Computer Consultants Secrets ™

If you want to really make a decent living as a network consultant, you need to narrow down your marketing focus and develop very keen business development intuition. In order to build a successful and viable network consultant business you also have to get really good at spotting the best small business accounts.
 
But how do you fine-tune the process of finding ideal clients as a network consultant, so you can build your business efficiently? The following 3 network consultant tips can help you determine which types of clients you need to target to build a solid career and a stable consulting business.

   1. Remember, There are a Lot of Small Businesses Out There. As you are thinking about yourself as a network consultant, remember there are millions of small businesses in the U.S. and millions more abroad. There’s a pretty good chance there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of companies that would qualify as small businesses within a one hour’s drive of your local area. But if you latch onto the wrong ones, you’re not going to be able to build a very good career as a network consultant. You need to really fine-tune your focus and find a specialty and a unique twist on consulting that no one else has in your local area. This will help you narrow down the field of potential prospects, target your marketing campaigns much more time-efficiently and cost-effectively and allow you to really stand out among your competitors.

   2. Know How and Where to Find the Best Accounts. You need to know where to find the best accounts as a network consultant. Often this means knowing how to say, “No Thanks.” You need to know your target prospects very well and be able to verify through a consistent, diligent lead qualification process that a small business will be a gratifying client for your network consultant business. Your goal is obviously to feel a certain sense of career satisfaction as a network consultant. This sense of gratification is probably one of the reasons you decided to go out on your own, as opposed to sticking with a traditional corporate IT career. If you want to experience the joy of success, you really need to establish a good process for building healthy client-consultant relationships. The first step is admitting that you can’t possibly be all things to all people.

   3. Think About Finances. Your career as a network consultant has to be lucrative financially. You need to have a profitable business and stable sources of recurring consulting revenue. All small businesses are not created equal, and your job is not to be the Mother Teresa of Network Support. You are probably not becoming a network consultant to start a career in charity or accidentally launch a non-profit agency. So you must consider your own financial health when determining which types of clients you should target with your marketing campaigns.
 
You certainly need to have empathy for customers and clients you support. And you need to do a great job for your clients. But you have to be very careful and very targeted about marketing your business, and choosing clients, if you want to build a long-lasting career as a network consultant.
 
In this short article we discussed 3 tips to help you with marketing and building a stable career as a network consultant. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients as a network consultant now at the attached link.

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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

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

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

People starting their own computer repair businesses make the decision to open many different types of companies for a variety of reasons.  But how do you decide?

The decision really depends on whether you want to build a business from the ground, up or take some shortcuts by opening a franchise.  What are the pros and cons of each?

Deciding on a Computer Repair Business Means Some Hard Work

No matter what, during the startup phase of your computer repair business, you will have several months where you will need to put in some very hard work putting your name out in the community.  You will be following up on a lot of leads, generating proposals and going on sales calls.  And this will all happen before you get any billable projects. 

Just because you decide on a franchised doesn’t mean all the work is done for you.  There are other issues to consider.  

The Right Decision

One type of computer repair business is very different from the other, and how you decide on which type to open will depend upon what you are looking for personally from your business, your skills and how much time and money you have.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

When you are starting your own computer consultant business, you will need to spend a lot of time going to meetings and shaking hands.  You will have to make plenty of follow-up calls and use display ads and direct mail campaigns to establish connections.

Because you need plenty of hands-on time to start your computer consultant business, you will have to be very realistic. 

A Franchise Isn’t a Guaranteed Computer Consultant Business

Even when you buy a franchise, you don’t get a guarantee of everything going smoothly.  You won’t get a client list; if you want that, you will have to buy a current business, which will be even more capital-intensive than a franchise.  If you want to buy a small company that is doing well, you will have to spend a multiple of the company’s annual sales. 

What Are Your Computer Consultant Business Start-Up Costs?

You can start your own business for just a few thousand dollars.  All you need is a business phone number and voicemail, a cell phone, business cards and licensing registrations.  You will also have to meet with an attorney or an accountant (so don’t forget this cost!).  You will need insurance.  You can often work out of a home office.  Franchises cost significantly more than this in terms of start-up costs. 

If You’re a Control Freak, Think Carefully!

If you like being in control, you will probably not like having a franchise.  You have to do things a certain way and follow pre-established rules.  Your company will also have to pay a franchiser a part of its revenue forever.  And flexibility will be less when you want to take your computer consultant business in new directions.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Computer consultants that work for small businesses enjoy many benefits.  The following are some reasons to become self employed.

Choose Your Own Work!

Self-employed computer consultants have a flexible work situation with a great deal of variety.  Computer consultants in business for themselves choose their favorite technologies and platforms and decide which products they will sell, service and support.  Unlike a regular company job, small business computer consulting does not involve working with products that don’t work or are unpleasant.    

There Are a Lot of Clients to Be Had

Regardless of where they are located, when there are small businesses around, there is work for computer consultants.  People working with any industry can find a nice amount of small businesses that will need their type of support.  Computer consultants can stay in their own area and make a decent living and even work from home.

Enjoy Freedom of Choice

Computer consultants that own their own businesses get to choose their own bosses, clients, colleagues, partners, vendors and contractors.  Self-employed computer consultants get to choose their own working hours too.  They can choose the clients that will allow them to work better hours without feeling like they are on call 24 hours per day.

Boost Your Confidence

Being a self-employed computer consulting professional is a real self-esteem-builder.  Computer consultants working for themselves are acting as the main contact person for small businesses without an IT department that desperately need their help.  They act as part-time, virtual IT departments.

The Main Idea About Computer Consultants

Computer consultants get to choose their own clients and projects that offer the most fulfilling experience for them.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

When thinking about whether or not you have the right personality to be an IT consultant, ask yourself some questions.  Do you talk to strangers?  Are you in a good mood most days?  Are you punctual?

Are You Extroverted?

To be an IT consultant, you have to be a real people person.  You have to be humble and ask for help when needed, and you need to be really enthusiastic about what you do.  Being an IT consultant can be a 24-hour a day, 7-day a week job, especially in the beginning. Once you get great clients and are full time, you will find it to be 9-5 or 8-4, but you need to be ready for anything.  

Patience is a Virtue

You will not find overnight success being an IT consultant.  Because the computer consulting field is so much about relationships and relationships take time to build, your business will take between three and six months to get enough clients and often even six months to one year to get enough clients to build a real business that will support you.  

Are You a Positive Person?

As an IT consultant, you will have a mixed bag of days – good, bad and in-between.  You need to be really enthusiastic about your business and create a plan that will help you grow and stay on target.  Especially when you have bad days, you need to have a plan to keep you focused and encouraged.  You need to be able to shake off bad days and keep moving.  

Reliability is Key

You need to be able to push yourself, because no one will be telling you to do your job every day.  You have to be motivated by an inner voice and prepared to work with very little encouragement.

The Bottom Line About IT Consultant Traits

Think about whether or not you have what it takes to be an IT consultant by going through the above traits and comparing them with what you know of your personality.  

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Computer consulting research has probably made you feel overloaded with information.  What steps should you take when you are first starting a computer consulting business?

1.    Pick a Date

Pick a date for launching your computer consulting business and write it down.  Writing it down is critical because it gives you a tangible goal.  You will know how long you have to get the ball rolling and can keep a specific moment in mind when planning the different phases of your computer consulting business.  

2.    Narrow Down To-Do’s

Part of picking a date means narrowing down to-do lists and organizing tasks in a “Top 10” list.  Write down everything you think of and then narrow those items down to just the most important 10.   

Your list may include meeting with an accoutant, getting a business real estate license, opening up a distributor account, picking a company name, designing a business card, looking through insurance options, getting a website domain name and getting a voicemail business box.

