Computer Consultants Secrets ™

When you are just starting your IT support company, you will most likely be wearing all the hats.  You will be responsible for sales, technical support and administrative duties, until the company is established enough to justify delegation of certain tasks to a salesperson or a few different technical staff members.

Wearing Multiple Hats is Important During Startup

A lot of people might think of themselves as having one skill when it comes to their businesses.  For example, someone might just feel like he/she is good at being an entrepreneur, but has sub-par technical and sales skills.  But if you are not willing to wear multiple hats, particularly during startup, you are already behind the curve.  Most of your local competitors in IT support will be wearing multiple hats, particularly during startup.

Your firm will often compete for sweet spot clients against one-person consultants working out of their houses with very low overhead.  And many of these people will have fairly good technical skills and personalities that work well in sales positions.

When Should You Delegate in IT Support?

You may be able to find a great technical person and a salesperson and keep them very busy.  But in most cases, your IT support business needs to evolve.  You, as the owner will start out by being both the salesperson and the tech person.  As the company grows and gets more clients, you will consider subcontracting out some overflow work or specialty work in order to free you up for sales and marketing.

When you reach the point where you are working with a couple different subcontractors consistently, you should start to think about the money your firm is spending on subcontractors and realize you should delegate to someone you put on payroll.

The Main Idea about IT Support

Remember that in IT support, some of your competitors will not be skilled at sales and tech issues right away.  They may also challenge you!  It’s very important to wear multiple hats during startup to help your business grow into the future.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

IT consulting firm specializing in risk management and business advisory Accume Partners declared that it had named a new CEO, James B. McGuire on September 6.  The new CEO will replace John White, founding CEO of the IT consulting firm.

McGuire became a part of the Accume team last September as President and COO.  His previous responsibility was to manage daily activities.  His new position will see him serving on the Board of Directors and responsible for all operations of the company.  Other key members of the IT consulting firm see McGuire as an excellent leader that challenges members of the firm to go in new and exciting directions.  McGuire himself stated he hopes to work on new strategic directions for the company.  

Most of McGuire’s career has been with KPMG.  In 1997, he became CEO and Vice Chairman of the KPMG IT consulting arm and was the first CEO of KPMG’s Global Consulting firm.  Under his leadership, the firm achieved never-before-seen levels of success and growth and in 2003 eventually converted its brand to BearingPoint.

McGuire was also selected as one of the Top Ten Most Influential Consultants in 1998 and one of the Top 100 Accountants in 2004.  He is, to date the only person selected as top by both professions.

IT consulting firm Accume Partners is based in the New York City area and helps identify and control risks and also help better operating performance and improve the use of IT resources in businesses.  For more information on this story, please visit the attached link.  

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Recently EMC named the head of its partner program for channel parters, Pete Koliopoulos.  Formerly vice president of global channel marketing, he will run all of EMC’s channel programs on the heels of the departure of John Koury who was previously vice president of worldwide channel marketing.

Koliopoulos was running EMC’s software channel programs until spring when all channel programs were shifted into one program.  Koliopoulos says the transition was fairly seamless; solution providers will be asked to sell both hardware and software solutions.  He believes that having one partner organization to talk to solution providers will make it easier for them to work together and deliver services.

Since the shift of the solution providers program, partner revenue registered under EMC’s deal program rose 30 percent in 2006 when compared to 2005.  EMC solution provider using incentives to get customers to combine hardware and software sales experienced a 35 percent growth in sales in the first half of 2006.  

Koliopoulos noted this would be the last major change in the solution providers program for a long time.  The goal for EMC is to make programs as simple as possible to help increase business.  However, there will be slight changes designed to make the transition process simple for solution providers.  For example, EMC will provide training to solution providers for data protection software obtained from Kashya in May and will help make other applications more accessible and easily-learned by partners.

For more details on EMC’s program for solution providers, please visit the link provided.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Computer business IBM recently opted to move one of its top executives, chief procurement officer John Paterson to China.  This move marks the first time the computer firm has decided to branch out with a division headquarters outside the U.S.

Computer business IBM, International Business Machines stated that Paterson will be based in Shenzhen in southern China.

The company sports 3,000 suppliers in Asia and the region comprises approximately a third of the firm’s overall purchasing.  This new transfer continues IBM’s trend to restructure after it sold its personal computer business to Lenovo last year.

Paterson stated that the demand for software and services skills such as computer consulting and others in the computer business is expanding worldwide.  IBM and other companies must develop new relationships with new partners and suppliers and work with current partners to help them increase their skills and practices in order to be able to compete in the marketplace.  

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Payroll management is an issue that is never too early to start considering.  Obviously, in the early stages of your business, your payroll management will consist of paying yourself.  As your business grows you will have to concern yourself with compensation for you and your employees.  

Payroll management in a business that has employees requires planning for salaries and hourly wages.  There will also be payments to subcontractors for technical and sales related services to consider.  You will eventually become too busy to do it all yourself and you will need help.  

Before you get to the stage where you need to hire additional help, it is a wise strategic move to think about your payroll management needs and plan accordingly.

Payroll Management Issues

• Salary versus hourly wage
• Bonuses and commissions
• Compensation Package - vacation pay, time off, sick days, holidays
• Employee Benefits - health care, dental plan, pension
• Insurance - Disability and Life

A common aspect of payroll management that gets overlooked is payroll taxes.  No matter what you do, you can’t avoid these for either yourself or your employees. The employer’s portion of payroll taxes will cost you money.  Effective payroll management takes this expense into consideration from the start.  

The Bottom Line on Payroll Management
Payroll management is an issue you need to think abut before you have employees.  Even if the payroll roster is just you, your business will still have payroll expenses.  It is never too early to start thinking strategically about your payroll management.  You should be formulating a plan for handling employees and subcontractors and the expenses that come along with them, long before you actually need them.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to payroll management. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge of payroll management, 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.

As a new small business computer consulting firm, you might ask what level of technical staff you can put on payroll. Don’t get too excited yet; you have to be realistic about this.

Of course, it varies by job market, but all things being equal, what kind of technical person will your small business computer consulting firm be able to find?

Can you find someone that has the wide variety of intermediate to high end technical skills that are needed for larger small business clients if your technical salary budget is only $37,500 a year?

The Need for Qualified Help

Your small business computer consulting clients that have ten to fifty PC’s are going to start to have much more sophisticated needs. You can’t send someone in who’s a glorified screwdriver technician.

It doesn’t work. Your small business computer consulting firm needs fairly high level people.

Know What You Have to Offer

On the flip side, on the demand generation side, what kind of polished B to B salesperson are you going to be able to find for your small business computer consulting firm if you can only offer a base salary of $27,500 a year?

That extra $10,000 will need to be allocated to things like direct mail, having that person go to organization and networking meetings, sponsoring events, doing seminars and things along those lines.

The Bottom Line about Small Business Computer Consulting

Finding staff with skills for such low salaries is like Fantasy Island for most new small business computer consulting firms. It’s very unlikely to happen. You, as the owner, are the only person, aside from maybe your spouse or another family member, who’s going to be willing to work like a dog at way below market wages while the business is built up.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to small business computer consulting.  To learn more about small business computer consulting click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Systems integrator projects translate to effectively working with another organization.  The systems integrator who has a clear understanding of the client relationship will be able to work efficiently.  A satisfied customer is the goal for every systems integrator. 

Understanding the Client Relationship

A systems integrator should remember three important factors when working with a client.  Remember that a client is not always available to you. 

It is also wise to understand that your contact may not be the decision maker.  Finally, make sure that your client has clear expectations of what your relationship will be like.

An Unavailable Client is Commonplace

Every systems integrator will, at some point, try to contact a client about a pressing matter and find that he is nowhere to be found.  He doesn’t return phone calls, he is not in the office, and no one knows when he will return. 

It is a common misconception that your client is waiting for your every move.  In order to keep this from happening too often, it is wise for the systems integrator to schedule regular meetings to communicate about the project. 

Know Who the Decision Maker Is

The success of a job increases when a systems integrator is able to identify the decision maker.  If a contact is not the decision maker, a project is often slowed down or even comes to a complete halt. 

It is best for the systems integrator to address this issue before the start of a project.  Explain the importance and benefits of dealing directly with decision makers.

Explain Your Job Clearly

Often, a client misunderstands the relationship between himself and the systems integrator.  Before beginning a project, explain each step of the process. 

Give details of what you will be providing and when.  A client who knows what to expect is more likely to be satisfied upon completion.

The Bottom Line about a Systems Integrator

Understanding the client relationship is vital for every systems integrator.  Use respect and courtesy when communicating.  By knowing what to expect, a job will run more smoothly and efficiently.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to the systems integrator understanding of the client relationship.  To learn more about the systems integrator click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Technology consultant work consists of large and complex projects.  Every technology consultant is responsible for monitoring their projects.  Tracking the progress will ensure that the objectives are met and the job runs smoothly for the technology consultant. 

Monitoring Project Performance

Understanding the monitoring process will allow a project to stay on course.  Several factors should be considered. 

Progress reports, review meetings, and adjustments all enter into the process.  The technology consultant, as the project leader, will want to consider all of these factors while managing a project.

Progress Reports

All team members responsible for a project activity should submit a progress report to the technology consultant.  Reports include the current phase of the project as well as any problems or successes that have been encountered. 

The consultant should determine at the onset of the project when these reports will be submitted.  For larger scale jobs, progress reports will need to be turned in more frequently. 

Establishing Timelines

Consider the individual when establishing a report time line.  Some employees will be more productive if left to their own devices. 

Others will need stricter guidelines.  For first time team members, use tighter controls and request more frequent reports.

Review Meetings

After reviewing all progress reports, a technology consultant will be prepared to highlight discussion topics for a meeting.  These review meetings should be scheduled at regular intervals, giving everyone involved the opportunity to offer input and share concerns.  These meetings are the perfect time to discuss solutions to project roadblocks.

Make Adjustments

As a project progresses, the technology consultant will need to make changes.  A variety of problems can arise.  The budget could be decreased. 

Another possibility is the loss of an employee to another project that takes priority.  Or, delays might occur because tasks took longer to complete than expected.  Ask the team for their opinions and work together to solve these issues.

The Bottom Line about the Technology Consultant

It is imperative that a technology consultant monitor his project continuously.  Demand progress reports, schedule review meetings, and make necessary adjustments.  Effective monitoring allows for an easier ride with fewer roadblocks. 

In this article, you’ve been introduced to the technology consultant and how they monitor project performance.  To learn more about the technology consultant, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Time is money. If you’re not careful in your computer consulting business, you’ll waste both. With a little discipline and structure, you can maximize the return on your time.

Journal Your Time

One way to determine your computer consulting time is by journaling. Write down everything you do for a couple of weeks to determine what you do with your time, where the time wasters are, and what you could do to improve your time management. Journaling is a good way to evaluate.

Keep an Excel spreadsheet or a calendar and figure out where all the time goes in a given week. Determine if you have enough time to do the business development items for the larger accounts.

Evaluate Your Time

For most professionals in the computer consulting business, time’s really at a premium. Sometimes you’re going to really need to make difficult decisions on where you can afford to spend a marginal five or ten hours a week.

Structure Time to Allow More Training

Training is expensive, but what most computer consulting firms tend to do is more time intensive than cash intensive. Most of these computer consulting firms aren’t the ones that are sending people out for five-day, $2,500 Exchange Server course. 

Instead, get the action pack subscription and buy enough resale copies. Load it up on spare machines in the office, and make sure that every time your computer consulting techs have down time, they’re going through the tutorials. During down time they should be going through the read-me files, reading through the resource kits, and doing CBT training.

Give Your Computer Consulting Staff A Plan

If you’re billing out your computer consulting techs at 65 or 70 percent capacity and they have six to eight hours a week where they’re either sitting on the bench or doing some work or tending to the store, structure it so they have a plan of attack.

This is where you say, “This month I want you to concentrate all of your down time on learning how to do Microsoft Small Business Server 2003” or “This month I want you to get stronger on troubleshooting Exchange Server.”

The Bottom Line about Computer Consulting

Track where your time is being sent and make sure your technical staff is spending a certain amount of time every week keeping their skills sharp. Additionally, you need to be identifying skills gaps you need to grow to the next level.

In this article, you’ve learned about computer consulting. To learn more about computer consulting, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Computer service repair employees expect to be paid fairly for their time and effort.  Computer service repair managers should be aware of the different types of compensation.  The informed computer service repair manager will be able to offer a competitive compensation package at the time of hire.

Compensation Plans

Employees can be compensated in a number of ways.  The most common are through hourly wage, salary, commission, and pay-for-performance.  A computer service repair manager may want to consider a combination of the above.

Hourly Wage

This allows a business to pay for the employee’s time.  This method is especially useful for part-time or entry –level employees.  The hourly wage can be raised after an employee has gained experience or after a specified time frame.

Salary

A salary is similar to the hourly wage.  However, it has a long-term vision.  Cost-of-living raises are usually offered every year.  Employees typically feel there is more job stability when offered a salary versus an hourly wage.

Commission

This compensation method is probably not well suited for computer service repair.  It is best used for sales people who are hungry and driven.  Because customer service is such an important aspect in computer service repair, pushing sales will interfere with this end result.  Consider another compensation plan.

Pay-for-Performance

A computer service repair business may want to consider this method.  A small base salary is offered to the employee.  All other compensation is based on individual performance.  For example, an employee could receive an additional bonus for any referral business he brings in for the month.

Computer service repair employees also have the option of combining several of the above compensation plans.  A salary plus a bonus stock option plan based on performance might be one example.

The Bottom Line about Computer Service Repair Pay

Be creative and determine what will best motivate the employees.  Knowing the types of compensation will assist a company in the hiring phase.  A distinctive compensation plan will interest experienced individuals.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to computer service repair. To learn more about computer service repair, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Computer service company perks should not be confused with company benefits.  Benefits include health care, life insurance, or pension plans provided by the computer service company.  Perks are the little extras that a computer service company provides to employees.  These perks will remind employees that the computer service company is giving them something for free.

Perks

Company Cars

This is a common perk given to sales or service people that spend the majority of their working day on the road.  If a company car is out of the budget, consider a company gas card to cover fuel expenses. 

Child Care

Childcare can be a burden for many employees.  Smaller businesses can offer to make partial or full payment to a nearby facility.  Larger businesses may want to consider opening a facility on the premises.  Every month, the employee is reminded what a great company he works for when his childcare bill is paid.

Coffee and Snacks

This may seem like a small perk but it is an important one.  Most staff members look forward to that first cup of coffee in the morning.  The computer service company has saved the employee time and money by offering coffee, donuts, or mid-morning snacks.

Flextime

Flextime allows employees to set their own hourly schedule.  A computer service company should determine if this is feasible.  If it is, consider allowing sales people to begin their morning by working at home before hitting the road.  Another option is to permit technicians to come in later and extend their hours into the evening.  Giving the staff control will ultimately pay off in higher productivity.

The Bottom Line about the Computer Service Company

These are just a few of the perks available to a computer service company.  Birthday celebrations, casual dress days, and trade journal subscriptions are a few more options. Be creative and determine what will benefit the staff.  Perks will motivate employees and improve employee retention. 
 
In this article, you’ve been introduced to the computer service company. To learn more about the computer service company, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Computer service business managers often lack the training and experience required for the hiring process.  Finding the right employees is critical in the computer service business.  A little preparation will reduce costs and save time for the computer service business.

Preparing for the Hiring Process

Update Job Specifications

Job descriptions change over time.  The manager in charge of personnel for the computer service business should continuously review all job descriptions.  This will ensure that the new job specs match the candidate’s abilities.  For instance, an opening that requires constant communication with customers should be given to an employee with exemplary customer service experience.

Allow Flexibility with Job Specifications

Rigid job requirements might mean losing a very valuable candidate.  The computer service business manager should determine which qualities are priorities.  Allow some flexibility on other qualities.  For example, a job might require sales experience.  An individual may not have sales experience but has volunteered his time working as a fundraiser.  This may very well be a good match for the job even though he has not been employed in the sales field.

Be Realistic about Qualifications.

Every computer service business would love to hire the ideal candidate.  Sometimes, the best candidate goes unnoticed because the hiring manager has set his specifications too high.  An example of this might be seeking a person with an MBA degree.  A candidate who has extensive experience in the business world may be just as suited for the job.  By only speaking with MBA graduates, the field is narrowed and there is less chance of finding an employee for the computer service business. 

Preparation for the hiring process will reduce hiring costs for a computer service business.  Less time will need to be spent on training.  Finally, everyone will be able to concentrate on his or her own jobs and be more productive.

The Bottom Line about Computer Service Business
     
In this article, you’ve been introduced to computer service business. To learn more about computer service business, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Computer repair franchises are dependent upon well-trained employees.  The big question is this: Who will train the employees of computer repair franchises?  Although there is no right answer, computer repair franchises should be familiar with the available options.

Employees can be trained by the franchisor, the franchisee, or through the Internet.  Whichever option is utilized, the computer repair franchises should remember that the employees provide customers with the first impression of a business. 

Employee Training Options for Computer Repair Franchises

Franchisee Training

The first method requires the franchisee to train all employees.  Prospective owners of computer repair franchises should be ready to take on this task.  Just as a teacher learns how to teach students, so must a franchisee learn to teach employees.  The franchisor should teach the owner how to train his employees.  From this point, the manager will be better equipped to monitor employees on a daily basis.

Franchisor Training

Some franchisors provide training materials, videos and workbooks.  They will also offer certification programs.  These programs will enable the employees to perform according to the required standards.  Prospective owners and managers will need to complete all certification programs, as well.  This will assist in maintaining employee standards for the computer repair franchises.  In the future, materials can be used for employees to review.

Internet Training

The third option available for training is through the Internet.  Online training programs offer a flexible schedule for computer repair franchises.  Tests can be administered when employees are able to devote the time to learning.  Franchisors are also able to monitor who is taking the tests and how they are scoring.  This is an added benefit to Internet employee training.  Strong and weak areas are reported to the owners and appropriate changes can be made.  

Finally, remember that employees need consistent attention and input.  Whichever option is chosen, the prospective owner is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the staff.  A well-trained staff is an important ingredient for successful computer repair franchises.

The Bottom Line about Computer Repair Franchises

In this article, you’ve been introduced to computer repair franchises. To learn more about computer repair franchises, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Computer networking business owners will take on many new management skills.  Applying the 80-20 rule will assist them in better managing a computer networking business.

Computer networking business owners are not always natural managers.  These skills must be honed while operating the computer networking business.  The 80-20 rule is a useful tool for managing a computer networking business.  Every owner should be familiar with what the rule means to each aspect of his business.

The 80-20 Rule

What is the 80-20 rule?  Generally, it means that 80 percent of the work is done by only 20 percent of the people.  This rule can be applied to all aspects of the computer networking business, not just employee output.  Consider some of the possibilities listed below.

Customers

Eighty percent of a computer networking business profits come from twenty percent of the customers.  This is an important factor to consider.  Most of your time and energy should be given to those twenty percent.  Those customers offer the most potential to earn a profit for your company.

Expenses

A computer networking business should focus on twenty percent of expense categories.  This twenty percent often produces eighty percent of the waste.  Possibilities for increased profitability are waiting to be discovered.

Employees

In addition to employee output, the 80-20 rule applies to employee problems.  Eighty percent of problems stem from twenty percent of the employees.  Address the problems with these twenty percent.  Train and motivate them or replace them.  As for the employees who are producing eighty percent of the work, be sure to reward their efforts.

Success

A computer networking business manager should determine his talents and strengths.  Delegate jobs to employees who are strong in other aspects of the business.  Eighty percent of the business successes will be a product of only twenty percent of your efforts. 

The Bottom Line about Computer Networking Business

In conclusion, apply the 80-20 rule to every aspect of your computer networking business.  It will ease the transition of starting a new business.  The computer networking business will operate smoothly and hopefully reach its growth potential.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to computer networking business. To learn more about computer networking business, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business. 

If you’re not really careful with how you hire the expert technical staff on your payroll, you could end up training and nurturing a future competitor. In this article, you’ll learn how to minimize your risk.

Consider this example

Your firm (ABC Consulting) hires a technical person and pays for their Microsoft, Cisco, or Citrix training. This person gets really skilled and get lots of great field experience.

Now, one day the employee wakes up says, “You know what? I don’t think I want to work for ABC Consulting anymore. I’m going to start my own consulting company out of my spare bedroom. And take ‘my’ clients with me.”

Be Prepared for Potential Disasters

That’s one reason you shouldn’t rely on just one salesperson or just one technical person to carry the entire weight of your company. Figure out a way to be more actively involved in the sales process and service delivery process. Even if you’re not the main person who does the work all the time and even if you don’t have the strongest skills, having some finger in the pie will be very important for keeping your prized client accounts loyal and healthy.

Don’t Forget To Have Technical Staff Sign Contracts

Make sure that you’ve covered your bases by having technical staff sign documents such as non-compete clauses and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) when you hire people (talk with your attorney about these). Keep your eyes open and have a plan so that you can deal with these issues before they become business crises.

The Bottom Line about Technical Staff

In this article, you’ve learned about ways to avoid turning your technical staff into future competitors. To learn more about technical staff, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Computer skills are important for your virtual IT business. But with so many possible skills, which ones do you really need in your business? In this article, we’ll address which computer skills your competitors may have so you know what you’re up against.

Necessary Networking Platforms

Most of your competitors who are doing well with sweet spot clients know the following networking platforms: Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) Novell Small Business Suite or just Novell NetWare Linux (generally RedHat) Mac OS Some of the larger integrators in your markets that have several employees may go towards the higher end of this market.

They’ll start at about 25 to 50 PCs, and take on some larger small businesses where there are 50 to 100 systems. They also may take on some small, mid-size companies where there may be a range from 100 to 500 systems. These larger competitors will need to get involved in more sophisticated solutions than what you need to provide.

What Else Do Your Larger Competitors Have?

Your larger competitors will usually have some more advanced expertise on:

1. Network Attached Storage (NAS)
2. Storage Attached Networks (SANs)
3. Complex security solutions CheckPoint firewalls
4. Citrix Terminal Solutions
5. Higher end Wi-Fi solutions
6. Managed hardware

Remember though, such high-level advanced certifications are not critical until you start selling to a real IT manager at a larger small business.

What Do You Really Need?

For the sweet spot small businesses with 10 to 50 PCs, employing virtual IT staff that has one or two entry-level certifications and are working towards something like an MCSE is sufficient.

Solving Problems Makes Your Clients Happy

Usually your clients put more of a premium on problem-solving computer skills. Those clients want your company to know about their particular business industry and how you can apply IT to their business problems. That’s what sweet spot clients tend to value even more strongly than pure technical computer skills and certifications.

The Bottom Line about Computer Skills

In this article, you’ve been introduced to which ones are the necessary computer skills in your computer consulting business. To learn more about computer skills, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business. 

Don’t worry too much if you lack advanced technical computer skills. A lot of that can be remedied by just putting in a little bit of time each week in doing some self-study. In this article, you’ll learn which computer skills are necessary to serve your sweet spot small business clients.

If It Works, Break It!

You can do something as simple as getting a not-for-resale (NFR) copy of a product that you want to sell, install, and support and then working with the product in your lab. When you or one of your lead technicians or engineers has a spare half-hour to an hour, you can walk through the basic installations. Then, deliberately break the lab installations. Next, reinstall the software until you get more comfortable with the package.

Most of these products that you’ll be installing for small businesses are very mature technologies. They’re very wizard-driven, and at least for plain-vanilla configurations, they don’t require tremendous levels of computer skills.

Installations Are Easier Now

Years ago, it was much more difficult to install the Novell small business suite or the IBM equivalent, or the original 1997 Microsoft Small Business Server. But all of these companies, especially Microsoft, put a lot of money into making it easier for people who don’t have advanced IT backgrounds and networking computer skills to install their small business server application suites.

In terms of your technical computer skills to service sweet spot clients, your staff needs to:

1. have good strong PC hardware skills
2. be able to handle a peer-to-peer setup
3. understand what TCP/IP is all about
4. know what POP3 and SMTP are
5. know how to work with basic SOHO routers

If your staff possesses the above skills, you’re definitely at a good starting point to get started with at least the smaller sweet spot small businesses (10-20 PCs).

Share the knowledge among your employees

Make sure your staff members cross-train each other and you. This way, no one’s ever “too knowledgeable” to the point where they can blackmail you, extract huge raises or huge bonuses, or walk away with your client base. You have to make sure your company’s internal know-how or intellectual capital can’t just get up and walk out the door to your biggest competitor.

The Bottom Line about Computer Skills

In this article you’ve learned about which technical computer skills are necessary to service your sweet spot clients. To learn more about these computer skills, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.