Computer Consultants Secrets ™

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

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

You need to be careful of people that want you to explain what you do in your computer consultancy.  You need to be prepared to talk clearly about what you do in simple terms so a client can determine whether or not you provide services that would suit his/her business.  

Some Tips for Talking about Your Computer Consultancy

1.    Be ready to talk about your computer consultancy by taking some time to prepare for meetings.  Spend 30-45 minutes before sales calls and other meetings with potential clients to learn something about your prospects so you can figure out how your solutions will fit.

2.    Put together a complete profile of your prospects to make sure you know how you can work with their complex business problems.  Find out what their business is about, which industry they are in, which types of services they provide, how many locations they have and how long they’ve been in business.

3.    Look in the news for information about your potential client.  You will probably be able to find news stories in Google or in the local newspaper through search functions. This will help you know more about your prospects and what they are doing and accomplishing.

Today we talked about some tips that can help you better communicate information about your computer consultancy.  To learn more about this topic, visit the attached link!

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

Recently computer business Hewlett-Packard (HP) made an agreement with Tower Software, a document and records management company to take over its company.  HP is based in Palo Alto and will attempt to expand its compliance business by purchasing the Canberra, Australia-based business.

Tower’s main package is TRIM Context, an enterprise content management system that helps organize information while following best practices.  If computer business HP’s acquisition of the company closes during the second quarter of this year, as planned, the computer business will fold the TRIM package into its information management software business alongside HP’s current Archive platform (known previously as the HP Reference Information Storage System – RISS).  TRIM Context will add important records management to HP’s current platform.  

Tower serves 1,000 global customers, with most of these being in Australia.  Computer business HP plans to take the new offering to larger systems integrators such as EDS of Plano, Texas and BearingPoint of McLean, Virginia.  Also a focus will be mid-market solution providers.

The details of the computer business acquisition have not yet been released.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit    

Abaca Technology Corporation recently stated it would be starting a new partner program for solution providers – the Abaca Secure Partner Network.  Abaca, a leading innovator in email protection and security management create this program with multiple levels for solution providers, VARs and managed service providers and will finally expand its guarantee of 99 percent accuracy in email filtering and security to new groups.

Abaca’s new partner program will help grow businesses by increasing their margins on the company’s security appliance products and services.  The program will also make it possible for solution providers to offer Abaca’s famous “99 percent accuracy” guarantee for email filtering to their own customers.  

Features of the Solution Providers Program

1.    Resources that will help partners better sell and support products from Abaca.  

2.    Free training in sales and technology.

3.    Incentive programs for participants.

4.    Access to PartnerNet for solution providers.  This is a special online portal that allows partners to manage online sales, marketing efforts and technical resources.

Three Levels of Partnership

1.    Abaca Premier Partners is for solution providers with small-to-medium and large businesses.  At this level, partners work on market penetration and building revenue.  

2.    Abaca Preferred Partners is a level for solution providers that want to work with Abaca and its products to improve the changing security needs of their customers.

3.    Abaca Select Partners give customers email security solutions from the company and can have access to the many resources available on the Web by way of the Abaca PartnerNet system.

For more about this new solution providers program, visit the attached link.  

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

What characteristics qualify the sweet spot for your computer consultant repair business?  First of all, you want to look for small businesses with 10-50 PCs and a specific revenue figure.  Typically companies that make one million to ten million U.S. dollars annually are in the sweet spot for your computer consultant repair business.  

As a note, if you are in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand or any other nation besides the U.S., please be sure to convert these revenue figures to your local currency.  

The High End of the Sweet Spot

When you start dealing with the top of the computer consultant repair business sweet spot – more than 50 PCs or more than $10 million in annual sales – you will run into more companies that are hiring salaried IT people instead of outsourcing computer consulting needs.  At this point, you start to face stiff competition and people that will add up your invoices and figure out if they can do it more cheaply in house.  

Real Servers

When qualifying computer consultant repair business sweet spot clients, you need to seek out those companies large enough to need a real, dedicated server and not just a peer-to-peer network.  When a business needs a real server, it needs a lot of professional services to accompany it.  This is your chance to become an outsourced IT department and computer consultant repair specialist!

Does the Company Have More than One Location?

Often a sweet spot computer consultant repair client will have just one location, but sometimes there will be a main office and branch offices.  Branch offices become opportunities for your computer consultant repair business because they will need data sharing techniques in real time between many different locations.

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting Business

VARs often work with a lot of different providers when choosing the right products for their clients. Recently, a group of VARs ranked Cherry as the #1 keyboard provider.  Cherry took first place in the 2nd annual “VSR Hardware Leaderboard,” a voting that started in 2006 and just took place again for 2007.  

