Computer Consultants Secrets ™

Part of your IT marketing efforts will include creating a solid prospect list.  You need to buy or rent advertising lists and get into client industry trade groups in order to further your IT marketing campaign.  After all, you need to send your long sales letter to someone.

Find Advertising Lists

You have a lot of choices when it comes to places to get advertising lists.  In the U.S. especially, finding a good place is simple.  List compiler companies like Zap Data and InfoUSA can lead you in the right direction with your IT marketing techniques.  

To find mailing lists outside of the U.S. you can look at Accountable List Brokers (in Australia), List Angels (in the United Kingdom) and again at InfoUSA, which also provides Canadian advertising lists.

To find out more, go to local chambers and industry trade groups where you can get more contact info to help put together an IT marketing list.  Local newspapers and journals can also help you.

Get Into Trade Organizations

As your IT marketing list grows, you may find that you have more than one of a certain type of professional on your list.  For example, you may find you have some dentists, and you might even have experience installing small LANs and setting up networks and X-ray, digital imaging software and patient chart management.   You could have skills that would make you great for dentists offices.  So why not go find other prospects that are dentists to make selling easier?

Go to trade groups and find more clients like the ones with which you work best.  Go to meetings and conferences or set up your own table at their local expos.  Get active to get referrals.

Don’t Do Too Much When It Comes to IT Marketing

The key to a good IT marketing campaign is targeted activities.  Don’t join too many industry organizations at a time because they will take up way too much of your time.  Spend a couple months going slowly and easing into a regular level of activity.  Don’t let your level of activity cut into your billable hours and work time.  Go to the meetings a few times a year to meet people to help your referrals and your IT marketing.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

EMC intends to change its channel program for solution providers.  It will soon create a new program to pay sales people, increase the number of sales and services through solution providers and improve profits.

EMC is a Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based storage company that has recently shown great growth in its channel program for solution providers.  Company spokesperson Mitch Breen, EMC’s senior vice president of global channel sales announced Thursday it planned to help partners with more revenue opportunities and an easier way of working with vendors.

This enhancement of the program for solution providers will help bring new focus to EMC within the channel.  Solution providers that have worked with EMC in the past have often complained of challenges they have faced as part of the relationship.  This program change is seen by these solution providers as one of the most significant since EMC created its Velocity Partner Program four years ago.  

The partner program is being announced during a time of rapid revenue growth through the solution provider channel.  Revenue attached to registered deals gives solution providers an additional five percent off list price and has been up 30 percent in the third quarter compared to in 2005.  Solution providers taking part in EMC’s Journey to the Top program saw a 30 percent sales increase in the second half of 2006.  This program provides the initiative to sell combined hardware and software solutions as part of data protection and archiving.

Some of the changes for solution providers as part of this partner program include a different internal sales compensation plan to provoke channel partner sales,  more web-based training to incite solution providers to become Authorized Services Network (ASN) certified, a reduction of overall cost and time for training and better communication with end-user organizations through advertising and other vehicles.

EMC will also bring more technical and marketing staff to help solution providers directly.  For more information on changes in this program for solution providers, see the attached link.

Created By:  Joshua Feinberg

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

The First Step for a Computer Consulting Business

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

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

Computer Consulting Template Items:

1.    The Launch Date

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

3.    Company Name Ideas

4.    Organizations You Can Join

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

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Recently computer business Apple experienced a huge increase in sales for the holiday quarter.  This boost in sales from the California-based computer business can be attributed to sales of iPod mp3 players and Mac personal computers.  Its per-share profit increased by 75% from last year at this time and sales rose 24% to $7.1 billion for the quarter ending December 30, 2006.

Experts in the industry expect that good things will continue to happen for Apple.  However, the computer business itself predicted much lower quarterly results in the second quarter, and its shares lowered as a result.  Before this recent report was released, Apple’s shares fell 2%.  After the report, its shares hit a record high.

Mac computers and iPods represented a 28% and 50% growth in sales vs. a year ago.  Apple’s music business, such as iPods and iTunes music store were 57% of the company’s sales.  Last week, Apple presented the first version of its iPhone smart phone and Apple TV set-top box as well.  CEO Peter Oppenheimer is very pleased with the results.

Computer business Apple still faces challenges.  As it shifts from a computer company to a consumer electronics company it will have some obstacles to overcome.  Recent federal investigations of its stock option policies and questions about Steve Jobs and his credibility will also cause some uncertainty.  Computer business Apple stated on December 29 that it will take charges of $84 million related to improper accounting of stock option grants in the years 1997 – 2002.

Despite recent scandals over stock options, analysts believe that Apple’s big product launches will take the front seat and cause growth.  This coupled with improvement of its Mac computers and other existing products will help put it at the forefront of the computer industry.  Computer business Apple’s retail strategy could help it get ahead as well.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

You need to diversify when it comes to IT marketing.  You should use more than one technique and do a little bit of advertising, seminar hosting and also some networking in order to cover all your bases.

You need to think about your IT marketing and advertising with the multi-pronged system.  As with anything else that is an investment, you don’t want to put all your money into one thing.  The same goes for IT marketing; use many different approaches to find the one that works best for you.

IT Marketing and the Sales Pitch

Many people are tempted by a convincing sales pitch from someone good at advertising, no matter where the advertisement is.  But they often don’t really know what they want to do long term with IT marketing and have no set budget or plan.  They end up putting too much stock in the advertising method that looks the best short term.

The Importance of a High Quality Marketing Portfolio

You need to get together a good IT marketing portfolio.  You may have to use many different types of networking and become involved in several organizations in your community.  Hold your own seminars instead of just going to other people’s.  Seminars help you show off credibility because you get a captive audience of prospects and get to discuss a topic that really interests you.  You will show others that you know a lot about something useful and specialize in something people need.  This type of marketing is an incredibly efficient IT marketing technique.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

A small subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. recently settled a lawsuit it filed against computer consulting firm CHE Consulting, Inc.  The lawsuit was filed against the computer consulting firm, run by David York for alleged copyright and patent infringement.  The lawsuit was settled after many years when StorageTek decided to pay the computer consulting firm an amount that was not released.

The computer consulting firm CHE maintains and repairs data storage libraries that were manufactured by StorageTek.  It created a diagnostic tool that was based on StorageTek products.  This act was claimed to be illegal.  CHE countersued later and said that StorageTek was trying to monopolize the maintenance of its tape libraries.

The small computer consulting firm is run by York and his wife Phyllis.  He states that often litigation is used by larger computer companies to bully customers.  No comment was offered by Sun Microsystems.  The settlement was official last week after being on trial for five weeks in U.S. District Court in Boston, where the suit was originally filed.

The attorney for the computer consulting firm was pleased with the amount given by Sun Microsystems.  While the actual amount was undisclosed, attorney Anthony Simon stated the original request was for $140 million in damages.  

Computer business StorageTek is based in Louisville, CO and creates cabinets with 6,000 data storage tapes and 80 tape drives to read them.  A robotic arm is responsible for switching the tape to and from the drive for users.  Those using the tools are mainly government offices and businesses.

Computer consulting firm CHE and others like it maintain and repair the robotic tape libraries.  York developed his own technology to help improve maintenance abilities.  The firm’s work maintaining the libraries represents approximately 40 percent of its annual revenue, which was estimated in 2004 to be about $14.64 million.  Customers of CHE include IBM, GE Capital, Equifax and Honeywell.  The lawsuit was originally filed in 2004 and thrown out initially in 2005, though it went to trial in October of 2006.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Part of a good IT marketing strategy is having an effective elevator sales pitch ready for any situation.  Elevator sales pitches are fast and easy ways to practice IT marketing on a daily basis.  The way to establish an effective IT marketing strategy is to deliver a memorable message about your business quickly.  But how do you make your elevator pitch stand out?

You will come across people on a regular basis that might be good candidates for your services. Say you are at a networking event or coming back from a cocktail party and you see a man or woman get on the elevator with you that looks well dressed and like an executive.  You were both at the same event, and he/she may look at your nametag and strike up a conversation.  At this point you will want to have an IT marketing strategy to fit the situation.

The correct answer to a question “What do you do?” could be “I work for a company that repairs, builds and upgrades computers.”  If his/her computers are in disrepair at the moment she may very well ask you or a business card or ask more questions.  

IT Marketing:  Sample Elevator Pitches

“I am [insert name here] from [insert name of company here] and we help small and mid-sized businesses learn how to get the most from their computers, the Internet and networking.”

“Our service team specializes in on-site business service and solutions for networking.  We also offer help with network development and on-going maintenance.”

Stress Benefits

IT marketing should be benefits-focused, so you need to make these benefits clear to those you meet and give elevator pitches.  Talk about how you offer business services and network consulting.  Then ask if you can discuss the problems you come across a bit more.  You may even ask them for an appointment or consultation at the end of your IT marketing elevator pitch if all goes well.  

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

A new organization of small and midsize business solution providers have announced a new web-based membership portal in an attempt to grow in 2007.  Solution providers leading the Mobilize SMB Private Services Network (MSPSN) plan to increase the number of members in the coming year.

MSPSN offers a structured environment for SMB solution providers to communicate, collaborate and also get training and guidance in being managed services providers.  This organization also gives solution providers the ability to find ideal tools for running their businesses.  One of the group’s founding members and CEO of Nebraska-based company Mobitech Amy Luby stated the group’s intention to offer training, sales support, marketing support, group discounts, fulfillment services and a community that will encourage businesses to grow.

The organization for solution providers has a membership fee and already has collected 179 solution providers.  When companies join the organization they get access to forums that have other members, monthly web-based seminars hosted by SMB industry experts along with many other resources.

The goal of the MSPSN program is to increase the number of solution providers that can network together and bring together people with common bonds that want to grow their businesses and hone skills.  This network will be vital to keeping companies competitive within their respective industries.

Groups like the MSPSN for solution providers strive to connect the SMB channel, which has often been criticized as being too disjointed.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Part of IT marketing is designing postcards that are well-written and offer a limited-time special offer.  You need to communicate a sense of urgency with well-written IT marketing copy that will effectively target the right people.

The Biggest IT Marketing Mistake with Direct Mail Postcards

The biggest mistake people make with postcard mailings is not conveying a sense of urgency.  This means the postcard does not compel anyone to hire you as a computer consulting expert immediately and will most likely file your card for the future.

However, if you create a compelling reason to respond immediately, such as a free system analysis to the first 25 people that respond in your area, there is more of an incentive.  The prospect might know their computers need a lot of work and decide because you are offering no obligation or purchase required that they should call.

IT Marketing:  Limiting Response

If you don’t want to limit the number of people that respond, limit the date instead.  Urgency and scarcity are the strongest ways to get people’s attention with IT marketing and direct mail.  Creating a deadline will compel people to take action and will give a measurable response.

Learning From IT Marketing Experts

You need to talk to direct response marketing professionals in order to get the best advice with direct response marketing.  Most of the time, this expert will be a copywriter or someone that has previously worked with a big advertising company.

Asking for general business advice from a seasoned business owner will not give you the help you need.  You need to talk about your IT marketing options with someone that comes from a mail order background with a history of generating strong responses or someone that does a lot of online marketing.  Work with someone that does a lot of direct selling with measured responses to help improve your effectiveness with IT marketing.  

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg