bottom line.   

If you are like other professional services firms, your time is probably valued at $100/hour or more by your clients, which makes using templates and readily-designed computer repair forms an obvious decision.  

Computer Repair Forms:  Three Steps to Using Templates That Can Save Your Business Time and Money

1.    Open each file from the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course download center;

2.    Customize your computer repair forms;

3.    Print out your document.

To learn more about how you can use customizable, field-tested, PROVEN computer repair forms from the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, visit the attached link!

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

There are varying opinions about whether small business computer consultants should become computer resellers.  Here are some definitions to help you weigh your options.

Pure Computer Consulting Firms

Those that want to completely stay away from being computer resellers choose to be pure computer consulting firms.  They believe they will never make a penny off product margin and that computer resellers don’t make a dime.  They decide NOT to resell hardware, software or peripherals, though they do help clients decide exactly what to buy and how the specs should be.  

Purchasing Firms

Another variation on pure computer consulting firms is the concept of purchasing agents.  They do the purchasing for clients and bill them for a couple hours.  Their job is to review quotes, place and track orders and carry the product purchase to the end.  These types of consultants are still not officially computer resellers, but they are doing more than pure consultants.  

Hybrid Consulting Firms

These types of firms are part-time computer resellers.  They might sell white box PCs – non-branded desktops, servers and notebooks. 

How Do You Decide Whether or Not to Be Computer Resellers?

Your decision to resell products depends on where you want to spend your time.  Do you want to invest the time trying to get incremental profit off product sales or focus on pure consulting dollars?  No matter what you decide, if you want to make money at being an IT consultant, you can’t lead with product sales.  You have to sell comprehensive business solutions that can truly help your clients’ companies thrive.

Today we talked about computer resellers.  To learn more about this topic and others, visit the attached link!

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

If you want to have a profitable computer consulting business that lasts for many years, you need to start thinking about getting every client on a computer maintenance agreement.  But first you have to make absolutely sure that each client is a good fit for a long-term relationship.

Proving ground projects can really help you qualify your prospects and customers to see if they will make good clients.  

Some Tips about Proving Ground Projects that lead to a Computer Maintenance Agreement

1.    What is a proving ground project?  A proving ground project is the first project computer consultants complete with a new customer that is not yet on a computer maintenance agreement.  Its purpose is to help a consultant prove he/she is knowledgeable, dependable, easy to work with and provides a solution that’s a good value.  Prospects and customers use proving ground projects to show they have reasonable expectations, a compatible personality type and will be willing to pay for services and potentially a computer maintenance agreement.
    
2.    Watch carefully during proving ground projects for signs that things might not work out well with a longer-term relationship.  You need to make sure you are watchful during the initial project with a new prospect or customer.  If all goes well for you during this time, you could next be enjoying the benefits of an on-going computer maintenance agreement.

3.    Red flags that signify a potentially BAD future client:  constant mind changing; lateness for meetings, etc.; verbal abuse towards employees; a belief that the “rules” of your normal engagements do not apply to them.
 
If you want to have a successful computer maintenance agreement with each of your clients, you need to use your proving ground project to try out the relationship and make sure it’s going to work long term.

To learn more important information about the computer maintenance agreement, visit the attached link!

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

You need to think carefully about the pros and cons of IT franchise ownership before you decide to buy one.  

The Pros of an IT Franchise

1.    You get the benefit of being part of a larger company;

2.    You get a strong peer support network as part of the organization;

3.    You get some valuable tools and resources to help you run your business;

4.    You have people already there to be clients and customers.  

The Cons of an IT Franchise

1.    You have to have significant capital to get started;

2.    You will end up paying a large part of your revenue/profit each month as a royalty to your franchiser;

3.    You will have some restrictions about where you can go with your business.

You need  to think carefully about how you approach IT franchise ownership and weigh the above pros and cons as well as any others you can think of before making your decision.

Today we talked a little bit about the pros and cons of owning an IT franchise.  To learn more about this subject – and much more – visit the attached link!

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

When you are starting your IT company, you have to prepare to put in a lot of time and effort.  You’re going to have to go out and really meet people and make a lot of follow-up phone calls and send personalized notes and e-mails.  Your main goal with your IT company in the beginning is going to be spending time establishing very personal relationships.

