You can't be all things...

Do you call your company's business model "virtual IT"?

Do you try to position your firm essentially as your clients' outsourced IT department?

Or yourself, as your clients' virtual IT director?

Or virtual CIO?

That's all well and good and everything.

BUT, there's a hidden danger in all this.

Especially if you're a solo practice computer consultant.

And it can even be an issue if your firm has several talented systems engineers.

What's the problem you ask?

Trying to be ALL things.

For example, you or one of your senior technical staffers may have GREAT MCSE-level, or CIE-level, NOS or WAN technical skills.

But what happens when a valued client asks for help with getting some Macintosh systems to share some Microsoft Office files with PC's?

What happens when a client needs you to get AS/400 data out to an Intranet?

Do you have this diverse roster of skills in-house?

If so, great!

If not, remember, you can't be all things.

Don't put your client relationships in jeopardy by trying to learn new platforms or technologies on their nickel.

And you probably don't want to risk losing account control either by telling your client to go out and find a Mac or AS/400 consultant.

The best way?

Generally partnering and subcontracting.

So if your company needs to excel at being a great virtual IT department for your clients, remember, you may not be able to be all things to your clients.

But you should at least, take charge of managing ALL of the key pieces of your clients' IT infrastructures.


Best,

- Joshua


Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/