There may initially be 30 or 40 things on your list.  Narrow it down to prepare to launch your computer consulting business.

3.    Order Your List

Once you are happy that you have the definite top 10, highlight them on paper and rank them chronologically.  You should only work on one or two per week.  You can do this exercise using Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word as well.  Just narrow your focus to the top 10 business tasks.   

4.    Develop a Timeline for the Start of Your Computer Consulting Business

If you are launching your computer consulting business five weeks from now and you have 10 things to do, pick two things to do each week.  When you put things in a specific timeframe, managing the launch of your computer consulting business becomes a lot more manageable.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

There are several ways to decide whether to buy a computer consulting franchise along with many pros and cons.

The Pros of Buying a Computer Consulting Franchise

There are quite a few benefits to buying a computer consulting franchise:  you get the benefits that go along with being part of a larger company; you have a built-in peer support network; you start out with many tools and resources; you have a place to go with your problems and concerns.

The Cons of Buying a Computer Consulting Franchise

The biggest problem with buying a computer consulting franchise for most entrepreneurs is the capital investment needed to start.  Plus, a percentage of your revenue and profit each month will go to the franchiser, and you will be restricted with what you can do with your company because of the pre-set standards of the organization.

Computer Consulting Takes Time More Than Money

Starting a computer consulting business usually has low overhead, but is very time consuming.  You might spend three to six months or even more getting enough contacts, prospects and project opportunities to be booked to 50 or 60 percent utilization rate (or 20 to 24 billable hours per week).  

Expectations of Revenue in Computer Consulting

Even if you go to all local networking activities, reach out to your community and go out on sales calls, three or six months is a good estimate of how long it will take to have decent revenue and cash flow.  Add to that adding staff to your computer consulting business, and the estimate can change to years.

You need capital so you can keep paying business expenses.  Keep overhead low so you don’t have extra items to worry about.  Weigh the pros and cons of computer consulting franchise ownership and then decide if the process is right for you.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101

You can’t open a computer consulting business without a clear, written-down plan.  Writing down a plan for your computer consulting business will make you most likely to accomplish your desired goals.  

The First Step for a Computer Consulting Business

Before startup, you need to prioritize and write down all the tasks you will have to accomplish prior to opening your computer consulting business.  For example, you might choose a name for your business, get business cards printed, set up you second phone line and join networking organizations.

The template in the linked computer consulting article can help you prioritize your tasks.  Write down each of them and the date by which you need to have them completed.  Make sure you are working backwards from the launch date.

Computer Consulting Template Items:

1.    The Launch Date

2.    Top-Ten To-Do List (date attached to each item)

3.    Company Name Ideas

4.    Organizations You Can Join

You will be more likely to be prepared when the launch date of your computer consulting business rolls around if you make your tasks into small steps and write them down to give you a concrete plan.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

When you are starting out in the computer consulting business, you may wonder how you might find regular clients willing to spend from $1,000 to $2,000 per month on your outsourced services.

The key to finding clients is to evaluate each one of them carefully.  Ask yourself if a client needs a real server, firewall or backup solution along with offsite or online backup.  Does the prospect need enhanced security, power protection or virus control?  And lastly, does the client need a professional to fulfill sophisticated needs such as network support and LAN-WAN support? 

The best clients will not be able to get away with using volunteers to handle their IT consulting needs or a moonlighter.  The larger a company gets, the more revenue and general productivity is at risk if systems go down.  As a computer consulting professional you will be critical to the quality sweet spot clients. 

Who Pays for Computer Consulting Support?

Small businesses with a budget capable of allowing $1,000 or $2,000 per month for IT support are your ideal candidates for long-term clients.  In return for this amount of money, you can expect to be on-site a couple half days each month and be available for emergencies and some remote support.  You will become an outsourced go-to person for all their IT needs.

Computer Consulting:  What is a Sweet Spot Client?

A sweet spot client will need to, first and foremost have more than a P2P network.  Sweet spot computer consulting clients need to be big enough so that when there is downtime, the result is painful and expensive.  These types of clients will be ready and excited about using your services as a computer consulting professional. 

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101

Finance credit should be extended very cautiously to your clients.  Even after you have built up a solid history with a client, you should still be strict about your practice of credit finance.  The use of finance credit and good basic billing practices will be a large factor in determining whether or not you actually get paid for the work you do.

Rules for Finance Credit

• Do not be too quick to give new clients finance credit.

• When clients ask for finance credit, always have them complete a credit application and send out some credit reference letters.

• After you have extended a client finance credit, keep their lines of credit relatively low until they’ve built up some history with you.

• With new clients, even after you get a credit application and send out some credit reference letters, start them out with $500 or $1,000 in finance credit. Don’t allow them to hang you up on a $5,000 or $10,000 leash before they’ve proven they’re able to pay small invoices.

• If new clients come on with a large project, rather than extend large amounts of finance credit, get larger deposits amounts.

To ensure you get paid regardless of finance credit, here are some guidelines to follow with your billing.

Rules for Billing Practices

• Always insist on written agreements, even if it’s a very small job.

• Always get a deposit check on any major project.

• Set up payment schedules that make sense. Do not take on a large, major project or any project for that matter, without getting at least 25% down.

• Bill weekly and not when you get around to it. Being busy is no excuse for sending your invoices regularly.

Bottom Line on Finance Credit
As a business owner you want to be able to extend credit finance to your clients.  When you do so, you always have to remember to protect yourself first.  Don’t be too quick to extend credit and make sure your billing practices get you paid.  These are two major ways to keep yourself from getting into big financial trouble really fast.
 
In this article, you’ve been introduced to Finance Credit. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Finance Credit, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Billable hours have a great deal to do with setting your rates.  The revenue you bring is in based on the number of billable hours you work.  From that revenue though, you have to take off your business expenses.  

You need to make sure your average, realistic billable hours multiplied by your hourly rate will be enough to turn a profit now and in the future.

Most new consultants come in with an hourly rate of $75 in their mind.  They believe that that rate will work out to a yearly gross of $150,000.  The fact is that if you carry a $75 or $85 per hour rate beyond the grand opening special to get your first couple of clients, your business will become more of a hobby or a non profit.

You say, “How can that be? Why doesn’t $75 an hour equate to $150,000 a year?” There are easily 2,000 billable hours per year, right? Wrong.

New consultants often fail to consider all the overhead and expenses that usually come up as a business matures. The uninformed person just starting out usually believes that $75 an hour times 40 hours a week times 50 weeks a year is $150,000 a year in consulting revenue.  They think that the number of hours billable in a week is 40.  Unfortunately that’s Fantasy Island.

Unless you’re working a 100 hours, you won’t even have a shot at making 40 billable hours per week.  A good percentage of your work day is taken up with non billable hours.  Networking, marketing, sales calls, training, etc…; these activities all eat away at your billable hours.  

You can’t ignore business development activities so you have to adjust your hourly rate to account for a realistic amount of billable hours per week.

Bottom Line on Billable Hours
Billable hours and your hourly rate are tied together and will largely determine your degree of profitability.  You can’t expect to enjoy 100% of your time as billable hours.  You need to set your hourly rate high enough to remain profitable after considering a reasonable number of weekly billable hours.  

In this article, you’ve been introduced to Billable Hours. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Billable Hours, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Consulting fees must be set in order to sustain your business.  When you start off as a moonlighter it is tempting to charge low consulting fees in order to build up a client base.  The problem with this strategy is that when you want to transition to full time consulting, your consulting fees must be high enough to cover all the added expenses that go along with running a full time business.

To make this transition you must get the recurring revenue and charge market rates that are sustainable for the long haul. Your full time competitors have already figured out the consulting fees they need to charge to cover their overhead items that as a moonlighter you are probably overlooking. Items like:

• taxes
• training expenses
• insurance costs
• marketing and promotion
• research
• administration

To cover these basic expenses you won’t be able to charge bargain basement consulting fees.     If you’re thinking you can go out there and be the Crazy Eddie of computer support and charge consulting fees of $25, $35, $45 an hour you’re not going to make it up on volume. There are only so many hours you can work in a week, even on a full time basis.

Bottom Line on Consulting Fees
If you want to be able to survive and you want to be able to make the transition from part time to full time consulting, it’s very important that you copy the right people when it comes to your consulting fees.  You do not want to be the cheapest in your market because you won’t be able to sustain those low consulting fees for long.  Start out right and set your consulting fees at the higher end.  This prepares you to make the leap to full time and  paves the way for long term business health.   

In this article, you’ve been introduced to Consulting Fees. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Consulting Fees, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Target businesses must be looked at in terms of their ability to support your own business goals.  If you really want to make a decent living and want to have a good, successful, viable consulting business you have to know your target business clients. You have to narrow down your focus and develop a keen intuition so you are expert at spotting the best small business accounts to target.  

There are millions of small businesses in the U.S. and there are millions of small businesses abroad. Not all of these will fit with your target business profile but many will.  And, there’s a pretty good chance that there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of companies in your local area that qualify as target businesses.

If you don’t learn early on which businesses to target and which ones to stay away from your own business will suffer.  You need to know where to find the best target businesses and know when to say "no" to business that comes your way.

Your target businesses will be gratifying to work with.  You will get a great amount of career satisfaction by working with them.  That’s probably one of the reasons you’re looking at starting your own business as opposed to sticking with a traditional corporate IT career.

Target businesses will also prove to more lucrative accounts.  All small businesses are not created equal.  You want your clients to be a stable source of recurring revenue. Remember, your job is not to be the Mother Teresa of PC support. You’re not running a charitable organization.

Of course, you want to have empathy for the people you support and you want to do a great job for them, but at the same time, you have to look out for your own interests to make sure you’re going to be there for them six months to a year down the road.

Bottom Line on Target Businesses
It’s very important that you start right at the beginning to identify and find target businesses you want to work with.  The better your clients, the better your business.  The time you spend putting together a target business profile will pay off many times in the future.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to Target Businesses. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Target Businesses, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

IT services outsourcing must be provided with an understanding of what functions your virtual IT business is going to provide.  You need to analyze the capabilities of an IT department and then compare that to what you want to offer.

After you know the functions your IT services outsourcing business will provide, you then have to decide what you want to do in-house, what you want to outsource, and what you don’t want to provide at all.  

Common IT Services Outsourcing Functions

• architecture design
• lab services
• corporate security
• data center
• help desk
• network administration
• network engineering
• PC floor support
• basic PC support
• procurement and purchasing
• project management
• business unit technologists
• software development
• training center
• WAN engineering
• Web team  

Most small business owners who use IT services outsourcing want the same technology advantages as their Fortune 1000 counterparts.  The challenge has always been how to build a solution around those wants and needs on a small business friendly budget.  That’s where your IT services outsourcing analysis comes in.

Once you figure out what your IT service outsourcing menu is going to be, then you build your business around it.  This becomes part of your business plan and your marketing collateral.  Your IT outsourcing services list should be accompanied by a features and benefits explanation and should identify what you will do yourself and what you will outsource to other specialists.

Bottom Line on IT Services Outsourcing
You need to make hard and fast decisions about your IT services outsourcing capabilities.  The services you don’t want to handle yourself can then be offered by authorized specialty contractors and the services you don’t want to provide are left off the list completely.  Before you even go into business, read through the common IT outsourcing services and decide what your virtual IT department will offer.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to IT Services Outsourcing. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about IT Services Outsourcing, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.