Some Tips for Judging Time for IT Company Startup

1.    Don’t expect franchises to be easy.  Even though you get some things set up for you with franchises when you start an IT company, you’re still not going to get a set client list.

2.    If you want set client lists, you’re going to have to buy a current business (but expect to pay quite a lot of money for it!).  Even a small IT company is going to cost you anywhere between a few hundred thousand dollars and a few million dollars.  

3.    Starting your own IT company from scratch is possible with just a few thousand dollars.  You need a business phone number and voicemail, a cell phone, business cards and legal licensing registrations.  And you’ll have to pay for some accounting and legal services to make sure you’re squared away.  

The main point is, starting an IT company is full of opportunities but takes time.  Decide which type of business is for you and then be prepared to put in the hours.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

In order to get more predictable monthly service revenue for your computer consulting business, you need to get ALL your clients on IT service contracts.  Why?  Firstly, you will get a minimum of several thousand dollars a month in recurring revenue.  The following four are further reasons to get all your clients on IT service contracts.

1.    In order to realize your goal of 100% of your clients on annual IT service contracts, you need to overcome some common sales hurdles.  A lot of times you’ll run into customers that are way too small or way too small minded to really see the value of your recommendations.  But if you DON’T find those right clients that WILL see things your way, you will not be able to realize your full potential.  

2.     The way you present your solutions is integral to getting customers to become clients on IT service contracts.  You have to do way more than just knowing to stay away from cheapskates and deadbeats that will never have long-term relationships with your firm.  You can’t be afraid to actively move towards a 100% support contract-centric business.   

3.    You can’t let customers and clients tell you how to do business.  You need to get rid of the one-sided deal mentality and start managing your customers and clients by providing mutually-beneficial IT service contracts and truly sophisticated solutions.

4.    You need to do everything in your power to present yourself as a professional services firm that demands top rates like any other great consulting firm, VAR company, integrator firm or solution provider business.  You are NOT a charity, and you need to make this clear by making getting all your clients on IT service contracts a priority and a real goal.

Today we talked about the importance of IT service contracts.  To learn more about how you can strengthen your business and get recurring revenue, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

A huge part of a successful IT marketing campaign is making yourself memorable and setting yourself apart from the hundreds of consultants in your area that your prospects could be choosing to provide them with business solutions.  

How do you make yourself memorable?  You have to sell YOU by focusing on your unique expertise and the benefits you offer.  

Are You a “Thing” or a Real Person Offering Sophisticated Solutions?

Remember, you are NOT a commodities broker.  Commodities are cheap “things” that will just attract price hunters.  You need to really focus on your unique problem-solving skills and specialty.  

Make Yourself Known

Great IT marketing materials don’t shroud you in mystery.  You can’t try to hide the size of your company on your Web site or business cards by making it really anonymous, nor should you.  Sell your background and the background of any staff or subcontractors and be sure to share your unique philosophies and small business problem-solving abilities.

You really need to craft a unique, fresh IT marketing message that represents you in order to attract the best, highest paying clients.  It needs to say something different about you that makes prospects remember you over other computer consulting firms they could be choosing.
Today we talked about IT marketing and why you need to make yourself memorable to get ideal clients for your business.  To learn more about this topic, visit the attached link.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

If you want to know if prospects and customers are going to be good candidates for service contracts, you need to test out proving ground projects.  In fact, proving ground projects are an ESSENTIAL step to building the relationships necessary for service contracts to work.

What is a Proving Ground Project?

Proving ground projects are an initial step in the process of setting the stage for service contracts.  They are the first projects computer consultants complete with new customers that are not yet steady clients.  Consultants use them to prove they know what they are doing, are dependable and good to work with and offer good value.  They are also a time for computer consultants to figure out if their customers will be the right type to sign long-term service contracts.

Keep an Eye out for Warning Signs

If all goes well during the proving ground project, service contracts are a real possibility.  However, make sure if you are a computer consultant that you are very vigilant during the proving ground project so you don’t start a long-term relationship that is doomed.

