Computer Consultants Secrets ™

Successful IT marketing campaigns can be based on having well-crafted case studies and the appropriate details on your website.  The following suggestions can help you improve your skills at IT marketing.

Two Important IT Marketing Tools

Two critical IT marketing elements are case studies and your website.  These items show prospects that you offer the best solution for their businesses.

Case Studies

What is a case study?  A case study is essentially a very sophisticated testimonial that has a picture of your client with the logo, full name, address and contact information.  

A case study offers a few paragraphs discussing the benefits the client has received from working with your firm along with a signed endorsement and your firm’s contact information.  This IT marketing tool encourages prospects to contact you and should be relevant to your specific niche.  

Websites

A website is essential for IT marketing.  Make sure your website has content that will impact your clients.  You don’t want to waste space discussing that you offer the cheapest power supply or motherboard.  Instead focus on solutions and solving IT problems for small businesses.

Each page on your website should target your niche.  If you have three niches you’re addressing as part of your IT marketing, give each one a separate page and make sure each talks about industry-specific problems your IT solutions address.  This means you have to know your niche inside and out and know what software packages will move people to choose you over other solution providers.  Stress Benefits on every part of your website.  

IT Marketing:  It’s About Service

Your website and any other IT marketing materials should focus on service.  Most of your website traffic will come from the following places:

1.    Demand generated somewhere else.  The website is acting as a substitute for an expensive, glossy brochure.

2.    Competitors that are looking at your website looking for information about your company.

Prospects need to know when they look at your website that you are providing services, not commodities.  They also need to know what problems they have to fully understand how you can fully meet their IT needs.

Use case studies and your website as IT marketing tools to get your business ahead.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101

According to reports last week in the computer consulting community, Microsoft SQL Server fans should expect a new version, Microsoft SQL Server R2 to appear soon.  This news comes on the heels of an announcement that SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 was out and ready to be used in the computer consulting community.

There has been some skepticism in the community on the release of the product, since via email on Friday a spokesperson from Microsoft stated that there was no existing R2.  He added that the next release of a SQL product within the computer consulting world would be a major release and until then there would just be a release of service pack updates.  However, confusion still abounds since there have been conflicting reports.

According to industry experts, R2 will include a series of additions to the product and some new features.  The first major R2 release in the computer consulting industry was Windows Server 2003.  

Suspected features of the new product, should it be released are synchronization with the Longhorn Windows Server Beta and code update that will help computer consulting professionals and small business owners better work with evolving code.  Computer consulting professionals suspect the release may be linked to one of Microsoft’s big events – WinHEC or Tech Ed in the late spring.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

If you want to sell your solutions, you need others to know there is a problem.  You can use IT marketing techniques to build awareness of problems and also to show how your firm can help solve the problems.  IT marketing techniques can also help show how your solution is affordable, not painful, efficient and will provide a good return.

Seminar Marketing as an IT Marketing Technique

Seminar marketing is a great IT marketing strategy because it is a sure-fire way to build awareness.  You don’t have to have salespeople that go around on sales calls and spend a great deal of time talking about basics to individuals.  Instead, you get a room full of prospects all hearing information at the same time.  

IT Marketing Should Not Put Pressure on Prospects

Seminar marketing is perfect as an IT marketing strategy because it doesn’t put pressure on your prospects.  If you follow registration procedures, follow up and qualify prospects before sending invitations you can do a lot of business.  Holding seminars on important technology issues in your niche can really boost your IT marketing campaign.  

IT Marketing and White Papers

Publishing some sort of white paper or e-zine can also help you capture leads and follow up.  For example, if you are running a direct mail campaign you can help elicit responses by offering white papers that prospects see as valuable.

You can create the white paper yourself or outsource it to a freelance writer to create this IT marketing strategy.  You can also adapt something you’ve already received from the reseller programs you attend.  If you conduct regular seminars you can also adapt the content of these to help you with IT marketing.

