Prior to starting an IT consulting business, you need to make sure you are organized. The following steps can help you on your way to a successful business.
VOLUNTEERING IN IT CONSULTING
If you can’t get paid IT consulting clients initially, volunteer your services. If you are 30 days beyond initially announcing the start of your business and you still have no referrals or clients, volunteer for a non-profit organization. Give them several volunteer hours to help them with PCs or an upgrade, or help them with a website update and computer training. Limit it to two to four hours or these types of customers might take advantage of you.
Get in touch with the executive director or an office manager and tell the person you just opened your IT consulting business and would like to donate some time. Make sure you give a specific number of hours, and then ask if in return they will give you a testimonial and introductions to three members that might be able to use your IT consulting services. You can solidify this agreement by writing down a couple sentences that state you will work in return for specific and agreed upon items from them.
Keep doing this until you have three to four testimonials from business owners. The best testimonials will be from respected and known figures within the community.
ATTEND LOCAL BUSINESS EVENTS
When starting in IT consulting, look at the business section of the local paper, focusing on networking and lead groups as well as Chambers of Commerce. Your best bet is to try to attend as a guest, and go to one networking event per week each week for the next four. When at the events, be friendly and tell people about your IT consulting business. Ask them how they use IT in their daily company lives and trade business cards with them to determine if your IT consulting business is a good fit for them.
Your thoughts should be about helping them, not about what they can do for you. The most important thing you can do is ask them what is happening in their business, how they are using their computers, what their biggest problems are and if there is any way you can specifically help them.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinbeg
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