Archive for 'Computer Consultants Sales Secrets' Category
IT Consulting: Skills for Sweet Spot Customers
For sweet spot customers, you need hardware and software skills, and you also need networking skills to provide effective IT consulting. In this article, you’ll learn some networking facets you should be familiar with. In terms of other networking software, you should be comfortable with some of the client server messaging packages, the most popular [...]
IT Consultants: Desktops, Notebooks and PDAs as Profit Centers
If you’re one of those IT consultants who breaks out in hives at the thought of getting your hands dirty with low-margin sales of desktop PCs, notebooks or PDAs, you may not be looking far enough beyond the box. In this article, we’ll look at how to profit from your clients’ needs for full-service support [...]
Computer Consulting: Prospective Client Red Flags
Is there a pattern to watch out for with computer consulting prospects that might act as a red flag or early warning detection system? Yes there is – and you’ll get better at spotting them as you go along. It’s more of an art than a science, but if it looks like the Dilbert cartoon, [...]
IT Consultation – How to Qualify a Client
IT consultation projects begin with an initial phone call followed by a meeting with prospective clients. This first meeting is a useful tool for the client as well as for the IT consultation business. “Qualifying the client” during this first meeting will help the IT consultation firm determine whether a contract is a possibility. How [...]
IT Service: Handling Prepaid Blocks of Time
The prepaid block of time is different from the service agreement. The IT service agreement is specific about the kinds of things you will do – maintenance, upgrades, etc. The prepaid block of time is simply that – time. For example, the customer recognizes that your normal hourly rate is $100 an hour. In return [...]
Computer Repair Services – Identifying Your Market Segments
Computer repair services are an important part of the computer industry. Identifying your market segments assists in targeting customers who need computer repair services. Finding similarities among computer repair services customers will make this task a little easier. Identifying Market Segments Three factors should be considered when determining market segments. Answering who, what, and why [...]
IT Audits: How Long Do They Take?
Keep IT audits to within a half a day as a starting point. If there’s more exploratory work that needs to be done, that should be an added fee and done at a later time. Keep IT Audits Short and Sweet Generally within four hours on-site for IT audits, you usually figure out exactly what’s [...]
IT Audits: Capitalizing on Current Events
Worms and viruses are actually a good thing for your marketing. When they are mentioned in the news, there’s an excellent chance that the small businesses that you’re targeting are feeling the pain and feeling the pinch. There’s nothing like a massive blackout to raise tremendous awareness! Events like these raise awareness of the need [...]
IT Sales: Stopping the Free Consultation
It’s critical to make sure that your IT sales call doesn’t become an extended free consultation. You’re not there for unlimited brain-picking. In this article you’ll learn how to move the sales call to IT sales. It’s not about proving how smart you are or proving your technical expertise or showing all your certifications. You’re [...]
IT Sales: Moving Beyond the First Sales Call
The IT sales call or initial consultation is mostly about qualifying the lead. If you don’t, you may waste a lot of time on prospects that just want to pick your brains and really have no intention on hiring you. This can happen real easily when you’re moving into small businesses IT sales. In this [...]
IT Sales Calls: Getting Past the Gatekeeper
IT sales calls require connecting with the right person in order to be successful. However, getting past the gatekeepers is no easy feat. In this article, you’ll learn some techniques to help get you in touch with the person you need to for your IT sales calls. IT Sales Cold Calls are Difficult How do [...]
Computer Consulting: Weeding Out Time Wasters
When you’re in the computer consulting business, you’re selling your personality, you’re selling your charisma, and you’re certainly selling your business knowledge. Most specifically, however, at the end of the day, you are selling your time. You can’t afford to waste it. You need to be able to account for every hour that you spend, [...]
IT Sales: Stop Selling Commodities and Start Selling Knowledge
The first piece of advice in marketing to strangers is to stop selling products as your lead entrée, as your foot in the door with IT sales. It’s not about selling products. It’s about selling “you incorporated.” In this article you’ll learn how to get away from selling products and start selling your expertise. IT [...]
IT Sales: It’s All About Relationships
Developing the bond and the relationship with your clients is very important. In this article, you’ll learn how your relationships are your assets with IT sales. It’s not about the size of your customer list necessarily. It’s not even about the revenue. It’s about the longevity and the long-term relationships you build with your customers. [...]
Small Business Computer Consulting: Additional Qualifications for the Sweet Spot
To find the ideal clientele for your small business computer consulting, you want to target small businesses by their number of PC’s, (10 to 50) as well as their revenue. Generally, companies that have anywhere from 1 million to 10 million in revenue are the sweet spot of small business computer consulting. In this article, [...]
Small Business Computer Consulting: the Sweet Spot
If you’ve previously delivered your service B2C (Business to Consumer) and now want to switch to B2B (Business to Business), you may think that you’re ready to run out there and just get some small business clients. It’s not that simple. In this article, you’ll learn how to define the “small” in small business computer [...]
Virtual IT: How It Can Benefit Your Business
Most successful small business computer consultants position their companies as virtual IT departments? Why? Because providing virtual IT to your customers gives you steady business. In this article, you’ll learn why providing virtual IT to your clients can benefit both you and your customers. What is Virtual IT? Virtual IT is really all about becoming [...]
Still Marketing Your Computer Consultant Business Like It’s 1999? Get a Clue!
Don’t market your computer consultant business the 90′s way… as if it were still the 1990′s. The 90’s was a time of certification mania. Everyone touted what formal partnerships they had with what major corporations. “Hire us because we’re a Novell certified shop” or “Hire us because we’re an IBM Business Partner.” Most computer consultants [...]