IT Marketing is About Spreading the Word

You can use display ads to advertise white papers or else use a direct mail piece.  It gives people a reason to visit your website and request a specific item.  Once prospects make a request, you can get their information and use it for future IT marketing.  

The Main Point About IT Marketing

You need to show the value of your solutions to prospects by outlining problems and then articulating your solutions.  Hold seminars and provide white papers as part of a comprehensive IT marketing plan that builds awareness.  

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

The Computer Consulting Kit presents tools to help IT professionals at all levels of experience implement successful IT marketing and sales strategies and other business ideas that will lead to the goal of becoming the long-term outsourced virtual IT department for small businesses.  Many computer consultants throughout the world have turned to the Computer Consulting Kit to help them get the best clients and establish a place within their communities.

The Computer Consulting Kit and John Lindbloom of PC Netbuilder Plus, Inc.

John Lindbloom, owner of PC Netbuilder Plus, Inc. in Franklin, Wisconsin has used the Computer Consulting Kit to organize his business plan and grow his company.  As a consultant at the beginning of his business adventure, he has faced challenges with capitalizing on his strengths and the benefits he can provide instead of simply selling commodities and working on a break/fix basis.  

John says his biggest accomplishment in 2006, with the help of the Computer Consulting Kit was implementing a marketing plan that worked efficiently with his business.

“The Computer Consulting Kit helped me develop this marketing plan.  The Computer Consulting Kit took me through the steps to market my business and myself. It answered many questions about how to reach my target market and what to do to motivate a response and a sale.  I can attribute $60,000 in revenue this past year to the tools presented by the Computer Consulting Kit.”

The Bottom Line About the Computer Consulting Kit

The Computer Consulting Kit offers templates and advice for computer consultants looking to better manage their marketing and sales efforts as well as the many components of their businesses.  John Lindbloom continues to unlock the potential of his computer consulting business using the Computer Consulting Kit as a guide.  Join the many individuals in the industry expanding their business with free tools as well as the templates and practical plans in the Computer Consulting Kit.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Solution provider CinTel Corp. recently stated it had signed an agreement to work with Lenovo products within the United States market.  Lenovo took over the ThinkPad and ThinkCentere product lines formerly presented by IBM and gave solution provider CinTel the right to distribute them.

The recent agreement gives the solution provider the right to sell and market hardware until February of 2008.

CinTel is a leads in Internet Traffic Management systems, but has recently begun to distribute Korean and Chinese manufactured semiconductor technology.  The solution provider has its main offices in North America but operates worldwide in the enterprise technology industry.

CinTel is hopeful that by being a Lenovo solution provider it will be more able to offer total solutions to more customers.  The company will capitalize on the idea that most customers want to get all their solutions from one provider.

At the end of 2006, CinTel got authorization to be an Ingram Micro reseller, which will allow it to offer a great number of technology products to enterprise customers ad government contacts.  CinTel hopes that its new authorizations will help it partner with more distributors and manufacturers in the U.S. and ad value to customers and other solution providers.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

One of the most effective elements of an IT marketing strategy is developing partnerships with other professionals and giving them rewards for their referrals.  Accountants and other types of professionals are excellent partnership opportunities to help your IT marketing.

Accountants can form a revenue sharing agreement with you that would give your client a financial reward for connecting you with their clients.  You can give partnering accountants a finder’s fee, a referral fee, subcontracting benefits or bartering services as a part of your overall IT marketing plan.  

You can also give non-financial benefits such as gift baskets, tickets to sporting events or free lunches or dinners that can be added to your IT marketing budget.  

Do Others’ Clients Need You?

Chances are accountants will get requests from their own clients for IT services.  Get accountants you know to tell you how they handle it and to recommend your services.  This is an excellent IT marketing technique that can bring in great long-term clients.  

Make sure you talk to your accountant about what IT investments can do for businesses.  You can even hold an educational seminar in the accountant’s seminar for your clients and his/her clients at a time of year that works well for both of you.  For example, don’t hold a seminar during tax season.  The fall and late spring are a better time to help further this particular IT marketing plan.

IT Marketing and Educational Seminars

Co-sponsor educational seminars with your accountant as part of an IT marketing plan and invite each other’s clients.  Talk about how to maximize the accounting systems of small businesses and then let the accountant discuss his/her role in the process.  You should display how IT issues can work well with practices an accountant is already using.

Personal Referrals and IT Marketing

Personal referrals are an excellent IT marketing technique.  To get the most referrals, partner with professionals such as accountants and others that get asked by clients about important business issues.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Computer consultants in the United States and abroad are unlocking the limited potential of their businesses through the many tools found in the Computer Consulting Kit.  The Computer Consulting Kit offers details about marketing and sales strategies as well as practical templates for drafting important service agreements, rate cards and other means for tracking interactions with customers and clients.

The Computer Consulting Kit:  Castles Technology, LLC in Pennsylvania

Neal Castles is the owner of Castles Technology, Consulting LLC, an IT services business operating in Port Matilda, Pennsylvania.  He uses the resources in the Computer Consulting Kit to establish uniform procedures and policies for his business and increase his effectiveness at providing high quality services to clients.

“[With the help of the Computer Consulting Kit] I added new clients under service agreements to my business and brought in an additional $20,000. The Computer Consulting Kit helped me to organize my professional documentation in a coordinated and consistent manner so that I could effectively focus on serving my customers.”

To further help him serve each and every client and improve his own revenue, Neal also used the rate card structures and templates offered by the Computer Consulting Kit to value his services.  

From deciding on what to charge to offering a uniform rate card, the Kit was a tremendous help.  I appreciate the time, effort and passion that Joshua and his team have devoted to consultants like me who want to excel at computer consulting.”

The Bottom Line About the Computer Consulting Kit

Many computer consultants just like Neal Castles are enjoying the benefits of the Computer Consulting Kit and its presentation of business techniques that build revenue and earn better clients.  To get the competitive edge, look for helpful free tips along with the Computer Consulting Kit itself at the provided link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

The Computer Consulting Kit has helped many consultants in the IT field find a secure place for their businesses to grow and meet the complex needs of small businesses.  This premier resource for computer consultants offers practical tools and advice for consultants looking to improve the way they manage the many aspects of their businesses.

From tips on the importance of service contracts to achieving a roster of long-term clients to practical advice about starting a business, including time management strategies and techniques for marketing and sales, the Computer Consulting Kit is a road map for a long-lasting computer consulting practice.  

Tom Cole, Admin Associates and the Computer Consulting Kit

IT consultant Tom Cole in Newark, Delaware has used the Computer Consulting Kit with his business, Admin Associates, Inc. in order to establish a strong spot in a niche market.  By using the templates offered by the Computer Consulting Kit for service agreements and accounting procedures, he has been able to maximize his business’ potential and secure the best clients:

“I leveraged my previous knowledge of accounting practices to carve out a "niche" in the local CPA/Bookkeeping/Financial Advisor community.  After getting two of the larger players on a service contract, others just signed on through social networking and word-of-mouth.

I used the service agreement and SLA templates from the Computer Consulting Kit as models for my own agreements and earned an extra $30,000 in revenue.  They especially helped me by keeping me focused on what really matters on a contract.”

The Bottom Line About the Computer Consulting Kit and YOUR Business

Tom Cole was able to strengthen his company’s position in the market by using the time saving templates in the Computer Consulting Kit as well as putting into practice helpful tips about the most important elements of client relationships and sales and marketing.

If you are a computer consultant looking to expand your business and maximize its potential, follow the lead of so many other consultants that are using the free tools as well as the total package of the Computer Consulting Kit.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Vice president of NetApp’s solution providers and Americas channel sales, Leonard Iventosch was named leader of the company’s worldwide channel sales and marketing this month.  The new appointment as announced in San Francisco at a solution providers channel summit meeting.

Iventosch’s position will help join the company’s Americas and worldwide solution providers channel programs that also benefit vendors.  According to company spokespeople, Iventosch’s channel programs helped enhance relationships between solution providers and vendors.  His new position will help make all channel programs throughoug the world more consistently run.  Iventosch is looking forward to using his strategies for solution providers and vendors in a global setting to help improve best practices in both North America and beyond.

Until new candidates for Iventosch’s position have been interviewed, he will continue to handle both the Americas solution providers channel and the new worldwide channel sales.  Many solution providers are excited about the new appointment and have been very pleased with his work with them in the past.

Added By;  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

You can improve the quality of your IT marketing by establishing relationships with community professionals that can help give you expert advice on the different parts of your business.  Accountants, lawyers and bankers are people you should get to know in your community both to help you with your business and to connect you to other small businesses in your area.

Customers of these types of professionals put a great deal of faith in them and look to them for advice on their most important decisions.  Getting a referral from trusted business advisors in the community is one of the best IT marketing strategies you can use.

Connecting with a Trusted Business Advisor  

For example, if you want to connect with an accountant, you might ask one in the community if he/she needs some help with technology.  Helping a trusted business advisor can help you with credibility and a stronger IT marketing stance because if you do a good job, this person can give you a high quality testimonial that will go a long way with prospects.

Talk to Accountants and Trusted Business Advisors About Their Clients’ Computer Problems

Clients of accountants might ask the following questions:

“I’m looking for a good retirement account.  What vendors do you recommend?”

“I am having a hard time finding health insurance.  Who is good?”

“Where is a good place for a checking account?”

“Where can I find a merchant account?”

“I need a good attorney.  I’m closing on my house.  Do you know anyone?”

Because accountants hear about their clients’ financial, legal and computer needs most often, they are a good source for you to connect with as part of your IT marketing outreach.  They get asked, “Who do you know?” so often that you will want to be at the front of their minds in order to improve your IT efforts.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Professionals involved in the virtual IT industry are discovering how the Computer Consulting Kit can help them refine their business practices and discover the true potential of their consulting companies.  

The tools outlined in the Computer Consulting Kit have helped countless consultants improve their time management techniques, their business plans and the way they approach contracts and relationships with clients and partners.   

The Computer Consulting Kit: Tips Put in Practice

Mike Shafer is a computer consulting professional based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  His company, Shafer Consulting currently works with professional business customers that have five or more computers, but he admits that before being introduced to the Computer Consulting Kit, he did not have such a clear idea of which types of clients he should be seeking.

Previously Mike often lacked directed marketing and sales techniques, causing a lot of hit-and-miss situations with prospects and clients.  By using the Computer Consulting Kit he was able to refine his business plan and create a stronger, more efficient plan of action for attracting and keeping clients.

The Computer Consulting Kit and Shafer Consulting

One of the biggest things Mike learned through the Computer Consulting Kit was how to set clear expectations with clients from the beginning to be a magnet for those that will be best for the long term.  By refining the process of finding clients by using consistent and proven techniques, he maintains a clear plan for Shafer Consulting.

“I have chosen to only focus on professional business customers of at least five or more computers. One exception has been made for one business owner who currently has three computers, is doing a great job of building his business and will be moving to retail office space this year.

As per the Computer Consulting Kit and others I spoke with I had moved away from the little bit I was doing in the home market several years ago. I found that it was necessary to also carefully evaluate home office businesses as they can give the appearance of being serious when in fact they aren’t. I just ‘fired’ several small home office clients for all the classic reasons of demanding an inordinate amount time and then either being slow or no pay. Likewise part of this process was to focus on those things I do, and not do those things I don’t.

The Computer Consulting Kit set the idea that lower-end clients typical of the SOHO market weren’t a place I wanted to be.”

The Bottom Line About the Computer Consulting Kit

To get tips and tools that have helped countless computer consultants just like Mike Shafer grow their businesses and get that competitive edge, please click on the Computer Consulting Kit.  

Join the many consultants that are choosing to make the Computer Consulting Kit a map to finding the best clients and truly growing their businesses.  

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Many IT specialists use the Computer Consulting Kit in all stages of their careers to help them manage all aspects of their business and plan for a long-term future in the computer consulting industry.

The tools presented by the Computer Consulting Kit can benefit both IT consultants and their clients.  They can help manage expectations and build the strong connections between clients and IT providers that mark the very best long-term relationships. 

The Computer Consulting Kit:  Using Best Practices to Manage Expectations and Grow Business

Ernie Neve is an IT consultant based in Plymouth Meeting, Massachusetts.  Like a growing number of  computer consultants, he uses the Computer Consulting Kit as the ultimate guide to direct his business and provide the best solutions for his clients and customers.

With the help of the sophisticated concepts presented by the Computer Consulting Kit, Ernie has been able to reshape his business plan to enhance benefits to clients and keep them happy.  

“Attention to even small details is critical to improving client satisfaction, reducing callbacks and keeping clients happy.  The Computer Consulting Kit continues to help us formalize and structure our computer consulting practice and helped us earn an additional $10,000 last year.  We have a long way to go, but the Computer Consulting Kit is our guide.”

Ernie is confident that by continuing to use the ideas learned in the Computer Consulting Kit, he will make 2007 “the big year” for his business.

Ernie Neve and the Computer Consulting Kit:  A Closer Look at Client Services

Ernie Neve has learned a lot from the Computer Consulting Kit about ways to interact with his clients:

“We consistently paid attention to detail and it virtually eliminated ‘day after’ call backs, which can lead to client dissatisfaction. Since 90% of the small business client users we do work for are somewhat unsophisticated when it comes to their use of the computer/network, any small change to what they do or the way they do it can wreak havoc on their world.  This can be as simple as them seeing a different network login name come out on a workstation restart because they were so used to just typing a password only each day because their user name was already there and literally did not know what to do.  If a change made to the server or their workstation rendered one of their programs not usable exactly as they had used it in the past etc. they also panicked.  For the client/user these types of things would result in downtime, unhappiness and the proverbial ‘Every time you guys come in here and fix something, something else doesn’t work’ comment.”

Ernie created a formal Quality Control system with a checklist and provided interaction with each user before completing work on the site.  

“We pay close attention to detail and leave each system (with the exception of our fix, upgrade, addition, etc. service) exactly how we found it.  We test each system to make sure that not only our new items work properly but also that existing applications work as well.  We interact with the end user to make sure he/she sees this is being done and agrees the system is as it was before we started.”

The Bottom Line About the Computer Consulting Kit and Managing Client Expectations

Ernie Neve and the Neve Group along with other computer consulting professionals are using the concepts offered by the Computer Consulting Kit in order to improve relationships with clients and present the most sophisticated solutions to small businesses and grow their own businesses in the process.

To get the same competetive edge as Ernie Neve and learn more about how the principles of the Computer Consulting Kit can help you and your business, visit the preceding link. 

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Previously known as British Telecom, IT consulting firm BT made the decision to improve its IT consulting service offerings by acquiring North American firm International Network Services.  

INS is stationed in Santa Clara, California.  The IT consulting company is responsible for approximately 75 percent of the needs of Fortune 500 companies.  The two companies hope that each of their unique expertise will work well together and improve networking and IT offerings within North America and abroad.

CEO of IT consulting firm BT Global Services Andy Green stated that he has been impressed by INS’ track record within the IT consulting sector.  He similarly looks forward to the new relationship because it will give BT the chance to expand in the United States and North American market.

The financial details of the acquisition have not been stated, but expert sources are estimating that the IT consulting firm BT will buy INS for $193 million.  INS has 900 employees and offices in North America, Europe and Asia.  The IT consulting firm is responsible for building and securing business technology infrastructures.  The company has specialties in enterprise architecture and governance, business productivity, information risk management and infrastructure transformation.    

IT consulting company BT has acquired three major U.S. companies in recent years:  Infonet in February of 2005; Radianz in March of 2005 and Counterpane in October 2006.  

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit