While worms and viruses are devastating to prospects, customers and clients in terms of IT audits and their businesses, they can be great for your marketing. When you hear of them being mentioned in the news, those businesses you are targeting are probably going to be feeling the pain or the urgency.
Current events like the mention of viruses and others can increase small business’ understanding of their need for power protection and scheduled shutdowns or backup generators. And the security implications of worms are great too, giving you a great chance for IT audits.
What’s Your Marketing Plan with IT Audits?
You should propose a fixed-price IT audits concept you can really offer to clients. Go into your meeting with an inventory checklist and discuss security, virus protection, licensing issues, update status and all the details about their tape drive and storage systems.
Most small businesses have a lot of clean up to do when you are just going to them with IT audits. Typically they will think they are more protected than in reality.
Data Backups
In the process of asking prospects about data backup systems as part of IT audits, you may get either a blank stare or lip service. Their data backup systems will rarely be kept in line without a good tech provider, so keep this fact in mind.
The Main Idea about IT Audits
There are some really big chances with current events to figure out prospects’ weaknesses. With IT audits, put together a very organized plan for a solution.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
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Sunday, September 30, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
IT Spending: Don't Let Clients Be Vendor Guinea Pigs
One of your jobs when you are an IT consultant will be helping clients with IT spending and selecting the proper products. Your clients will rely on you to recommend cost-effective and reliable solutions and to help them stay away from bad deals and bad products.
DON'T ENCOURAGE IT SPENDING ON NEW TECHNOLOGY
Buying technology within the first year of its release is both costly and unwise. If clients buy PCs that have newly released processors, motherboard types or new types of graphics, they may find some major glitches that will stall their businesses.
DON'T LET CLIENTS BLAME YOU
Clients will not be pleased if you encourage IT spending on PC hardware that is not reliable. They will probably even blame you as their expert, which can cause you a major problem and strain your relationship. Be careful about early adoption of new technologies and go with the best, not the latest solution.
EARLY ADOPTER RISKS
Because there is a lot of financial pressure on the PC industry, since 2001, products have been rushed to the market more often than ever before. This begs the question, are consumers becoming an unwitting extended R&D facility?
TESTING NEW PRODUCTS
Testing new products fully takes some time. You and your small business clients must consider IT spending amidst a constant stream of hardware device driver software and updates. However, often when problems are first reported, it takes them a while to be analyzed, diagnosed and fixed with updates, meaning if you suggest IT spending on new products for clients, they might still have to suffer through very unreliable hardware issues. Don’t let your clients be guinea pigs!
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
DON'T ENCOURAGE IT SPENDING ON NEW TECHNOLOGY
Buying technology within the first year of its release is both costly and unwise. If clients buy PCs that have newly released processors, motherboard types or new types of graphics, they may find some major glitches that will stall their businesses.
DON'T LET CLIENTS BLAME YOU
Clients will not be pleased if you encourage IT spending on PC hardware that is not reliable. They will probably even blame you as their expert, which can cause you a major problem and strain your relationship. Be careful about early adoption of new technologies and go with the best, not the latest solution.
EARLY ADOPTER RISKS
Because there is a lot of financial pressure on the PC industry, since 2001, products have been rushed to the market more often than ever before. This begs the question, are consumers becoming an unwitting extended R&D facility?
TESTING NEW PRODUCTS
Testing new products fully takes some time. You and your small business clients must consider IT spending amidst a constant stream of hardware device driver software and updates. However, often when problems are first reported, it takes them a while to be analyzed, diagnosed and fixed with updates, meaning if you suggest IT spending on new products for clients, they might still have to suffer through very unreliable hardware issues. Don’t let your clients be guinea pigs!
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Profit Secrets for Computer Consulting
If you own a computer consulting company, you may be having trouble growing your profits. The following 7 profit secrets can help ensure you balance your computer consulting clients’ IT needs against the needs of your own firm.
The Biggest Computer Consulting Problem
A lot of computer consulting business owners get obsessed with technology and gadgets instead of paying attention to business aspects that you need to have in place in order to succeed.
The First Profit Secret
You need to appear motivated to your computer consulting clients. Become a virtual CIO for hire and be on the lookout for new ways to improve your clients’ business’ instead of just fixing their broken technology equipment.
The Second Profit Secret
You have to be dedicated to your job and improve the status quo. Getting great computer consulting clients is a lot of work, especially if you want them to be around for the long haul. You need a long-term vision and a lot of planning. You also need to be prepared for staying around.
The Third Profit Secret
Get creative with your clients. Often technology solutions have to be within modest budgets and your computer consulting solutions have to work without the help of an in-house IT staff.
The Fourth Profit Secret
Evaluate clients’ systems – both those on paper and those based on computers. As a virtual CIO, look at how systems are working to satisfy needs. This work can be completed during IT audits.