157 VARs voted on which was the best-performing POS keyboard supplier. Criteria used to determine it was established by VSR.  Cherry also took first place in “Product Features,” Innovation” and “Reliability” categories.  A spokesperson for Cherry, Keyboard Marketing Manager David Michielli expressed the company’s continued commitment to point-of-sale marketing and stated that the company would continue to serve VARs and focus on VARs’ clients.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Business process management (BPM) leader provides systems integrators and other companies and government agencies with software.  The company has won awards for its technology and services that help customers improve their businesses.  Lombardi offers products for systems integrators that is built on open standards and, according to the company helps with prioritization, planning, visibility and business processes.  Organizations have been helped by Lombardi to be more efficient and flexible and make better decisions for the future.

Lombardi has helped many major systems integrators and companies improve their way of doing business with great software options.  Customers of the company include Allianz Life, Aflac, Banco Espirito Santo, Capital One, Dell, El Paso Corp., Hasbro, ING Direct, National Bank of Canada, Sprint, T-Mobile, Universal Music Group and many other governmental agencies and other companies.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

If you want to get your computer consulting business going, you need to get organized.  Choose a company name, get your business cards printed and decide which types of customers you want to go after and where you will meet them.  

Your Business Cards

You need to get your business cards printed even if you’re not sure the information will stay the same.  Start your computer consulting business by handing out a few business cards to friends and family members.  

Spread the Word!

Whenever you get into networking situations, you need to take the opportunity to tell them about your computer consulting business and hand out cards.  These people will be part of your sales force.  

Your Business Community

You need to get active in local organizations and find out where small business owners will be.  Look for three or four trade groups – your chamber of commerce, user group or trade group or other group.

What Do You Know?

When looking for good networking groups for your computer consulting business, find an industry focus that you know well.  You can always branch out as your business grows.  But if you start with a niche you know, you will already have credibility and be able to develop a marketing message that will speak to people.   

Are There Enough Prospects?

Let’s say you have a nursing background.  You can focus your early marketing and business development activities on small doctors’ offices in your area if you think there are at least 500 – 1,000 prospects within an hour of your location.  Your knowledge of the industry will go far.  

With your specialized computer consulting knowledge, you should also think about branding yourself by putting your industry focus in your name.  If you add “health care systems” or something like it, your message will be clear.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Handheld devices – PDAs – allow clients to connect directly or indirectly to LANs.  This means that you need to treat remote connection of handheld devices the same way you would treat any other device, including a home computer or a company-owned notebook.  You need to talk with your clients about which sensitive data can be stored on handheld devices and which cannot to promote safety and security.   Handheld devices are small and much more easily stolen or lost than any other type of devices.  

Backup Procedures

In terms of data security, you need to develop backup procedures for handheld devices.  It’s very possible – and has happened! – to lose years of appointments and 2,000 customer names if you store important information only on a PDA and don’t back it up elsewhere.  Make sure you are taking responsibility for educating your clients on the importance of backing up their handheld devices.   

Connecting to Desktops

You need to consider how your clients’ internal gurus or your consulting firm will help users to connect their handheld devices to office PCs.  Clients could very well ban PDAs from the office or make users responsible for their own PDA support issues, but these options are not always the best.  Handheld devices are becoming really important to others in your clients’ industries, which means they probably need to start using them to stay on top of the competition.    

Other Damage Caused by Employees

Your clients probably also don’t want to give employees the responsibility of installing and supporting their own PDAs unless they are incredibly PC-savvy.  A user often will break some key software configurations when blindly accepting default settings.

If your clients need to use handheld devices, they need someone like you or a very great internal guru to handle their support issues.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Solution providers recently got word from the CMP Channel and The NPD Group of which companies had made the Mid-Year CRN Channel Bestsellers List.  The NPD Group is a research firm that worked with the CMP Channel and CRN to evaluate the performance of solution providers and their technologies and technology companies and come up with a list of the best.  

This list helps solution providers decide which products to sell within their channel as well as recognizing popular technology categories and brands that are currently being sold.  Officially called the “Mid-Year CRN Channel Bestsellers” list, it shows the top five best-selling technologies in 22 different categories, including the leading “Channel Bestseller” within each category and the “Top Growth Bestseller.”  The top Channel Bestseller is based on market share data taken from January – June, 2007.  The Top Growth Bestseller is taken by the change in share during the same time period as compared to the time period of January – June, 2006 (the previous year).  

The CRN Bestsellers List provides a real technology resource for solution providers and helps them make product decisions and recommendations to clients, according to Robert C. DeMarzo, vice president and editorial director for the CMP Channel.  It’s also an accurate portrayal of companies that may not be sector leaders in overall market share according to standard research companies but still offer a lot of dollar revenue for solution providers.

For a complete listing for solution providers, visit the attached story.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

In computer business news, on November 8, Pingdom announced it had a brand new monitoring package available.  Pingdom is known within the computer business for being a respected uptime monitoring service.  

The new monitoring service is designed for business users, as opposed to the last which was geared towards the home users market.  The new package offered to those working within the computer business has been named Pingdom Business; the old package was renamed Pingdom Basic.  This package is meant to target Web hosting and e-commerce businesses and runs for $39.95 as opposed to the basic package which is $9.95.
This new package allows those in need of computer business tools to monitor their uptime when they have a lot of websites, servers or services.  It can send alerts on performance to many different users and contacts.  Customers that purchase the package get 200 SMS when they sign up and also a big discount on the alerts portion of the package.

The new product offers 30 monitoring checks, an exclusive set of monitoring tools and a greater number of tools than are in the Basic package.

For more information on this new computer business package, visit the attached link.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Solution provider Forsythe Solutions Group announced a few weeks ago it had acquired Information Security Technology (IST) in order to increase its international presence.

IST will improve the solution provider’s visibility in Minneapolis/St. Paul and in Ohio in the security markets.  IST also has offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Calgary, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia.  

According to company leaders, the solution provider Forsythe has been thinking about international expansion for several years.  They are now more seriously considering an expansion to other countries as part of their growth plan.  The solution provider will accomplish this both through natural growth and by making further acquisitions.  IST joins the ranks of two other companies recently acquired by Forsythe in the securities market.  The other two companies acquired were National Business Group of Atlanta and Telenisus in Chicago.

CRN reported last year that as VARs continue to try to increase their channel expertise, they are acquiring more solution providers.  Forsythe also focuses on storage, servers, networking and security.  However, security has started to become very important.

IST will be called “IST, a Forsythe company” until it is fully absorbed by the solution provider in the next couple months.   

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

A few Symantec solution providers have recently been complaining about treatment received by the company compared to treatment received by major account resellers and plan to voice complaints with Symantec’s executives. 

According to solution providers, the worst part of the program is Symantec’s deal registration system that does not shield them from overly competitive pricing.  The partners claim that the security and storage vendor’s deal registration program gives them six months to close a registered deal.  When the six-month period ends, the deal becomes a free-for-all again.  To top it off, at this point the solution provider cannot renew the deal.   

Solution providers say that six months is not an adequate sales cycle.  Without opportunity registration, the deal can be taken by someone with a lower bid.  All the other solution providers have to do to “steal” the deal is come to Symantec to get the pricing then bid a few points lower and win.

Some solution providers are reporting that they have had no problem with this policy by Symantec.  They claim that if the work is done, there is no issue with renewing a contract.  Julie Parrish, the vice president of global channel sales and strategy at Symantec claims that the six-month rule for solution providers only applies to a limited number of deals, and that when the term expires, there is a re-registration opportunity.

Other representatives from Symantec reiterate that partners can re-register deals that have expired as long as they have had acceptable activity with the relationship.

For more information on this developing story for solution providers, visit the attached link. 

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Recently Dell organized a survey of solution providers that revealed that approximately 60 percent of them fear Dell will compete for resellers’ customers.  This perception of solution providers reveals a real hurdle that company has to surmount as it enters a new phase and tries to grow indirect sales.

Results of the survey were posted on Dell’s corporate blog, Direct2Dell by Chris Bates, who directs the company’s Solution Provider Direct segment.  The survey was designed to help build its channel program.  Bates stated that he hopes to curb solution providers’ concerns with its Deal Registration.  

Dell hired the Institute for Partner Education and Development (IPED) to help create the details of its endeavors and build its credibility among solution providers and customers.

In May, Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell reported to CRN that Dell would be expanding its indirect sales in North America.  Since then, solution providers have had mixed feelings about the results this move would produce.  The situation has become more complex since Dell stated its intention to buy Silverback, a major supplier of remote management products to solution providers.

While solution providers acknowledge this move by Dell is probably a good one, they are slightly skeptical that the company will actually be able to fully stray from its direct sales methods.  Still other solution providers are aware that agreeing to work with Dell and resell its products is part of doing good business in the computer industry because of the company’s popularity among users.

For more information about this story for solution providers, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Computer business IBM has been working on a new concept – Federated Integration Testing (FIT) – since the beginning of 2007 using teams of people in its research and development centers worldwide.

Mick Lickman, leader of FIT at its Hursley Center states that the concept is different from previous types of integration testing done by individual product development teams because it is based around the ideas of real customers.  Each of the computer business’ products has a scenario testing team, but FIT will put the product together in real-world settings to get to the heart of what customers are actually doing with each product.  It’s possible that these integration stacks could eventually be made into products.  There is a possibility FIT will be sold to solution providers and others to help them show customers what specific solutions can do. 

The computer business’ FIT team is led by IBM Global Services and some select IBM customers.  The stacks have been used so far to simplify some of the more sophisticated parts of specific products.  Lickman’s team looks at these stacks using services-oriented architecture (SOA) and business process management (BPM) along with other types of systems.

For more information on how computer business IBM is developing its FIT technology, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Currently computer business Apple has been going through some uncertain times with sales.  However, the company’s Macintosh computers have made record sales.  While the computer business’ iPod sales have slumped and while it waits for clear results of its recent iPhone release, the sale of Mac computers have remained steady and strong.

Apple announced the good news of increased sales of Mac computers on Wednesday.  In the third quarter, it grew at 2 ½ times the rate of the PC industry and enjoyed better revenue and profit than it expected.  Analysts say that the increase in Mac computer sales for the computer business took the focus off the iPhone and made up for decrease in sales of the iPod.  Investors were pleased with the results and put a higher value on Apple stocks.

Computer business Apple sold 1.8 million Mac computers in the last quarter, up 33 percent from the same period the previous year and the highest sales rate ever in the history of the company.  Similarly, desktop computer sales rose, which have always been less popular than the notebook line.

While the iPod is still popular, its sales have been waning in recent quarters.  The company sold 21 percent more iPods than last year at the same time, but its revenue only rose 5 percent.  This is the second quarter iPod sales have lagged.  While some were quick to state that the iPhone release could be the reason for fewer iPod sales (because users bought the iPhone over the iPod), experts state that this is not necessarily true.  Still, the iPhone may have caused people not to buy it instead of the iPod, but to delay their purchase until more performance reports come out about the new device.  

For more information on this story about computer business Apple, visit the attached link.  

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

When you make recommendations on extended service plans for your clients’ new notebook PCs, you need a written statement of what these plans cover … and what they don’t cover.  Those dealing in notebook PCs do not always clearly explain what is and what is not part of warranties.  Often you will have to just guess what is missing by comparing the warranties to those from other companies.  

Do They Cover Hazard?

Most vendors selling notebook PCs exclude warranty claims that come from neglect issues like liquid spillage or dropping.  Others do cover these items under rather limited warranties.

Will your clients and end users be traveling with notebook PCs?  You need to expect that, unlike desktops notebook PCs find themselves on the road much more frequently.

Do They Have International Coverage?

Some notebook PC vendors have international warranty coverage as part of the extended warranty price, but some charge extra.  Make sure to find out the details if your clients’ are taking their notebook PCs abroad.  Determine whether the notebook PC extended warranty is on-site, features technicians that will come to your clients or if it involves shipping the PCs to a service depot.  What will the response time be?   

The Main Point About Notebook PCs

Carefully look at the price list of available notebook warranty upgrade options before deciding on a specific computer.  You also need to look at all terms and conditions and what is and is not covered under the specifics of certain warranties for notebook PCs.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Solution provider Ariba announced last week it had been named to the Supply and Demand Chain Executive 100 list.  This list was created for solution providers to recognize those that are changing the face of the supply and demand chain.  Solution provider Ariba has been recognized in this category since 2003.

Ariba, Inc. provides spend management solutions to help companies find software and services that meet their complex needs.  Spokespeople from Supply and Demand Chain Executive state that the solution provider list each year informs corporate executives and other business leaders who the best providers are in a variety of industries so they can make more informed decisions.  

Solution provider Ariba was chosen as part of the 2007 Supply and Demand Chain Executive 100 because of its innovation and commitment to advancing supply chain-related issues.  It has a long history of helping companies get the best results from their technologies.

For more information about this solution provider story, visit the attached link.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

If you have a computer consulting business, you can’t spend time running up a huge bill, sitting at a client site as you wait on hold for two hours with tech support for your clients’ IT assets.  You will be dealing with angry users and possibly compromise your relationship with your clients.

Both You and Your Clients Need Good Vendor Tech Support

Your computer consulting business can best help your clients and keep its credibility in crisis if you have good vendor tech support.  Even if you are very experienced in troubleshooting PC hardware, you will have to sometimes rely on a true specialist.

Know the Offerings

You need to get the real story about vendor tech support before you recommend your computer consulting business clients make purchases.  A lot of top PC vendors have similar offerings, but you still need to ask about what is included – technical support services, etc. – and get their description in writing.

Questions Will Help You Decide

You need to ask questions to figure out how reliable a certain type of PC vendor tech support is.  Are the professionals available by phone?  Is the tech support number toll-free?  Is the support free?  You should also find out if there are separate numbers to call for separate products and if the vendor tech support is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week for emergency support should your computer consulting business need to use it.  Also ask about online tech support resources.        

Access to a Specialist is Critical

With your computer consulting business, you need direct, quick access to a specialist that deals with nothing but the product you have all day.  Test the tech support group’s responsiveness when you aren’t in crisis mode to get a real idea of how good it is.  

You can also check with PC magazine to find a list of PC vendors and their quality of tech support to get more ideas for your computer consulting business.

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit