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Friday, September 29, 2006

IT Consulting and Finding Your Way to the Sweet Spot from Micro Businesses

If you are starting out in the IT consulting industry, you will start to wonder how to move your focus from micros small businesses to the sweet spot. The following questions and tips will help you determine what your prospects will be looking for as IT consulting sweet spot clients and how you can improve your skills:

1. How much time should I spend improving my skills? Your time should be balanced. If you have the skills to work with micro, you might not have those required to work with sweet spot clients. Spend approximately 75% of your time over a couple months on IT consulting business development and about 25% of the time on improving technical skills.

2. Which skills should be your focus? Get a not-for-resale copy of Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 and learn about it by installing it on an extra system. This process will help you get into sweet spot IT consulting, as will working in the same way with Novell Small Business Suite.

3. Start simple. You will be able to qualify sweet spot clients before going out on IT consulting sales calls or writing proposals. Going through the process of qualifying and researching prospects will help you figure out if you have the right skills. The smaller sweet spot clients with 10, 15 or 20 seats will have less complicated needs than those with 2 or 3 servers and many locations.

THE SWEET SPOT TRANSITION

Start working with micro small businesses as part of your IT consulting growth and gain confidence by getting references and building your business and knowledge. Some larger micro businesses will probably need the skills you will need to get to the sweet spot as they outgrow peer-to-peer and other simple solutions, so you can practice your sophisticated work on them before making the transition.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Monday, September 25, 2006

Marketing Tests: Don't Make a Commitment Without an Initial Sample

Marketing tests are crucial to your marketing strategy. At the beginning phase of your business, your budget will be incredibly tight, and saving money will become important. Marketing tests can tell you whether you should pursue a specific sales avenue or explore other options.

No matter how great a specific marketing strategy seems on the surface, it isn’t always the best for you. Marketing tests performed on small samples of prospects can help you avoid over-spending and bring you closer to discovering the most effective marketing campaigns.

The following ideas will help you with marketing tests:

1. When you are thinking of using direct mail, rent a marketing list in small installments. One of the biggest mistakes new business owners make when not using marketing tests is renting thousands of names before even determining if the list will help them.

2. Print out very few marketing materials rather than thousands of fliers or postcards and then conduct marketing tests. You can better track whether your targets are throwing your materials away.

3. When conducting marketing tests, track leads by the source of marketing materials. Tell them you are in the midst of marketing tests and ask them detailed questions about how they heard about you. Then determine what percentage of interest is coming from each marketing activity. Your marketing tests will show you what campaigns are working.

Marketing tests can help you make the right choices about marketing strategies before you waste huge amounts of money on large campaigns. If you don’t perform marketing tests in the beginning and throughout the life of your business, you could spend a great deal of time and money on strategies that don’t work and also not arrive at the perfect marketing strategy for you.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Saturday, September 23, 2006

IT Consulting Business Start-Up: The Strength of Client Relationships

At the beginning of the life of your IT consulting business, you may miss some details and make some of the common mistakes others have made before you. If you start out moonlighting, having your own IT consulting business can sound so appealing that you may not plan appropriately as you transition into full-time IT consulting.

ARE YOUR CLIENTS STEADY?

Not everyone is capable of running a full-time IT consulting business. There are two common mistakes professionals make with new IT consulting businesses: taking on clients that can never become steady; bothering to continue relationships with non-steady clients.

You should only be seeking steady clients when starting your IT consulting business, and finding these individuals is actually not as difficult as you might expect.

STEADINESS IS KEY

Steady work will make or break your IT consulting business. When you are moonlighting, you look for clients that need you about one or two nights per month and one or two Saturdays and Sundays on the phone in between these meetings. A client situation such as this one could bring you $800 to $1200 monthly. When qualifying steady clients, look for someone that can afford at least $500 per month on a regular basis.

If you find yourself moonlighting with clients that don’t have at least a $500 a month need or the ability to pay that much, you will find the transition to full-time IT consulting nearly impossible.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Monday, September 18, 2006

Contingency Plans Can Help You Plan for the Unexpected

You need contingency plans to succeed in your first year of business. A contingency plan will help you calmly handle any unexpected surprises that come your way. Even if you do excellent research and plan diligently, you will always find good and bad surprises when starting a business.

Your contingency plan should include a list of anything, good or bad, that would affect your business if it happened. Think about the following items when creating a thorough contingency plan:

1. Consider your chosen niche. If your niche dries out, you will need a contingency plan to support your business.

2. If you have problems finding people to work for you within the labor market, you will need to have a contingency plan to help you get work done.

3. What is your comfort level with ASP software? If clients don’t need your specific services, you should make the ability to get into other service markets part of your contingency plan.

4. Alliances between competitors should be on your radar at all times and you should have a clear contingency plan if there are mergers or other partnerships that happen within your industry that might threaten your success.

A really complete contingency plan will have 15-20 possibilities on it that might affect your profitability. Items on your contingency plan will be forces beyond your control that require your reaction. Make sure your contingency plan includes just one year of time, but revise it often to stay in business.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Are You a Generalist or Are You in a Niche Market?

Niche markets are a good way for you to build a marketing strategy through targeted groups of clients. However, often consultants think about specializing in a specific product or service when imagining niche markets. Niche markets don’t only mean one-product or one-service specialties, but also targeting a specific industry of client type.

GENERALIST WITHIN A NICHE MARKET

Niche market and generalist, while seemingly opposite entities can actually work together. You should not attempt to please everyone, but you can focus on providing generalized services to a certain type of client. Being part of a niche market and being a generalist are two complimentary strategies when you market yourself as the main contact for a very targeted client group.

Don’t invest a lot of money at the beginning in certifications, tests and preparation. You need to instead focus on cultivating contacts that will pay you. If you already have a specialized skill set, don’t set your mind on a narrow niche market until you know how well you can do within that market.

As time progresses you will notice that paying clients have things in common, so you will be able to prepare for a very specific set of needs. These needs will be the key to you discovering your ideal niche market. The key is to get clients first, then look for trends that will lead to opportunities for niche markets.

Creating a very specific niche market is not always the best way to grow your computer consulting business. If you define your niche market through your clients rather than through your services you will give yourself a better chance of creating a strong client base and evolving the appropriate and more profitable niche market for you.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Ideas for Direct Mail and IT Marketing

Whether your IT marketing plan is to do a letter, a flyer mailer, a large postcard or a simple standard postcard, you need your headline to be eye-catching. The message of your direct mailing also needs to be stunning and communicate your purpose and address the needs of the targets of your mailing.

IT MARKETING IS ABOUT BENEFITS

You need to speak to the niche of your target audience and emphasize the benefits to members. You need to communicate how your computer consulting company can provide real benefits for clients, such as value and return on investments. If you can communicate this idea from the very beginning, you will captivate their attention and get them interested in hearing the rest of what you have to offer in your direct mailing item.

You may get target clients to request a free tape, report, consultation or free needs analysis, but you have to know their needs before you can tap into what message will make them want to ask for more information.

IT MARKETING: POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS ARE IMPORTANT

Your direct mail pieces should be very focused on benefits and not on yourself and your company. You need to speak about customers and their specific problems and not how impressive your services are. Potential customers will not care about your certifications or your vendor partners. Many will not even know anything about specific products or companies in the IT industry.

Because potential customers care about their own problems and what can do to solve it, you need to focus on benefits in your advertisement. If you are unsure, get a third-party who is objective to give you feedback before sending out your direct mailing.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

Sales Cycles: What is the Appropriate Length for You?

Sales cycles can be different for different small businesses, but as a small business owner, you need to know the revenue of your clients during a 12-month period. You also will need to know how long it takes you to earn revenue from the beginning of the sales cycle.

Your sales cycle begins as soon as you get a lead and is not over until the person gives you the first amount of money for the deposit. The sales cycle is the culmination of the hard work you invest when you change a relationship into a paying customer from a mere lead.

You should estimate your complete sales cycle as soon as you start your consulting business. You need to determine how long each average lead will take to travel through the sales cycle. Consider the following elements:

1. How long does a qualification stage take?

2. How long does it take to set up an initial appointment?

3. How long does research take pre-sales call?

4. How long does the sales call take?

5. How many weeks does it take to get from the sales call into the deep analysis and the proposal?

6. What is your follow-up time in the sales cycle?

Also think about the funds you will need for each portion of the sales cycle and what you need to do to turn leads into clients that will pay you.

If you know the general time of your sales cycle, you will have tackled a great deal of the business planning process. You will not know for certain the amount of time each part of the sales cycle will take, but you will at least have a good estimate of the total time you will need to spend.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Cisco Encourages Solution Providers to Specialize in Security

Executives from Cisco state that they’d like to see solution providers start to move into new, more daring areas. Cisco announced it would be encouraging a group of partners and solution providers to change their business to specialize in security in order to address the need for new and sophisticated security solutions. Cisco and Microsoft are also both trying to get security partners to start using network access control solutions run by their technologies.

The new solution providers security program, “Master Security” specialization will be the first in a line of new high level badges for partners and solution providers that want to root themselves in very specialized technology. This new announcement comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of plans to ensure that network access control technologies from Microsoft and Cisco will not work together, presenting increased consulting opportunities for channel partners.

Many solution providers are excited about going after this new Master Security specialization, stating the importance of specialization in the quest to improve their position within the marketplace and fully realize their unique “brand.” The new specialization offered by Cisco will help set partners apart from the rest that have worked hard to get involved in security and encourage new partners to get more involved. Because the process of certification is arduous, not every partner will be able to or want to complete it.

Requirements for the Master Security portion of the new solution providers program will be revealed later today, with the requirements for the enhanced “Master Unified Communications” badge announced within the next 30-45 days. There will also be more badge opportunities coming out that focus in areas including wireless and data center technologies, but they are currently being evaluated.

Qualifying for Master Security requires solution providers to hold Cisco’s Advanced Security badge and a few industry-recognized Cisco and non-Cisco certifications. Partners must also pass an on-site validation of expertise by an impartial auditor and have as many as five reference accounts to prove sophisticated skills. Master-level partners will get discounts on security products similar to those Gold partners get, cash back in Cisco’s Value Incentive Program rebate initiative and a mention on Cisco’s online partner locator tool.

Created By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Consultants Track Security Breaches as Business Technology Grows

As technology expands at a fast pace, many business owners, security managers and computer consultants for companies are noticing major issues with computer system security. Dishonest employees find it easier to break into sensitive information leaking through cell phones, wireless laptops and networked printers along with person-to-person meetings. As information and communication shift over to digital, security leaks are becoming harder to prevent but much easier for security experts and computer consultants to track.

In June of this year, 50 executives at major firm Merrill Lynch were surveyed to determine major security concerns. Of those surveyed, 52 percent stated that leaks of confidential information was the number one concern followed by viruses and hackers. Because these concerns exist across industries, corporations are employing the help of trained computer consultants to implement high-tech tools into their networks and daily business lives. In fact, 50 percent of the 526 companies surveyed by the American Management Association last year stated that they stored and scanned workers’ computer files and 55 percent admitted they reviewed e-mails.

These practices of high-tech security tracking have raised some legal and ethical concerns within the business community. California’s attorney general has stated that laws may have been broken when investigators hired computer consultants from Hewlett-Packard Co. to trace leaks about confidential boardroom discussions when they pretended to be reporters and directors in order to get personal phone records. Hewlett-Packard claims they were unaware of how the records were obtained, but is not the first company or group of computer consultants to use extreme measures to try to trace and stop leaks at their source. Apple Computers fired and filed suit against workers that were thought to be leaking information, and has been known to sue independent websites. As far back as 1991, Proctor & Gamble Co. went after a grand jury in order to get telephone records that would help the company weed out a Wall Street Journal reporter’s sources.

It is legal for companies to go to reasonable lengths to monitor corporate telephone records, computer and e-mail attached to corporate accounts, but many computer consultants continue to assert that too much monitoring can destroy trust within companies.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Monday, September 11, 2006

Using Testimonials as Part of IT Marketing

Testimonials can really help sell your services in IT marketing. This article explores how you can use testimonials to enhance and grow your business.

CREDIBILITY AND TESTIMONIALS

In order for testimonials to appear credible and believable, they have to be real and have a real first name, last name, job title company name and city and state attached to them at a bare minimum. Your prospective client will know when seeing this information available that you are serious about your consulting business.

Prospective customers will believe other clients more than your own claims. Good words from third parties without a direct interest in your business will be more trustworthy than your own IT marketing and sales items.

TESTIMONIALS: BASIC STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

Your testimonials should zone in on benefits of your business and should be written on client letterhead. Testimonials need to tell prospects how your company has helped over a length of time, discussing investment returns, reliability and dependability of your service and your response time. Additionally they need to talk about how you are there in case of emergency, understand their specific business needs and fit within their budget and time requirements.

GETTING TESTIMONIALS AND IT MARKETING

You may wonder how you can get clients to give you testimonials. The best way is to complete the following process:

1. Interview clients and guide them through very specific questions.

2. Send them pre-drafted testimonials and e-mail it, asking them to simply review, edit and approve them and put them on company letterhead.

3. Give them five or six bullet points set up as a survey, as a suggestion for points to include in testimonials.

4. Take clients to breakfast and conduct an interview. Take notes and type up a testimonial based on the conversation, the simply have them review the materials and put it on their letterhead with a signature.

The key to getting good IT marketing testimonials is to make the process as easy as possible for clients.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

Computer Consulting and Information Overload

One of the biggest issues in computer consulting is information overload, because you will probably have technological information flying at you constantly from many different places. With overwhelming amounts of new technology, you may find it difficult to weed out the important facts and figures.

Because many of your clients are small businesses, they will be lagging behind on the latest technology, and much of your information overload will not concern them. You can focus on business development needs rather than keeping up with a majority of your clients.

GUILTY PARTIES WITH INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Most of the excessive information you will get from print magazines. You shouldn’t pay attention to about 90 percent of your print magazine subscriptions for three to six months at a time, because your hours are precious.

Instead of reading magazines, go out to two or more networking events. The time spent will be similar, and networking events could help you find two $1,000 a month clients. Plus, networking events will not cause information overload.

SOLUTIONS FOR INFORMATION OVERLOAD

To decrease information overload, only subscribe to two print magazines. Most of what you will need to know to keep abreast of the latest technology and important items in small business consulting can be found in CRN and VAR Business. CRN is a weekly online free subscription based in the U.S., but available in other markets. VAR Business comes out on a bi-weekly basis.

Browsing through these publications for no more than half an hour a week will almost completely get rid of information overload. These publications are good at filtering and tie in advancements to development and business.

Because of the extreme amount of technology information coming out constantly, information overload can be hard to take. Limit your subscriptions and the material you read to cut off information overload at its source.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Virtual IT: ITera, Inc. Presents Comprehensive Managed Services

On Wednesday, virtual IT company iTera, Inc., of Salt Lake City, specializing in disaster recovery solutions announced it will join forces with SafeData, LLC in order to compliment its already full array of managed-service solutions. Currently the virtual IT company offers the award winning product Echo(2) High Availability software for the IBM i5.

President and CEO of the company Dan NeVille stated that with the addition of SafeData, iTera will now be able to present a subscription-based service that can maintain each part of the i5 platform. The new offer will feature a combination of iTera’s Echo(2) software, IBM i5 server technology and a $30 million data center. Also included are monitoring services, monthly management, reports and other elements.

The following benefits will be available to customers:

No capital outlay

Switch readiness that is available all the time

Lower cost of ownership

24 hour per day, 7 days per week Virtual IT staff

Replication network efficiency and monitoring

Regular audits and management reporting capabilities

Role swaps as part of the contract

Top of the line carrier class data center

Simplified terms and conditions.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Systems Integrators Note September 11th Effect on Security Market

Ever since the catastrophic event of 9/11, systems integrators and other technology specialists have been reexamining IT security. During the Cold War, Canada’s National Optics Institute was responsible for developing a system that could detect approaching enemy tanks or fighter jets. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, these types of threats were less imminent and the technology was put away for future use.

In 2003, an entrepreneur named Eric Bergeron toured the Institute, inspired by the events of 9/11 and the security threats they raised for systems integrators and others in the IT field. His thought was based on the idea that now security has extended beyond just looking for planes in the sky and now is focused on luggage and other issues that require technology, such as X-rays to examine. Inspired by cold war ideas, Bergeron began the X-ray analysis company based in Quebec, Optosecurity. Bergeron hopes to grow this company into a new way to track and implement homeland security, which has become a huge industry since 9/11.

According to experts, the past five years have actually produced few technological security developments despite insistence by authorities that work was being done, though the market has billions of dollars from U.S. and international governments. In 2007, domestic security spending is expected to reach $58 billion, up from $16.8 billion in 2001 by all U.S. federal agencies. A lot of this money is attached to defense contractors and systems integrators that have long history working with the government and the ability to deal with very sizable projects, including companies like Unisys with a $1 billion contract assigned to set up cell phones, websites and other networks for airport security.

But even the small companies are trying to get in on the security market and are finding themselves doing well. Optosecurity is in the early stages of development with only preliminary funding for test work that will be performed by systems integrators. Optosecurity’s technology is licensed by the Canadian Institute and attaches to X-ray machines to automatically point out weapons and other dangerous items.

However, there is still a long way to go for many of these start-up systems integrators working with security technology in terms of funding. And many experts, Bergeron included, say that there will never be a technology that can detect 100 percent of the problems. Therefore, the post-9/11 vigilance will continue for a long time, leaving the market open for entrepreneurial companies and those looking to continuously perfect existing security technologies.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Computer Business Intel Announces Job Cuts

Computer business Intel, the largest global maker of microchips announced on Thursday a large number of job cuts according to the Financial Times. The reason for the major job cuts among its 100,000 employees is due to a fall of 56 percent in the second quarter of net profit. This loss can be directly attributed to the fact that the company cut prices in order to compete with fellow computer business AMD.

Around employees of computer business Intel lost jobs under a new global layoff plan. In just Malaysia, a newspaper noted that up to 2,000 workers at Intel would be offered the opportunity for voluntary layoffs. While some of these employees had already received offers, the official announcement came Tuesday.

When the entire worldwide layoff plan has been executed fully, the cuts could total up to 20,000. Analysts of the computer business stated that the company is in the process of adding greater efficiency to its organization and will report on the progress within the third quarter.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

In the Computer Consulting Industry, Homework is Essential

In the computer consulting industry, you have to be very careful with vendors that ask them to tell you what exactly your company does. You should provide these vendors with a brief explanation of the methodology and mission of your computer consulting business so he/she can figure out if you will fit in with a specific business plan. Focus on proactivity by knowing what the company you might be working with is doing so you can best tell them how you can help them fulfill their needs.

RESEARCH IS ESSENTIAL TO COMPUTER CONSULTING

Be prepared to spend about 30 to 40 minutes on homework to find out about a prospect before the meeting. Researching a potential client increases the likelihood you will complete a sale quickly, either in the first meeting or just a week or so afterwards. A prospect has to believe in your credibility and knowledge in order to sign on for computer consulting services. Prospects also want you to care about their specific business problems.

Research is simple. Go to the Google search engine and type in the name or phone number of a prospect or an address and you will be able to find a great deal of information.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR COMPUTER CONSULTING CLIENTS?

Before your initial meeting you need to have the following information about prospects: a complete profile of what their business is about; information about their industries; the number of locations of businesses; how long the prospects have been in business.

RECENT NEWS

You will probably find local newspaper articles about a client in the process of research, either in Google or the online version of the local newspaper. Look up anything that will give you background information and company details so you know what these people do before you ever set foot in their office.

Added By: Joshua Feinberg

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Computer Consulting: The Importance of Proving Ground Projects -- Test the Waters

Proving ground projects can be a great way to test a potential computer consulting client relationship, and are in fact absolutely critical before you sign any long-term contracts.

WHAT ARE PROVING GROUND PROJECTS?

The definition of proving ground projects is the initial projects completed by computer consulting firms with customers that are not yet clients or steady clients. During proving ground projects, consultants are working to show the customer that they are knowledgeable, dependable and easy-to-work with and can provide valuable services. On the flip side, proving ground projects help customers prove to consultants that they have the right attitude and expectations, a compatible personality and are willing to pay for services at the going rate.

BE MINDFUL DURING PROVING GROUND PROJECTS

If things go well during the process of carrying out computer consulting proving ground projects, you will be on your way to steady clients. However, many times you may get lax about interviewing the client when trying to complete proving ground projects well, and you could end up missing some warning signs that lead to a bad client. Warning signs include the following signals: clients change their minds often; clients are late for meetings; clients verbally abuse their own employees; clients don’t think the rules are meant for them.

The key to computer consulting proving ground projects is not to rush into a new relationship with a client until you have fully assessed the situation. Proving ground projects provide both sides of the equation with the right expectations.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Which Computer Skills are Competitors Sporting?

Computer skills are a critical part of any virtual IT business, but determining which ones you’ll need can be challenging.

NETWORKING PLATFORMS

Most successful competitors of yours with good sweet spot clients know these networking platforms; Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS); Novell Small Business Suite or Novell NetWare Linux; Mac OS.

Some larger companies with more than a few employees will steer towards the higher market end, starting at 25 to 50 PCs and then taking on larger small businesses with 50 to 100 systems or small mid-sized companies with 100 to 500 systems. However, those involved with these larger companies will need more sophisticated skills than you will.

OTHER COMPUTER SKILLS OF LARGER COMPETITORS

Larger competitors typically will have deeper computer skills in the following areas: Network Attached Storage (NAS); Storage Attached Networks (SANs); more complicated security solutions; CheckPoint firewalls; Citrix Terminal Solutions; More sophisticated Wi-Fi solutions; managed hardware.

High-level certifications are not necessary until you think about becoming a real IT manager at a larger small business.

WHAT COMPUTER SKILLS DO YOU NEED?

If you’re working with sweet spot small businesses with ten to 50 PCs, you simply need virtual IT staff with one or two entry-level certifications and in the process of working towards an MCSE or something comparable.

IT’S ABOUT SOLVING PROBLEMS

Your clients will usually value your problem-solving skills more than your computer skills. They will be more interested in your knowing about their business industries and how you can incorporate IT into their world.

Added By: Joshua Feinberg

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Computer Resellers: Active Voice Commences New Product Upgrade Program with Benefits

Member of the computer resellers industry, Active Voice, LLC, provider of voice messaging, communications and speech solutions throughout the world announced a program for current customers that would allow them to upgrade specific Repartee-brand voice mail systems and other Repartee products. This upgrade program from these computer resellers involves the Repartee OS/2, Replay and Replay plus voicemail systems and is called the “Repartee Hot Swap PLUS.” These upgrade packages include new Dell™ PowerEdge™ SC430 servers, 25 free messaging licenses and the latest Active Voice’s Repartee for Windows or Repartee LX unified messaging software.

Seattle-based member of the computer resellers channel Active Voice is a subsidiary of NEC Unified Solutions and has offices in the United States, Australia and the Netherlands. The company is excited about this program for loyal customers and considers it a reward for those that have made an investment in the company and its products. Because many organizations have to carefully plot their communications strategy in a competitive and advanced technological workplace, the company strives to provide cost-effective solutions that will be easily integrated into any business. The company is encouraging Repartee customers to contact local representatives from the computer resellers industry to help take advantage of the program. Orders have to be received before December 31, 2006 to qualify for this beneficial program.

Many communications systems are currently reaching the end of their life cycle, no longer sufficient for new requirements. Heads of corporations are beginning to reevaluate their communications plans and figuring out what fits best with changing and growing infrastructure. New Repartee products promise to provide the most sophisticated messaging features and are compatible with most existing networks.

Systems for both large enterprise customers and small business customers are available. For more information about the benefits of this program, see the attached link.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

IT Consulting Firms Concise Group and Brains Direct Join Forces and Become Endava

On Monday, IT consulting and services firm Concise Group solidified a partnership with IT services company Brains Direct, based in Eastern Europe. The two IT consulting organizations will become one focused services firm that will zero in on domain-focused technology consulting, systems implementation and managed services to financial, technology, media and telecommunications industries. This new UK-based and owned company is called Endava.

IT consulting firm Endava will incorporate Concise’s knowledge of domain and implementation in the areas of IT architecture, systems integration, security and managed services with Brains’ cost effective software development.

The new IT consulting firm is based on the market demand for a company that offers domain-focused services along with locations in offshore areas such as Eastern Europe, where there is a renowned technical education expertise and a track record for achievement in technological fields. Because Concise and Brains have worked in conjunction previously, the two companies blending into one IT consulting entity will be a positive and smooth transition for customers of both previous businesses. The new IT consulting organization has over 250 employees and a value of over $20 million.

The merger will be completed over the course of the next 18 months.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

IT Sales: How to Bring Prospects from Free to Fee

During the initial IT sales consultation, you will probably asked to look at one of the prospect’s pieces of hardware or software. They may ask you to “just take a look” at a router or a computer. If a client asks you to do something for free, consider the following issues.

DON’T RISK WORSENING THE PROBLEM

You may assess the situation and think that a few minutes of your time spent looking at something quickly can’t do any harm. However, you might get more involved and find out you can’t work your way out of a bigger issue. Then you find that you are in the middle of a paying project for a problem you may have helped cause before the prospect has even signed on for IT sales.

JUST WALK AWAY

You need to use extreme caution when sitting down at a PC or touching anything within a prospect’s office. Your goal with the initial IT sales consultation is to get a sale, not do something for free. Even when you are specifically doing a tech assessment, make sure you are doing low-risk exploratory work so you don’t end up breaking something and being responsible.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

More Tools to Help Hire Computer Consulting Firms

Many professionals not well-versed in hiring a computer consulting professional to handle their technology concerns run into the problem of hiring an independent computer consultant or consulting firm that is not right for their businesses. Bringing up the following issues provided by Computer Consulting 101 can help delve deeper into the process and find the perfect computer consulting firm for the job:

IS THE COMPANY A RESELLER, COMPUTER CONSULTING COMPANY OR HYBRID PROVIDER?

Find out if the computer consulting company resells technology products, including hardware and software. Is the company a profit center, or can clients shop for products elsewhere but still hire the firm for needs analysis and procurement?

Professionals should also ask if the computer consulting firm exclusively uses or is obligated to recommend specific vendors, ISPs or telephone companies, or if the firm takes referral fees for sending professionals to certain vendors.

WHAT IS THE POLICY FOR COSTS, HIDDEN CHARGES AND BILLING PROCEDURES?

Companies should ask the computer consulting representative about the firm’s payment terms, rates and hourly minimums for billing, along with what is considered billable and not. For example, does the firm charge extra for travel time, phone support, online support and remote support? Similarly, is there a policy for after-hours or emergency service, and are there support contracts?

REFERENCES AND TESTIMONIALS

Those looking to hire a fitting computer consulting company should ask for details about a long-term small business account, along with more information about recently signed-on clients and even an example account that didn’t work out well. The right computer consulting firm will be able to provide positive references.

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND SKILLS

How does the computer consulting firm keep up with new developments in technology? What are clients billed for, more specifically?

TRAININNG AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE

How does the computer consulting firm feel about detailed user training, and what kind of training and support is provided as part of the contract? Professionals should also make sure to ask if the firm is willing to train the internal computer administrator for the company to work more independently, even if that task takes away from billable hours and job security.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Computer Business IBM Gets Anti-Trust OK to Buy MRO Software

Computer business IBM recently decided to make a move to buy MRO software to add to its list of offerings. Initially, antitrust authorities held an investigation of the potential transaction to make sure it abided by all necessary guidelines. The authorities had a set amount of time to determine whether or not the computer business was violating any important sanctions and underwent a thorough examination of the plan.

Antitrust authorities closed their investigation into the cash transaction this week and decided they would not be blocking it, according to an official notice submitted by the Federal Trade Commission.

MRO offers software and consulting to help companies purchase a variety of assets for their businesses. MRO also helps companies maintain and retire assets that include production equipment, transportation, IT hardware and software and facilities. IBM hopes the addition of MRO’s software will help the computer business expand its products and services.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Advice for Computer Consulting Professionals: Get Rid of Prospects That Will Waste Time

In the computer consulting business, you need to sell your personality, charisma and business knowledge. But when all is said and done, you are selling your time, and it can’t be wasted. You should be able to track every hour you spend, regardless of whether it is billable, sales-related, prospecting-related or simply administrative. You need to know what work will be most worth your time and energy.

EMERGENCIES

If you want to eliminate computer consulting projects that will be a waste of your time and be more efficient, you need to immediately determine the sense of urgency as soon as you speak to prospects and clients, whether on the phone, via email or in person. The problem could be a down server affecting 27 employees and annihilating company productivity, and this constitutes an emergency and something well worth your attention.

However, the issue could just be something the client or prospect doesn’t find too urgent, such as a faulty link between a salesperson’s computer and a PDA. A problem affecting one person is not a major issue.

THE COMPUTER CONSULTING BUDGET

You need to determine a prospect or client’s budget immediately. If the company is broke, you are wasting your time even investigating the problem, though you can put the person on a follow-up list and call in three to six months to find out if there is more money to spend on IT.

TACT IS IMPORTANT IN COMPUTER CONSULTING

You have to be subtle when asking questions about a prospect’s ability to hire you. Ask if the company currently gets computer consulting support or how it has been received in the past. If the company has only previously used volunteers or moonlighters at bargain rates there is probably not a very large IT budget.

If you determine the company is working with another VAR or someone that is a competitor of yours, you can assume you are hirable and should proceed accordingly.

COMPUTER CONSULTING AND CLIENT PAIN

Most importantly and finally ask yourself, “In how much pain is this prospect?” The more issues the client is having, the more likely you and your computer consulting business can be of service.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Hiring Advice for Professionals in Need of Computer Consulting

Even if your business is desperately in need of computer consulting services, you should never rush to hire the first person that offers to help you. Many small business owners are confused when it comes to what they should be looking for in a computer consulting professional. Before you do anything, you should of course consult your attorney. The following initial questions, provided by Computer Consulting 101 can help you weed out potential problem service providers and make the process of hiring a computer consulting professional more like hiring someone to fill an internal staff position.

IS THE COMPUTER CONSULTING PROFESSIONAL PART-TIME OR FULL TIME?

Is the consultant moonlighting with a day job, or does he/she only provide computer consulting services?

SOLO PRACTITIONER OR TRUE CONSULTING BUSINESS?

If the consultant keeps referring to “we,” you need to find out if there are other people working for the consulting company, and if they are employees or just contractors. Find out their names, what their specialties are and a little bit about their backgrounds along with how long they have been with the company and if they will be involved in your project.

SMALL BUSINESS OR LARGE COMPANY EXPERIENCE?

Find out what size the firm’s typical computer consulting service is in regards to the number of PCs, employees and the annual revenue.

GENERALIST OR SPECIALIST COMPUTER CONSULTING FIRM?

With what industries has the computer consulting firm worked? In what types software applications and in what capacity have the consultants worked? Are there any produxts, services or platforms the company does not favor? Does the company work with specific hardware, software or services vendors?

These questions can help get you started in the process of finding the right computer consulting business to fit the complex needs of your company.

Added By: Computer Consulting Kit