Computer Consultants Secrets ™

Service agreements are a key component of IT consulting businesses. Instead of spending countless hours trying to perfect the agreement through trial and error, instead, go with a proven system. With the right service agreements, you’ll be able to serve your ideal clients and maintain a steady income.

Read on to find out how one of our consultants benefited from service agreements:

"I added a new client worth $10,000 a year. The Ultimate Service Agreement™ as a template was invaluable. The structure you provided based on your experiences with other consultants using best practices saved me tons of mistakes and time. I just followed your advice and it worked wonderfully."

Michael Brinson, Brinformation Technology
Mesa, Arizona

The Bottom Line about Service Agreements

To learn more about service agreements, click here now to get access to free tips and an audio training excerpt on service agreements.

The most profitable and stable way to be successful in your computer consulting business is to sign your clients up for service agreements. They can help keep your cash flow steady and keep your business profitable for the long haul. Sometimes, completing a "proving ground" project can entice your customers to sign service agreements.

Read on to find out how one of our consultants benefited from service agreements while putting his clients at ease:

"I have a customer that I was tasked with installing a new Web server for an in-house developed Web printing application that was a first for the industry. With the project management and service contracts in place from the Computer Consulting Kit, the project was expanded to include a Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) system and 5 additional Web servers. It also appears that it will turn into an option to be sold to their clients as a package that will include me going in to install a Microsoft Small Business Server system for their customers - most of which are running peer-to-peer networks. With the project management and service contracts in place from the Computer Consulting Kit, I was able to acquire additional projects which yielded me $30,000 in additional consulting revenue."

Craig Ramsey, 404 Consulting
Raleigh, North Carolina

The Bottom Line about Service Agreements

To learn more about service agreements, click here now to get access to free tips and an audio training excerpt on service agreements.

Small business prospects and clients may view your computer consulting services as part of their insurance policy. You write up a service agreement that lists what’s covered and what’s not, as well as various parameters for coverage. Then each month, quarter, or year you collect some kind of retainer deposit, similar to an insurance premium.

Play Up the Value of your Computer Consulting Services

Part of the reason small business owners never miss a premium is because they want to make sure that your firm will be there in their time of need. So effectively, one of the reasons small businesses hire your firm is for "security". Rather than go kicking and screaming trying to vehemently deny this, play up the value of your computer consulting services and add security and data protection into your sales pitch - as major parts of your clients’ network investments.

Superior Security Foundation

Be sure to weave some of the following security and data protection points into your computer consulting services sales presentations.  In sharp contrast to a client/server network like the one you’re proposing, a peer-to-peer "server" generally isn’t capable of maintaining its own user account security database.

As a result, a standalone peer-to-peer network is limited to "share-level" access control. This means everyone that connects to this peer-to-peer "server" share point has the same user name and password. There’s no way to differentiate between access levels of users and no way to terminate an individual’s password when he or she leaves the company.

Highlight Your Computer Consulting Services

A dedicated server OS, on the other hand, provides much better control over who has access to which shared resources. Each person can be assigned his or her own user name and password. Be sure to highlight how your proposed networking solution takes this into account.

Security with your proposed networking solution is also more flexible or granular. With most peer-to-peer "servers", security can only be controlled at the share level. When a share point is set up on a dedicated server with a true NOS security can be controlled all the way down to the file level.

The Bottom Line About Computer Consulting Services

Consider adapting this file cabinet analogy for your client presentations: Would you rather grant employees unrestricted access to an entire room full of file cabinets, or just a few select hanging folders in certain file drawers which are pertinent to their job?

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

In the computer consulting business, Internet security concerns are often best addressed by explaining how your proposed networking solution takes firewall, antivirus and encryption issues into account.

Validate Your Prospects’ or Clients’ Concerns

It can be very risky to connect any type of system, whether it is a workstation or sever, up to the Internet on a full- or part-time basis.  And of course, these security concerns create a "full employment act" of sorts for savvy computer consulting businesses.

The alternative means continuing to support individual dial-up accounts and modems, which can be expensive and introduce multiple points of entry (vulnerabilities) into various company IT assets.

Other Tips on Overcoming Common Small Business Networking Objections

In the computer consulting business, you don’t want to jump to any conclusions without talking through your prospects’ or clients’ concerns.  If you’re concerned that you might have missed a subtle nuance, ask for clarification.  Your prospects or clients will appreciate that you care enough to double-check.

Show that you understand by repeating their questions as you address each issue.  Take time to listen carefully to any objections. Think of it as your opportunity to provide additional information about your computer consulting business’ proposed solution. 

Warm Them Up to a Networking Solution

As their computer consultant, and virtual IT director, it’s your job to plant the seeds to get them thinking along these lines. After all, a small business network is a lot more than just a shopping list of hardware and software.

Use these objection handlers to correct some of the more common misconceptions about small business networks and overcome typical objections that may stand in your computer consulting business’ way of closing the sale.

The Bottom Line about the Computer Consulting Business

In this article, you’ve learned about the computer consulting business. To learn more about the computer consulting 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.

Many small businesses mistakenly think that they’re too small to cost-justify a "real" client/server small business network.  However, because small businesses want, and in most cases, need, the same technology tools as their larger competitors, deploying a peer-to-peer network doesn’t usually make small business sense (except for the tiniest small offices).

Don’t Let Clients Underestimate Technology Requirements

When purchase decisions are based solely on the initial price, small businesses tend to underestimate their technology requirements. If your client or prospect requires a secure, reliable, scalable and flexible technology backbone, the client or prospect needs a "real", dedicated server for their small business network.

As virtual CIO, part of your responsibility is to see that "sound" decisions are made. So don’t let your small business clients invest in "dead end" peer-to-peer small business networking solutions that are difficult to support and expensive to upgrade.

If your clients value their data, productivity, uptime and technology investment, a "real" server should be a "no brainer".
 
The Bottom Line about Small Business Networks

In much the same way that every home begins with a solid foundation, your clients’ small business networks need a secure, scalable, rock-solid file and printer-sharing infrastructure before you can start adding value-added "bells and whistles".

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

The most profitable and stable way to be successful in your computer consulting business is to put your clients on service agreements. Service agreements can help keep your cash flow steady and keep your business profitable for the long haul.

Many of the respondents in the survey found the sections of the Computer Consulting Kit on service agreements, including the templates, most helpful. When service agreements are designed and presented correctly, your clients understand that service agreements are truly a much better value for them.

Read on to find out how one of our consultants benefitted from service agreements:

"I recognized what was pulling us down and preventing our company from realizing our potential: We moved to 100% service contract business model and haven’t looked back since. It gave me an insight into how better to manage my customers, get rid of the low balls and get into the Sweet Spot Clients. It helped bring in $3,000."

Tom Cole, Admin Associates, Inc.
Newark, Delaware

The Bottom Line about Service Agreements

To learn more about service agreements, click here now to get access to free tips and an audio training excerpt on service agreements.

When you begin talking about a small business networking upgrades, prospects and clients will often dwell on cost. They neglect to consider the soft costs of not properly investing in a network, such as lost employee productivity when imprudent corners are cut, downtime when fault-tolerance is an afterthought, and service costs from computer consultants when difficult-to-support or "dead-end" solutions are selected primarily because of their low price tag.

Addressing Client Objections

No matter how thorough your initial consultation, IT audit, site survey and network design reports, some client objections may pop up just before you get the client’s authorization to proceed with small business networking. 

One relatively minor concern might threaten to derail the entire sale, so you need to know how to overcome some of the biggest small business networking deal-closing obstacles.

Empowered with these strategies, you’ll be much less apt to get emotional, defensive, or just plain annoyed. You can then stay focused on keeping your eye on the ball and figuring out the best way to solve the prospect’s or future client’s problems - and of course, close the small business networking sale. Remember, your company isn’t in business to solve prospects’ problems; only those of paying clients.

Overcoming Apathy

If the decision-makers have an apathetic outlook toward the prospect of implementing small business networking, your decision-makers might take weeks, months, or perhaps even years before feeling a sense of urgency about your proposed network project.

However, once you discover the roots of this apathy, you’ll have a better opportunity to push (or at least nudge) the approval process along.

The Bottom Line about Small Business Networking

Situations like catastrophic data loss, (though horrible tragedies for those affected) are great motivators for combating apathy. All of a sudden, the small business owner becomes extremely receptive to your suggestions about your proposed small business networking solution, which of course, features centralized security and data protection.

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

These are the final three of the 21 steps you need to take to make your transition from part-timer moonlighting into full-time IT consulting.

Step 19: Never Stop Meeting New People

Attend networking meetings regularly. Keep expanding your IT consulting prospect file even when you’re really, really busy. You’re always going to need people in your funnel. Get to know the organization’s programming needs, what kind of speakers panels and educational programs they have, etc. Volunteer to speak at an upcoming meeting on an IT-related topic.

