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In this article, we’ll look at what your
small business computer consulting company can do to protect itself
against freeloaders and other time and financial leaches.
The Root of the Problem
So where does the problem with freeloaders
really originate? And how can you handle prospects that have
unrealistic expectations of what professional computer consulting
services should cost?
What it boils down to is this: You need to be
able to convince prospects that hiring your small business computer
consulting firm is an investment (not an expense) in their
business.
In other words, the tangible, concrete,
measurable and irrefutable benefits of what your computer consulting
firm delivers must far outweigh their out-of-pocket costs.
Think about it… Would you make an investment
in your computer consulting company if you didn't see how the
benefits were greater than the costs?
Back-of-the-Napkin Prediction Tool for Small Business Computer
Consulting
Now because you're selling a highly specialized
computer consulting service, your sales message and value
proposition will be different than your competitor down the street.
However, you can dramatically tip the
scales in your firm’s favor by paying attention to one really
universal way to avoid the computer consulting moochers.
Simply, look for small business decision makers
that are used to paying for other professional B2B
(business-to-business) services, such as accounting services, legal
services, public relations (PR) services, or marketing consulting.
That means this kind of small business is
already used to investing in highly skilled $100+/hour professional
services. The notion of having a professional services provider on a
retainer arrangement, say $1,000/month or more, is not a foreign
concept.
Work Hard or Work Smart?
Remember, it's much, much easier and much more
time-effective for you or your sales staff to go after qualified
leads and prospects than it is to try to talk an unqualified lead or
prospect into needing something that the lead or prospect doesn't
perceive to need.
And don't forget, that right in your local
area, there are probably already be tons (at least hundreds, if not
thousands) of leads and prospects for you that have real computer
consulting needs, are used to paying for professional computer
consulting-related services, and have at least semi-realistic
expectations about the price-tag on professional computer consulting
services.
So don't waste your time on those suffering
from small business computer consulting sticker shock. Don't waste
your time on professional computer consulting moochers and
tightwads.
Focus on those small businesses that are
accustomed to paying for other professional B2B services and your
sales cycle and sales process will go much, much smoother.
The Bottom Line on Small Business Computer Consulting
Freeloaders
Want to learn how you can most effectively
reach those small businesses that have realistic expectations, and
desperately need your firm’s small business computer consulting
services?
To learn how you can develop an effective
computer consulting marketing plan for reaching these small
businesses, how to take these small businesses through the sales
cycle, and how to move these small businesses from one-time-customer
to long-term steady, high-paying client, be sure to take advantage
of the free one hour computer consulting business training by
completing the super-short form below.
About the Author
Joshua Feinberg is a 15-year veteran of small
business computer consulting and an internationally recognized
expert on small business computer consulting. He has appeared in
dozens of business and IT trade publications including CRN,
VARBusiness, Microsoft Direct Access, TechRepublic, American Express
OPEN Platinum Ventures, Entrepreneur, Inc, SCORE, Small Business
Computing, and USA Today. To learn more about Joshua’s proven
sales and marketing strategies for smart small business computer
consulting firms, sign up for the free one-hour computer consulting
training recording by completing the short form at the bottom of
this Web page.
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