The Fifth Profit Secret
Think like your client and about what their clients will need from them when implementing solutions. You have to have empathy for your clients’ business problems, which means you really have to know them and learn about their CUSTOMERS’ problems too.
The Sixth Profit Secret
You should keep up with new versions of products. Your computer consulting clients are going to depend on your expertise to tell them which tools they need to grow their businesses. Don’t let this research take up your entire schedule, but stay a few steps ahead.
The Seventh Profit Secret
Make sure to summarize and share information you find with clients. Will the new platform or tool add real value to existing or future systems? Summarize this in layperson’s language that non-technical clients can understand.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit
The Biggest Computer Consulting Problem
A lot of computer consulting business owners get obsessed with technology and gadgets instead of paying attention to business aspects that you need to have in place in order to succeed.
The First Profit Secret
You need to appear motivated to your computer consulting clients. Become a virtual CIO for hire and be on the lookout for new ways to improve your clients’ business’ instead of just fixing their broken technology equipment.
The Second Profit Secret
You have to be dedicated to your job and improve the status quo. Getting great computer consulting clients is a lot of work, especially if you want them to be around for the long haul. You need a long-term vision and a lot of planning. You also need to be prepared for staying around.
The Third Profit Secret
Get creative with your clients. Often technology solutions have to be within modest budgets and your computer consulting solutions have to work without the help of an in-house IT staff.
The Fourth Profit Secret
Evaluate clients’ systems – both those on paper and those based on computers. As a virtual CIO, look at how systems are working to satisfy needs. This work can be completed during IT audits.
The Fifth Profit Secret
Think like your client and about what their clients will need from them when implementing solutions. You have to have empathy for your clients’ business problems, which means you really have to know them and learn about their CUSTOMERS’ problems too.
The Sixth Profit Secret
You should keep up with new versions of products. Your computer consulting clients are going to depend on your expertise to tell them which tools they need to grow their businesses. Don’t let this research take up your entire schedule, but stay a few steps ahead.
The Seventh Profit Secret
Make sure to summarize and share information you find with clients. Will the new platform or tool add real value to existing or future systems? Summarize this in layperson’s language that non-technical clients can understand.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Designing an IT Support Contract Package
When you decide you want to offer support contracts, you have to think about how they will be packaged. Will you make them fixed price, retainer based or based in pre-paid blocks of time?
Fixed-price support contracts can get sticky because you have to plan what people will need and want. Not even the best small business computer consultants typically have the ability to make these types of predictions.
Things to Think about When Designing Your IT Support Contract Package
How will you package your support contract program? You need to figure this out before you go on a sales call and offer an IT support contract to clients and customers.
1. What tangible benefits will you offer?
2. What incentives will you provide to get clients to sign without question?
Benefits of IT Support Contracts
Response time – whether for on-site service, phone or remote support – is going to be a really important benefit to a support contract. Proactive maintenance – remote and VPNing in or dialing in to check logs from time to time – is another benefit you can offer.
Providing an hourly discount is yet another benefit that gets most customers to sign. Waiving premiums for after-hour service or emergency service as part of support contract benefits is also a really big benefit to throw out there that can get you a support contract client.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Fixed-price support contracts can get sticky because you have to plan what people will need and want. Not even the best small business computer consultants typically have the ability to make these types of predictions.
Things to Think about When Designing Your IT Support Contract Package
How will you package your support contract program? You need to figure this out before you go on a sales call and offer an IT support contract to clients and customers.
1. What tangible benefits will you offer?
2. What incentives will you provide to get clients to sign without question?
Benefits of IT Support Contracts
Response time – whether for on-site service, phone or remote support – is going to be a really important benefit to a support contract. Proactive maintenance – remote and VPNing in or dialing in to check logs from time to time – is another benefit you can offer.
Providing an hourly discount is yet another benefit that gets most customers to sign. Waiving premiums for after-hour service or emergency service as part of support contract benefits is also a really big benefit to throw out there that can get you a support contract client.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Sunday, September 16, 2007
IT Audits and What Clients Seek
When performing IT audits for clients, you want to figure out how to solve problems. You need to determine which problems they have and how your solutions can help. What types of questions will your clients want answered during IT audits?
Use Questions to Get to Needs Analysis
You need to know what potential clients seek. During IT audits, they will typically ask what they should buy in terms of platforms and value. These questions can be answered with a needs analysis within IT audits. You go and assess their systems and spend a few hours looking at their assets.
Prospects will want to know which products will work together. Anyone can buy a lot of products at a store, but making them all work in conjunction with each other requires integration and customization and project management that only you as an IT specialist can offer.
Which Other Services Might Clients Want?
Customers may ask for formal and informal training during the IT audits, including both end-user training and administrator training.
They will probably also want you to handle routine and scheduled upgrades and coordinate with outside vendors for a specific industry package installation. They will also rely on you to provide them with network installation and on-going maintenance.
One Point of Contact
Your customers want a single point of contact and will want to know you can provide it during IT audits. They want to trust their tech advisor just as they trust their accountants and attorneys. IT audits can help you establish your role and figure out how customers can fit into your business as well.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Use Questions to Get to Needs Analysis
You need to know what potential clients seek. During IT audits, they will typically ask what they should buy in terms of platforms and value. These questions can be answered with a needs analysis within IT audits. You go and assess their systems and spend a few hours looking at their assets.
Prospects will want to know which products will work together. Anyone can buy a lot of products at a store, but making them all work in conjunction with each other requires integration and customization and project management that only you as an IT specialist can offer.
Which Other Services Might Clients Want?
Customers may ask for formal and informal training during the IT audits, including both end-user training and administrator training.
They will probably also want you to handle routine and scheduled upgrades and coordinate with outside vendors for a specific industry package installation. They will also rely on you to provide them with network installation and on-going maintenance.
One Point of Contact
Your customers want a single point of contact and will want to know you can provide it during IT audits. They want to trust their tech advisor just as they trust their accountants and attorneys. IT audits can help you establish your role and figure out how customers can fit into your business as well.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Virtual IT in the Computer Consulting World
If you run a computer consulting company and want to be successful with your business, you need to get IT (Information Technology) right.
WHY DO COMPUTER CONSULTING COMPANIES GET VIRTUAL IT WRONG?
A lot of IT professionals make the mistake of getting wrapped up in technology and neglecting the business side of their work. This practice will relegate your computer consulting company to the bottom of the list for most prospects. You need to make recruiting and keeping clients your first priority and not the latest gadgets. Your job is to recommend sophisticated IT solutions and truly be a “virtual IT” department for your clients.
MIX COMPUTER CONSULTING AND VIRTUAL IT
What is “virtual IT”?
Virtual IT lets your computer consulting company act as an extension of clients’ companies. You become the outsourced IT department for your clients’ small businesses.
When you own a computer consulting company that serves this purpose, you will become everything IT-related for your clients. Like any multi-faceted internal IT department, your virtual IT computer consulting business will have to be able to offer complete solutions that includes help desk, desktop support, network administration, engineering, security, training, procurement and asset management.
THE BOTTOM LINE ABOUT VIRTUAL IT
Many computer consulting companies don’t fully understand the concept of virtual IT and how it relates to their business. They become obsessed with technology instead of really embracing business opportunities. You have to build virtual IT into every business decision you make for your company or you will never make it long term.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
WHY DO COMPUTER CONSULTING COMPANIES GET VIRTUAL IT WRONG?
A lot of IT professionals make the mistake of getting wrapped up in technology and neglecting the business side of their work. This practice will relegate your computer consulting company to the bottom of the list for most prospects. You need to make recruiting and keeping clients your first priority and not the latest gadgets. Your job is to recommend sophisticated IT solutions and truly be a “virtual IT” department for your clients.
MIX COMPUTER CONSULTING AND VIRTUAL IT
What is “virtual IT”?
Virtual IT lets your computer consulting company act as an extension of clients’ companies. You become the outsourced IT department for your clients’ small businesses.
When you own a computer consulting company that serves this purpose, you will become everything IT-related for your clients. Like any multi-faceted internal IT department, your virtual IT computer consulting business will have to be able to offer complete solutions that includes help desk, desktop support, network administration, engineering, security, training, procurement and asset management.
THE BOTTOM LINE ABOUT VIRTUAL IT
Many computer consulting companies don’t fully understand the concept of virtual IT and how it relates to their business. They become obsessed with technology instead of really embracing business opportunities. You have to build virtual IT into every business decision you make for your company or you will never make it long term.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Sunday, September 09, 2007
IT Consulting: Turn Leads into Prospects
The process of turning computer consulting leads into prospects can be challenging; but there are steps you can take to ensure you do it properly and get the most out of your business.
The first thing you can do to find leads that will be prospects is find an industry niche and then really go after your target market. In order to distinguish yourself from other computer consulting professionals, you need to have a special spin that will really grab attention. There are two other ways to improve the quality of your leads, and the first is size.
COMPUTER CONSULTING: MICRO SMALL BUSINESSES
One size to pursue with your computer consulting business is the micro small business market. Here you will find businesses with just a few PCs. The mindset of the business owner in this market is what really determines a micro small business, but typically this type of business will have very few employees, PCs and will not be looking for really intensive computer consulting services.
SWEET SPOT SMALL BUSINESSES
The next step up from micro small businesses in computer consulting is the “sweet spot” where most computer consulting businesses operate to get maximum revenue potential and the best results. This is the 10-50 PC space and consists usually of companies with 90 – 100 employees. This is the sweet spot because it is typically large enough to need sophisticated IT support from IT consulting firms but small enough not to have its own in-house IT staff.
Downtime will be much more expensive for sweet spot companies. You can calculate downtime simply by taking annual revenue and dividing by 250 business days per year and eight hours a day. This will help you convince them of the importance of having a professional IT consulting firm on their side.
THE TOP OF SMALL BUSINESSES
When you get to companies that have 50 PCs or more, you start to get to the top of the small business market and the bottom of the medium-sized business market. When you get to this level, you are typically confronted with an in-house IT manager because the cost to these businesses of outsourcing IT needs would be the same or higher than simply hiring a full-time person. This market is viable, but only for deeply specialized work, since all their general work will be done by their in-house staff.
THE MAIN POINT ABOUT IT CONSULTING
If you want to really distinguish yourself from other IT consulting firms out there, you need to really define the characteristics of your “ideal” client so you can get the best prospects from your leads.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
The first thing you can do to find leads that will be prospects is find an industry niche and then really go after your target market. In order to distinguish yourself from other computer consulting professionals, you need to have a special spin that will really grab attention. There are two other ways to improve the quality of your leads, and the first is size.
COMPUTER CONSULTING: MICRO SMALL BUSINESSES
One size to pursue with your computer consulting business is the micro small business market. Here you will find businesses with just a few PCs. The mindset of the business owner in this market is what really determines a micro small business, but typically this type of business will have very few employees, PCs and will not be looking for really intensive computer consulting services.
SWEET SPOT SMALL BUSINESSES
The next step up from micro small businesses in computer consulting is the “sweet spot” where most computer consulting businesses operate to get maximum revenue potential and the best results. This is the 10-50 PC space and consists usually of companies with 90 – 100 employees. This is the sweet spot because it is typically large enough to need sophisticated IT support from IT consulting firms but small enough not to have its own in-house IT staff.
Downtime will be much more expensive for sweet spot companies. You can calculate downtime simply by taking annual revenue and dividing by 250 business days per year and eight hours a day. This will help you convince them of the importance of having a professional IT consulting firm on their side.
THE TOP OF SMALL BUSINESSES
When you get to companies that have 50 PCs or more, you start to get to the top of the small business market and the bottom of the medium-sized business market. When you get to this level, you are typically confronted with an in-house IT manager because the cost to these businesses of outsourcing IT needs would be the same or higher than simply hiring a full-time person. This market is viable, but only for deeply specialized work, since all their general work will be done by their in-house staff.
THE MAIN POINT ABOUT IT CONSULTING
If you want to really distinguish yourself from other IT consulting firms out there, you need to really define the characteristics of your “ideal” client so you can get the best prospects from your leads.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
IT Sales: Don't Give Yourself Away for Free
You can’t let IT sales turn into a free consultation. But how do you get to actually selling? You aren’t going to do it by proving your intelligence or your technical expertise. The point of an initial IT sales call is to gauge the chemistry between you and a prospect and figure out how to suggest moving to the next step.
Can You Work with a Prospect?
Ask yourself during an initial IT sales call if you are on the same page with your prospect. Does the prospect look like other clients with which you have had success? You should have already asked important questions about size and platform. Now you are just examining the rest of the situation.
You should definitely spend an hour learning about your prospect’s needs and giving away a little bit of free advice. But you need to end the “free” at some point and move the prospect towards a conversation about IT sales.
Do You Want to Be Poor?
If you are free, you will be poor. You’re not going to get any profit and small businesses will get in the habit of just expecting free advice that never ends up with IT sales.
What’s Your Service Offering?
Stop giving away free advice and instead determine your client’s critical needs before the IT sales call. Think about how you can solve problems and be ready to offer an IT audit or some other fixed-price service.
If during an IT sales call you think you are looking at an opportunity of $50,000 or $100,000 in services and not just a product sale or something with margins, you know you can afford to give away more than an hour of advice. But do your research before any IT sales call.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Can You Work with a Prospect?
Ask yourself during an initial IT sales call if you are on the same page with your prospect. Does the prospect look like other clients with which you have had success? You should have already asked important questions about size and platform. Now you are just examining the rest of the situation.
You should definitely spend an hour learning about your prospect’s needs and giving away a little bit of free advice. But you need to end the “free” at some point and move the prospect towards a conversation about IT sales.
Do You Want to Be Poor?
If you are free, you will be poor. You’re not going to get any profit and small businesses will get in the habit of just expecting free advice that never ends up with IT sales.
What’s Your Service Offering?
Stop giving away free advice and instead determine your client’s critical needs before the IT sales call. Think about how you can solve problems and be ready to offer an IT audit or some other fixed-price service.
If during an IT sales call you think you are looking at an opportunity of $50,000 or $100,000 in services and not just a product sale or something with margins, you know you can afford to give away more than an hour of advice. But do your research before any IT sales call.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
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