Speaking is such a powerful way your clients. Speaking at a chamber of commerce event or rotary seminar can get you a huge pool of potential future IT consulting clients and business contacts.

Step 20: Plan your First Cold Direct Mail Postcard Campaign

It’s really important to use some kind of targeting method. Narrow it down to something so you’re picking a list of certain occupation certain industry so you can write advertising copy that can address their needs. Set a deadline for a free analysis.

Mail a 1000 card postcard test and measure response. Assuming you get a decent response and you establish a control, mail 1000 or 2000 cards a month. You should look to spend $300 - $700 depending on how much your rented mailing list is. A good modest goal would be a 1 percent response rate so you get 10 to 20 inquiries for you to add to your IT consulting sales funnel.

Step 21: Set Up an Effective Follow-Up System

Keep attending networking events, get the contacts that you meet at those networking events into an effective follow-up system, keep going to the meetings on a regular basis, and do targeted mail and keep doing those four things until you have enough leads and billable work. Even when you’re really, really busy, with IT consulting, keep up these activities.

Go to a networking event every other week and still try to get some postcards out once a month because. Within ninety days, a good modest goal would be to pick up at least 3 to 5 steady clients so you can be well on your way to full-time IT  consulting income. Go to the events so you can understand what’s driving your prospects nuts with their computers and how you can help.

Develop a follow-up system so you can stay in front of them until they’re ready to raise their hands and say, "We need you now." Keep going to more of those meetings, get on the radar screen as an expert so you can be on panels and then gradually start to do some targeted direct mail.

The Bottom Line about IT Consulting
 
In this article, you’ve been introduced to IT consulting.  To learn more about IT 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.

When you are running your own IT consulting firm, you will need some basic IT sales skills to effectively get your small business prospects and clients signed on for your recommended network solution.

Because small businesses are often resistant to change, computer consultants must be able to effectively and persuasively discuss the differences between a dedicated server solution and the status quo.

Know Clients’ Hot Buttons

When selling to small business decision-makers, you’ll need to speak to their hot buttons, overcome their objections, and relate your message to return on investment (ROI) and bottom-line savings potential.

IT Sales Skills

People have many different views on whether sales skills can be taught. Some think you can’t be trained to sell — either you’re born with the gift or you’re not. Others are adamant that anyone can sell more effectively with the right training.

The Bottom Line about Sales Skills

Small business computer consultants, as well as their staff, have to adopt some kind of sales skills that they’re comfortable with — even if they initially find selling painful.  The goal here is to give you some tools to succeed, regardless of whether you’re a great schmoozer.

In this article, you’ve learned about sales skills. To learn more about sales 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

To grow your business, you need help. By adding more people to your team, you can generate more profit. 

Read on to see how adding manpower benefited his business. 

"We increased our turnover and profit by over 100%, and went from a staff of 1 to a company with 6 staff. I realised that I needed to put on more technicians to cover the demand. So I needed systems in place.  The Computer Consulting Kit assisted me in getting the contract agreement in place, then the SLA (service level agreement) in place. From there, we were able to follow the systems, not my daily verbal requests to my staff. This yielded me $200,000."

Rob Morgan, Proactive I.T. Consultants
Austinmer, New South Wales, Australia

The Bottom Line about Partnering

To learn more about partnering, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Before starting your IT consulting business, be prepared. In this article, learn some of the steps you should take before beginning your IT consulting practice.

Step Ten:  Start a Simple Contact Database of Everyone You Meet

Use a package like ACT of Goldmine - don’t reinvent the wheel. Start contacting each person and let them know you are opening your IT consulting business and you would appreciate them keeping their ears open for any referrals. Or tell them if there is any complaining or whine about computers, you want to know about it.

Use A Combination of Personal and Professional Visits

In-person visits are the most powerful, then phone calls, then emails and postcards.  Make sure you give each person couple of your IT consulting business cards with your mobile number on it. Also, give them some tech support stickers so they can put one on their computer and give them to others. 

Step Eleven.  Decide What To Charge and How To Bill

Think about your hourly billing rate and be very careful not to undercharge. Think about whether you want to assess a travel charge or a trip charge a call fee or flat fee on top of your hourly billing rate. Also consider your minimum onsite hours, 2-3 is generally the standard. You are going to have to go a lot of different places on any given day to make a living.  So schedule efficiently.

Consider how you are going to bill for telephone support and remote support.  Do not give it away for free. Figure out how you are going to charge for an off-site project.   

Step Twelve: Get Your First Paying Customer

Do an awesome job with your first IT consulting customer. Go out of your way to over-deliver.  Get paid and while that client is saying what a great job you did, get a testimonial.  You are going to need a lot of those as time goes on.

The Bottom Line about IT Consulting
 
In this article, you’ve been introduced to IT consulting.  To learn more about IT 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.

After you have learned to explain the concept of a "real" network to small business prospects and clients, you can look into the vendors out there providing small business server suites (both client/server and Web-based).  The following is a listing of various technology vendors and websites for product or reseller/partner information.

Apple Server Solutions
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://consultants.apple.com/

IBM Small Business Suite for Linux –
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/consultants

Microsoft Small Business Server –
• Product Information:
http://www.microsoft.com/sbserver/
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://www.microsoft.com/partner/

Novell Small Business Suite –
• Product Information:
http://www.novell.com/products/smallbiz/
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://www.novell.com/partners/channel/

Oracle Small Business Suite, powered by NetLedger –
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://www.netledger.com/portal/partners.jsp

Red Hat Linux
• Training/Certification Information:
http://www.redhat.com/training/

Sun Cobalt Qube 3 Appliance –
• Product Information:
http://www.sun.com/hardware/serverappliances/qube3/
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://www.sun.com/partners/

Trustix Small Office Server
• Reseller/Partner Information:
http://www.trustix.com/index.php?kat=Partners&p=77|

The Bottom Line about Technology Vendors

VARBusiness Magazine has two great online resources to help you research technology vendor partner programs.  You can access the VARBusiness Annual Report Card at http://www.varbusiness.com/sections/main/2002arc.asp. In addition, the VARBusiness Partner Program Guide, listing over 340 partner programs, resides at http://www.varbusiness.com/sections/main/2002ppg.asp .

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

To grow your business, you need to have trusted help that can give good service to your customers. Find the right people, and raise your IT consulting profits by partnering and subcontracting.

Read on to see what one of our computer consultants implemented and how it worked for him.

"This year I began offering weekly scheduled appointments to clients and pushing to fill my schedule with these appointments only with clients who pay in a timely manner. Then I use a contractor to care for the other call-based clients. I’m currently working to hire the contractor to be a full time employee and then fill his schedule with Sweet Spot Clients. Then I’ll hire another contractor to take care of the call-based clients. Then grow from there. The Computer Consulting Kit taught me about Sweet Spot Clients and how to target them, earning me an additional $10,000."

Clint Swiney, ExperTech
Grand Prairie, Texas

The Bottom Line about Partnering

To learn more about partnering, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Use these simple, low-tech tips and best practices to minimize your handheld device support headaches and maximize the security of your clients’ incredibly valuable data.

Pay Attention to Product Reviews

Don’t take Plug-and-Play claims at face value.  Over the years, Microsoft Windows hecklers have taken many a cheap shot at the OS family by branding it "plug and pray".

Before making a handheld device purchase recommendation, check out some independent product reviews in leading personal technology magazines and online portals.  Pay particular attention to comments regarding device drivers and ease-of-installation.

Make an Informed Recommendation

Do your homework before making the handheld device purchase recommendation.  Because of their small size and minimal costs, PDAs are often impulse purchases for your clients.  However, making the "right" hardware and software selections can have an enormous impact on clients’ computer support costs.

Iron Out Who Will be Responsible for Installation and Support

Watch out for dangerous end user installation snafus.  Unless your clients’ end users are very PC savvy, you probably don’t want to leave users to install and support their own handheld device to desktop connectivity. All too often, a user inadvertently will break a multitude of key software configurations while accepting default installation settings.

Determine What Can Be Stored on Handheld Devices

Consider if any proprietary data should be "PDA-banned".  Be sure you and your clients have thought through what kinds of sensitive data can be stored on these handheld devices, given that the pocket-sized PDA devices are inherently vulnerable to theft.

The Bottom Line about Handheld Devices

In the same context of data security, establish some kind of backup procedures for your clients. We’ve all heard the horror stories of users losing three years of appointments and 2,000 customer names that were stored on their handheld device and not backed up anywhere else. Don’t let your clients’ organizations or supported users become one of these statistics.

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

In IT consulting, you need a step-by-step plan to launch your practice. There are 21 steps that will take you through the first 90 days of beginning your IT consulting business.

Preparing for your gradual launch will lower the risk associated with starting a business because you will have already prepared.

Step One.  Overcome Three of Your Weaknesses

Pick 3 of your shortcomings to overcome them within the next 90 days.  They can be personality, business or technical skills….you choose.

For example, you can decide to work on technical skills and pick three products to learn a little more about or get some evaluations units or preview copies. If you want to pick 3 business skills that are weak for you and learn more about them.  It could be credit card merchant accounts, negotiating skills, learning to delegate, etc.

Don’t try to learn everything. Clients will hire you because you know how to get it done.  If you don’t know the answer, they expect you to find someone who does. Know which vendor or contractor to call who can solve the problem.  

Step Two: What Size Clients Are Your Best Match?

Identify any niches or industry that you may have some experience based on where you did some IT consulting or worked in the field. To narrow down and focus on just one niche, you need to have a substantial amount of experience. 

You need at least 500 - 1000 people that you can market your IT consulting business to.  Only a small percentage of them are going to be receptive to the marketing and an even smaller percentage are going to be the sweet spot clients of yours. 

First, decide what size clients you are best suited for and then look at how many natural industries you will target for your initial IT consulting marketing. Focus on the sweet spot now and worry about specializing later.

Step Three: Pick a Company Name

Pick a company name that says exactly what you do and makes you unique. If you want to convey a certain geographic area or you want to convey a certain specialty, put it in the name.  Bounce the name off some people who can be more objective.

Ask them if they can guess what it is that you do from the name. You will save yourself a ton of time and marketing aggravation over the years of your name says that already.

The Bottom Line about IT Consulting
 
In this article, you’ve been introduced to IT consulting.  To learn more about IT 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.

When partnering in your computer consulting business, you are typically working with other non-competing technology providers, and deeply-niched specialists (like someone who does nothing but medical office systems, or is the region’s be-all, end-all expert on ACT!).

If you are like most computer consultants, you are a generalist and can benefit from partnering with specialists.

Consultants often like to hire contractors to add talent to their team without the fixed overhead burdens of salaries and benefits. Subcontractors, like partners, are often brought in for specialty, occasional needs.

Some consultants bring on subcontractors for added workload capacity. But contractors are usually brought on for tasks outside of their company’s core competencies.

Read on to see how one of our computer consultants grew his business last year:

"I began to partner with network and integration companies (I do custom applications development). The section of the Computer Consulting Kit on partnering discussed the importance of partnering with COMPANIES that are large enough to have CLIENTS that are large enough to afford custom development."

Mark LaGrange, Balance Point Information Systems
Houston, Texas

The Bottom Line about Partnering

To learn more about partnering and subcontracting, 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 their IT consultant, your small business prospects and clients will need you to explain the different network cabling options available to them.

Traditional Wired Ethernet (Category 5)

Until very recently, Category 5 data cabling was the de facto standard for both enterprise and small business LANs. Today, you’ll find some enhancements available to Category 5 cabling, as well as booming interest in wireless Ethernet solutions. 

If your computer consulting firm won’t be installing Category 5 network cabling for your small business clients’ networks, get an estimate from a local data cabling vendor that can install certified cabling runs to each office or desk.

Ensure the Network Cabling Job is Completed "To Spec"

Most reputable Category 5 cable installers will be able to provide you with hard copy reports of Category 5 certification tests, your assurance that the job was completed "to spec" — making for a much more reliable networking experience.

The Ethernet Hub and Network Card

To string together a traditional wired Ethernet network based on Category 5 network cabling, your clients will simply need to purchase a 10/100Mbps Ethernet hub or switch, and a 10/100Mbps network card for each PC.

These are very mature, inexpensive products and great for creating inexpensive, high performance small business networks.
Wireless Ethernet Based on 802.11b (11Mbps)

802.11b wireless is also a relatively mature standard that provides up to 11Mbps Ethernet service.  Although wireless networking hardware is more expensive than comparable wired Ethernet equipment, your clients will save on the installation costs of Category 5 data network cabling.

It could very well be break-even cost-wise and there’s no need to drill holes in your clients’ office walls or in the baseboard.

Drawbacks to Wireless Ethernet

First, since the standards between different 802.11b-compatibile products are still relatively new, you can sometimes experience great difficulty in trying to connect 802.11b products from different vendors. If possible, stick with the same 802.11b hardware vendor across the board.

Second, security standards are still evolving. The wireless encryption protocol (WEP) that 802.11b products use is widely known to be "easily" hack-able.  Just be sure that your clients are aware of the security limitations before they commit to wireless Ethernet.

The Bottom Line About Network Cabling

Even if your computer consulting firm doesn’t handle Category 5 and other kinds of network cabling work, you need to be involved in the design specifications and supervision of network cabling.  For assistance working with data cabling companies, see Partnering with Other Computer Consultants  and Subcontracting Success  both available for immediate download.

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

Sometimes the processes that keep business running smoothly can benefit your customers as well as your business. Technology is constantly evolving, so keep on top of the current developments that can help you deliver the best service possible to your clients.

Read on to see what one of our computer consultants implemented and how it worked for him.

"We implemented a standardized ordering process and setup online ordering for our clients and staff. In the discussion on service level agreement you spoke about providing service levels that are better than our competition and so this is one of the things no one else offers."

Wesley K. Robinson, CSG HealthNet Solutions, Inc.
Lubbock, Texas

The Bottom Line about Project Management

To learn more about technology assessments, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

There are no dead giveaways, but there are some signs that will let you know that a business is a good candidate for IT consulting. In this article, you’ll learn some of these signs.

Is the Company Expanding?

When a business opens another office, they need PCs, other servers, and telecommunications lines. That presents you with a  great IT consulting opportunity if they don’t already have someone in place. 

What Communications Technology Do They Have?

Does the company have a phone system like a PBX system?  You can build relationships with local phone retailers and that can lead to referrals and partnering in IT consulting.

Does the company have an email domain?  If they are looking at retrieving emails between spam, filtering and firewalls, there is a huge opportunity for IT consulting.  Does the company have a dedicated server, and dedicated internet?

Do Your Clients Depend on Online Sales?

Once they move beyond the micro small business and start to add the real server, then they start to have more sophisticated IT needs that make them a sweet spot IT consulting candidate.  Is the company required to do things online with their vendors, with their customers, with their regulators?

If their systems are down, they’re losing a heck of a lot of money. You want clients like that - clients that are in the position where if their systems are down for a day they stand to lose tens of thousands of dollars. 

When they are big enough and have that kind of critical importance on IT, they’re going to recognize the importance of what you do and follow what you recommend. In companies like that, IT is as critical a need as an accountant on April 14th. 

What Industries are Good Matches for IT Consulting?

Healthcare, financial services and natural services are very dependent on IT consulting. That doesn’t mean you should exclude other industries. But that can tip the scale in terms of making them a stronger sweet spot candidate for IT consulting.

Do They Have More than One Location?

Do they have a branch office or any remote locations? The more offices and the more people they have working remotely, the more sophisticated setups they need like VPNs or remote access. That’s where your IT consulting practice will come in

Is the Company Used to Paying for IT?

Has the company used technology providers or professional consulting firms in the past? Have they worked with Bars, solution providers, or integrators that shows they were willing to pay money for IT services? If so, that’s good. If they spent money once, they are probably willing to spend money again.

The Bottom Line about IT Consulting
 
In this article, you’ve been introduced to IT consulting.  To learn more about IT 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.

While it’s tough to make much of a profit margin on sales of desktop or notebook PCs, it’s next to impossible to profitably sell personal digital assistants (PDAs) to your small business clients.

After all, these handheld devices are generally positioned more as consumer electronics devices than full-blown "computers".

The Popularity of Handheld Devices or PDA’s

Nevertheless, today’s PDAs, based on the Palm and Microsoft Windows CE OS’s are quite powerful.  Because of power and flexibility, PDAs have become quite popular with organizations of all sizes.  However, lurking behind PDAs soaring popularity are some hidden IT support dangers where your small business clients really need you to step in and save the day.

The Whole World in the "Palm" of Your Hand

In most cases, either your consulting firm or your clients’ internal gurus get the first handheld device or PDA support request.  Even when an employee purchased the handheld device on his or her own or received it as a gift, they will call on you for support.

Inevitably, regardless of whether your small business clients purchase them for employees, handheld devices or PDAs sooner or later will make their way onto your computer support radar screen.

Will Your Client Fund PDA Support?

Just be sure to have a heart-to-heart with your main client contact person to decide what the "official party line" will be on PDA support.

Consider all the different product and operating system variables when deciding how your company will cost-effectively support PDAs.  There are two additional main issues to think about when considering offering handheld device support to clients: data security and desktop connectivity.

The Bottom Line about Handheld Devices

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