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However, before you go ahead and bet YOUR
company on Microsoft Small Business Server, consider the following
three Small Business Server Business Tips… so you can maximize
your Small Business Server consulting profits.
(1) Most small businesses in your area have never heard of
Microsoft Small Business Server.
Although there may be hundreds, if not
thousands, of small businesses in your area that would be excellent
candidates for Microsoft Small Business Server, don’t make the
ultra-common mistake of assuming that the typical non-technical
small business owner even knows what Microsoft Small Business Server
is.
If you want to maximize your consulting profits
and avoid commodity price wars, you’re much better off leading off
with a pitch for something that’s more universally recognized…
such as getting rid of computer viruses, stopping SPAM, or
preventing computer security breaches.
(2) Sell your small business prospects on YOUR company first.
The real money in Small Business Server is NOT
in reselling the Microsoft Small Business Server software. The real
money comes from selling the RELATIONSHIP with the small business.
So your company essentially becomes your clients’ outsourced IT
department.
Remember, no small business owner is going to
wake up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, craving Small
Business Server. However, small business owners DO constantly lose
sleep over what will happen to their companies if their computer
systems fail them. Become the solution to the more primal, survival
instinct and you’ll get plenty of opportunities to sell Small
Business Server, once you’ve established a solid client/consultant
relationship.
(3) Microsoft doesn’t value computer consultants as much as
they sometimes say.
Little known fact: the first version of
Microsoft Small Business Server, planned in 1996 and released in
1997, was code-named “SAM”… because Microsoft’s goal was for
Small Business Server to completely bypass their reseller channel
and be sold at “Sam’s Club” warehouse clubs.
So the product team had the mandate to make the
Small Business Server product SO simple that a non-technical small
business end user could buy Small Business Server at the warehouse
club and have the Small Business Server suite running in their
office that same day.
Shortly after the first-version shipped,
Microsoft realized that the most cost-effective way to reach small
businesses with Small Business Server was through their reseller
channel. And since then, Small Business Server resources have flowed
toward the channel.
However, even today, you can often find 5-user
versions of Microsoft Small Business Server in retail stores.
So the point: Microsoft isn’t putting all its
Small Business Server “eggs” in one basket, so why should you?!?
Which brings us back to points one and two: Small business owners
aren’t actively shopping for a “Small Business Server”. So
instead of “selling” Small Business Server per se, you’re much
better off selling a small business on YOUR company, BEFORE you sell
Microsoft Small Business Server.
The Bottom Line on Small Business Server
In this article, we looked at three Small
Business Server business tips that every computer consultant,
systems integrator and value added reseller needs to be aware of
when selling Microsoft Small Business Server.
About the Author
Joshua Feinberg is a 15-year veteran computer
consultant, 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.
He is also author of Building Profitable Solutions with Microsoft
Small Business Server. To learn more about Joshua’s proven
strategies for squeezing more consulting profits out of Microsoft
Small Business Server, sign-up now for Joshua's free one-hour
training seminar below.
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