Some warning signs include …

1.    Customers that change their minds constantly;

2.    Customers that are late for meetings;

3.    Those that are verbally abusive to employees … or to you as a computer consultant;

4.    Customers that feel “above” the rules of relationships.  

The main point is, you CANNOT rush into a relationship that involves service contracts until you figure out you truly can work well with a prospect or customer.  Proving ground projects can help you gauge expectations and how well things are going to work.

Today we talked about why proving ground projects are necessary before you introduce service contracts to computer consulting clients.  To learn more about service contracts, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

If you really want to be a good IT contractor, the first concept you need to grasp is the idea of the “specialist.”  

You might be saying, “That’s great … but an IT contractor needs to know a lot of general things about computers to make it!”

It’s true that you will need to know about the following topics if you want to be a successful IT contractor working with small businesses:  network design; procurement; managing relations; dealing with phone companies, Web hosts and Internet access ISPs; deciding what to buy and also inspecting it when it arrives; configuring, testing, integrating, customizing, training and troubleshooting for your clients.

The truth is, an IT contractor that is commanding high rates will do EVERYTHING, which is technically being a generalist.  So how can you be a specialist?

A Good IT Contractor is Choosy

If you want to be a specialist in a generalist’s world, you need to provide the soups-to-nuts complete solution to a SELECT group of people.  You’ll provide a virtual IT experience and take full accountability of everything your clients need.  But to survive in the world of IT, you need to choose the type of clients you go after.  Find a niche and a select group of people that could use your help and run with it!  

Today we talked about being a good IT contractor and a true specialist.  To learn more about this topic, visit the attached link!

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Relationships with clients are critical if you want to make meaningful IT sales.  Your relationships are your greatest assets when you are trying to sell prospects on your unique IT solutions.  

What about the size of your customer list?  Actually, list size is unimportant, as is revenue.  The real key to IT sales is longevity and the long-term relationships you develop with your prospects, customers and clients.  The following tips can help you with IT sales.

Tip 1:  Think about Lifetime Value

The lifetime value of your computer consulting clients could be in the six-figure range, so you really need to get to know owners and partners of the companies you work with if you want a genuine “in” on IT sales.  The time you invest in building relationships will really pay off in the long run.  

Tip 2:  Manage Customer Expectations

If you are initially doing all the IT sales yourself, you won’t have to worry about inconsistent salespeople or pitches.  When you have inconsistent and misrepresentative salespeople, you will have a lot of issues managing expectations of your prospects.  You need to build a very personal relationship with your prospects at the beginning of the IT sales cycle.

Tip 3:  Train Your IT Sales Staff YOURSELF

Many consultants are actively involved in the IT sales process in the early stages of growing their businesses.  When this process becomes more routine and you have 5-10 great clients on your roster that generate substantial monthly revenue, you can train new salespeople and staff to do some of the work for you.  Delegate IT sales staff only when you are big enough to handle it.

Today we talked about some tips for better IT sales management.  To learn more about this topic, visit the attached link!

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

As an IT consultant, one of your most important and unique tasks is finding out who your clients are BEFORE you sit down with them in a sales meeting.  Yes, you need to explain what your computer consulting business is all about … but you also have to go into any meeting thinking about the idea of the “mutual interview” and be prepared so you know what you’re doing and how to listen to your clients.  Otherwise, you’ll never be able to help them with their needs.

You’re an IT Consultant … Prepare!

Doing some homework and research on clients before a meeting may take you 30-45 minutes, but you have to invest the time as a responsible IT consultant so you can help close the sale.  In order for prospects to agree to pay for your services, you have to build credibility, and part of this is showing you know and care about their unique business problems. It’s pretty easy to go to Google and type in a person’s name or phone number and address to get a little information.  

An IT Consultant Knows Prospects and Clients

You need to learn …

1.    What their business is about;

2.    Their specific industry;

3.    The types of services they provide;

4.    The number of locations they have;

5.    How long they’ve existed.

You should also look up news stories and see what your potential clients have been up to in the community.

Today we talked about how you as an IT consultant can get more involved with your clients and build a better business.  To learn more about this topic, visit the attached link!

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit