Non-profits are fair game for IT specialists, but there are much more rewarding areas of focus.
The Pros of Non-Profit Organizations for IT Specialists:
1. Reaching non-profits is easy because they are a part of trade groups that have public directories;
2. Working with non-profits provides a great deal of emotional satisfaction because you are aware you are helping a valuable cause.
The Cons of Non-Profits for IT Specialists
1. Low profit margins;
2. Bidding wars.
When you get involved in bidding wars as an IT specialist, your firm becomes nothing more than a commodity. When you bid against someone else’s bid, you need to be aware that your competitor may be intentionally lowering prices in order to get you get a lower bottom line.
Bidding wars are some of the worst parts of working with non-profits for IT specialists because you don’t have trust, personality and credibility on your side. Who is able to post the bond on time and by following the rules become more important than any other factors. Plus, bidding wars mean huge amounts of non-billable time that you would normally be able to treat as billable in the private sector.
IT Specialists: Non-Profits and Government Agencies Can Get Complicated
Selling to small businesses will probably be simpler for IT specialists than trying to get involved in the tricky process of non-profit and government bidding. In many cases, non-profits and government agencies have to take the originally quoted price, so there is no real leeway.
IT Specialists: Bid Smart
If you decide to work with non-profits or government agencies, you can’t afford to give away your whole company. Don’t spend more than 20% of your business development time and effort on bid chasing. Unless you make a conscious choice to sell your services to non-profits and government organizations, you will do better to concentrate on private sector small businesses.
If a government agency of non-profit wants to outsource support services to IT specialists and needs more than just a one-shot deal, it will be a well thought-out request for proposal (RFP), and things get more interesting because there is the possibility of a long-term relationship.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
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Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Write an IT Sales Letter That Emphasizes Benefits
Regardless of your niche as a computer consultant, you need an IT sales letter that emphasizes benefits. This type of letter can improve IT sales and IT marketing techniques.
Use Long Sales Letters to Achieve the Following Results:
1. The creation of a sense of urgency;
2. A better-stirred “pot;”
3. Leads and prospects that take action;
4. The story of the pain of what will happen to prospects when they neglect the right data security;
5. Presentation of the joy of increased productivity in small businesses;
6. An explanation for prospects of reasons they should want to grow their company 150% to 200% without adding a lot more staff.
Long IT sales letters can convey these points and more, so don’t fear them.
IT Sales Letters: Writing to Painful Points
If you aren’t well-versed in writing IT sales letters, you may consider hiring a marketing consultant or a freelance copywriter to design them for you. Regardless of who writes your letter, you need it to address points of pain for your prospects, which means knowing what these points of pain are.
IT Sales Letters: Offer Something Limited, but Free
Offering something of value to prospects for free – like a free one-hour needs assessment r a white paper – with a specific deadline attached can generate good demand with IT sales letters. Make sure you limit your freebies to a certain number of respondents.
IT Sales Letters: Illustrate Your Expertise
If you are seen as an IT expert for a niche industry, your IT sales letters and marketing efforts will be more well-received by prospects. Your knowledge should be in the headline and repeated throughout the letter. You are offering something relevant to small businesses, and they should be interested. Talk about what you have done for other firms like theirs by including testimonials or other elements and talk about general trends and problems you notice within the specialty industry.
IT Sales Letters
An IT sales letter is designed to move your prospect into paying for services. Move them into an IT audit and the next step of the IT sales process with a benefits-focused letter.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Use Long Sales Letters to Achieve the Following Results:
1. The creation of a sense of urgency;
2. A better-stirred “pot;”
3. Leads and prospects that take action;
4. The story of the pain of what will happen to prospects when they neglect the right data security;
5. Presentation of the joy of increased productivity in small businesses;
6. An explanation for prospects of reasons they should want to grow their company 150% to 200% without adding a lot more staff.
Long IT sales letters can convey these points and more, so don’t fear them.
IT Sales Letters: Writing to Painful Points
If you aren’t well-versed in writing IT sales letters, you may consider hiring a marketing consultant or a freelance copywriter to design them for you. Regardless of who writes your letter, you need it to address points of pain for your prospects, which means knowing what these points of pain are.
IT Sales Letters: Offer Something Limited, but Free
Offering something of value to prospects for free – like a free one-hour needs assessment r a white paper – with a specific deadline attached can generate good demand with IT sales letters. Make sure you limit your freebies to a certain number of respondents.
IT Sales Letters: Illustrate Your Expertise
If you are seen as an IT expert for a niche industry, your IT sales letters and marketing efforts will be more well-received by prospects. Your knowledge should be in the headline and repeated throughout the letter. You are offering something relevant to small businesses, and they should be interested. Talk about what you have done for other firms like theirs by including testimonials or other elements and talk about general trends and problems you notice within the specialty industry.
IT Sales Letters
An IT sales letter is designed to move your prospect into paying for services. Move them into an IT audit and the next step of the IT sales process with a benefits-focused letter.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Monday, April 23, 2007
IT Marketing and the Purpose of Your Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is an important part of any IT marketing campaign. Your elevator speech needs to be comfortably delivered repeatedly so it can become an integral part of your day-to-day IT marketing efforts.
An elevator pitch is defied as a quick introductory speech that does not sound like you have memorized it rote. It should be about ten-to-twenty seconds and should be used whenever you meet a prospect at a event. Your IT marketing elevator speech needs to say what your company does, how you are unique and why someone would hire you.
IT Marketing and the Elevator Speech: A Definition
The term elevator speech is based on a scenario in which you are getting onto an elevator with someone on the 20th floor and by the time you get to the ground floor, you are able to deliver a strong pitch. Find an elevator pitch that is comfortable for you to say – like a reflex – and don’t hesitate to deliver it as part of your IT marketing plan.
IT Marketing: Practicing Your Elevator Speech
Write out your speech on index card so you can have it with you at all times. You can look at it while you’re in traffic or before you go on a sales call. The more you rehearse it with a trusted business associate or with your spouse, the more natural it will become to deliver.
By the time you get out to do expos and go to seminars or attend chamber events, you will be tired of your elevator pitch. But you have to try to keep the same amount of energy each time you deliver it as part of an IT marketing strategy.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
An elevator pitch is defied as a quick introductory speech that does not sound like you have memorized it rote. It should be about ten-to-twenty seconds and should be used whenever you meet a prospect at a event. Your IT marketing elevator speech needs to say what your company does, how you are unique and why someone would hire you.
IT Marketing and the Elevator Speech: A Definition
The term elevator speech is based on a scenario in which you are getting onto an elevator with someone on the 20th floor and by the time you get to the ground floor, you are able to deliver a strong pitch. Find an elevator pitch that is comfortable for you to say – like a reflex – and don’t hesitate to deliver it as part of your IT marketing plan.
IT Marketing: Practicing Your Elevator Speech
Write out your speech on index card so you can have it with you at all times. You can look at it while you’re in traffic or before you go on a sales call. The more you rehearse it with a trusted business associate or with your spouse, the more natural it will become to deliver.
By the time you get out to do expos and go to seminars or attend chamber events, you will be tired of your elevator pitch. But you have to try to keep the same amount of energy each time you deliver it as part of an IT marketing strategy.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Saturday, April 21, 2007
IT Sales: Figure Out What Your Clients Need
When you meet for the first time with potential candidates for IT sales, you need to figure out their top three problems. Perhaps the problems your prospects are facing are not the ones you can help solve, and you may need to move on. Regardless, you need to ask clients about problems if you want to achieve IT sales.
What Are Their Preferences?
Get your prospects to discuss what they like and dislike about past IT support experiences. This can give you a better idea of what they will expect of you. The first IT sales meeting is also the time to find out if the prospects have an emergency that needs to be dealt with in the next few days or if they are looking for IT audits, site surveys or tech assessments.
Sometimes prospects will want something different from what you expect; they will not need emergency service nor will they need tech assessments or other types of IT sales, though these items are most often what they will be looking to accomplish.
Get Your Clients to the Next Phase of IT Sales
Moving clients from free to fee, from sitting there and picking your brain in the IT sales call to getting them to write a check or authorize the IT sales means finding out answers to important questions.
Be prepared to offer prospects something concrete as part of the first IT sales call.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg
What Are Their Preferences?
Get your prospects to discuss what they like and dislike about past IT support experiences. This can give you a better idea of what they will expect of you. The first IT sales meeting is also the time to find out if the prospects have an emergency that needs to be dealt with in the next few days or if they are looking for IT audits, site surveys or tech assessments.
Sometimes prospects will want something different from what you expect; they will not need emergency service nor will they need tech assessments or other types of IT sales, though these items are most often what they will be looking to accomplish.
Get Your Clients to the Next Phase of IT Sales
Moving clients from free to fee, from sitting there and picking your brain in the IT sales call to getting them to write a check or authorize the IT sales means finding out answers to important questions.
Be prepared to offer prospects something concrete as part of the first IT sales call.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Establishment of Consulting Contracts with National Service Organizations
The main point to understand about consulting contracts with national service organizations is that you just should not get involved with them. You will most likely spend a lot of time keeping up-to-date with technology; and because hardware repair is a commodity due to the increasing disposability of technology components, you would be wise to avoid consulting contracts with national service organizations altogether.
Consulting Contracts: Computers are Expendible
As an example, a $600 consumer-level PC will not probably be thought of as worth repairs after the warranty expires. Small businesses will not be willing to spend the money on this type of repair and will most likely just purchase a new machine.
Consulting Contracts: Low Labor Allowances
National service organizations are just dealing with warranty repairs on inexpensive hardware, so they will not have much of a labor allowance for consulting contracts when it comes to $1,200 notebooks. Many hardware vendors are struggling so much that they are always about to go out of business, and there are only a select few that are in a good financial position.
Low Profit Margin for Repairs in Consulting Contracts
You can’t expect to make more than fifty or a hundred dollars on a repair. Your best bet for revenue is small businesses in need of sophisticated, regular solutions and consulting contracts.
Why Consulting Contracts with National Service Providers are Not Profitable
If you are a subcontractor for a national service provider you won’t be able to effectively run your consulting business. You will be in eight different offices daily and will not be able to see very good hourly rates.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101
Consulting Contracts: Computers are Expendible
As an example, a $600 consumer-level PC will not probably be thought of as worth repairs after the warranty expires. Small businesses will not be willing to spend the money on this type of repair and will most likely just purchase a new machine.
Consulting Contracts: Low Labor Allowances
National service organizations are just dealing with warranty repairs on inexpensive hardware, so they will not have much of a labor allowance for consulting contracts when it comes to $1,200 notebooks. Many hardware vendors are struggling so much that they are always about to go out of business, and there are only a select few that are in a good financial position.
Low Profit Margin for Repairs in Consulting Contracts
You can’t expect to make more than fifty or a hundred dollars on a repair. Your best bet for revenue is small businesses in need of sophisticated, regular solutions and consulting contracts.
Why Consulting Contracts with National Service Providers are Not Profitable
If you are a subcontractor for a national service provider you won’t be able to effectively run your consulting business. You will be in eight different offices daily and will not be able to see very good hourly rates.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Making Sure You Get Paid for IT Consulting
Getting a deposit check for major IT consulting projects is incredibly important. No IT consulting professional should begin a large project based on a handshake.
IT Consulting: Don’t Let Others Take Advantage
Many small business owners will not even think twice about using you for your IT consulting services without proper payment. If you let them, you risk the future of your IT consulting business. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you and always secure a proper agreement and deposit check when starting any major project.
IT Consulting: The Importance of Payment Schedules
Payment schedules can protect your IT consulting business from harm. You should set up a payment schedule that demands at least 25% down before any work begins. If anyone objects, you might want to think twice about starting a relationship.
IT Consulting and Getting Paid
Bill clients weekly and not just when you feel like it as part of your IT consulting procedures. IT consulting invoices need to go out every week.
Created By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
IT Consulting: Don’t Let Others Take Advantage
Many small business owners will not even think twice about using you for your IT consulting services without proper payment. If you let them, you risk the future of your IT consulting business. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you and always secure a proper agreement and deposit check when starting any major project.
IT Consulting: The Importance of Payment Schedules
Payment schedules can protect your IT consulting business from harm. You should set up a payment schedule that demands at least 25% down before any work begins. If anyone objects, you might want to think twice about starting a relationship.
IT Consulting and Getting Paid
Bill clients weekly and not just when you feel like it as part of your IT consulting procedures. IT consulting invoices need to go out every week.
Created By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
Monday, April 09, 2007
PC Troubleshooting Advice from Computer Consulting 101
Small businesses benefit from the help of local computer consulting companies to handle major computer problems. However, many simple computer problems can be dealt with easily and without the help of a computer consulting professional. Computer Consulting 101 provides the following advice for small business owners and employees: when encountering a computer problem, simply reboot.
This may seem like overly simple advice, but those at Computer Consulting 101 have found that users often forget about it in the midst of panic. And rebooting can save valuable time and dollars spent on computer consulting advice that could be better used for serious issues that crop up in the future.
Computer Consulting 101: The Rebooting Process
1. Exit out of all files and programs.
2. Go through a standard shutdown and restart sequence to reboot.
If your computer problem is related to hardware such as network cards, modems, a mouse, keyboards or sound cards, you can add the following sequence to your reboot before calling computer consulting professionals:
1. Go to the start menu.
2. Shut down your PC.
3. Turn the power off for a minute or more, if your computer did not shut itself down.
4. Turn your PC back on and see if the problem fixed itself.
The Bottom Line About Rebooting from Computer Consulting 101
About 10-20 percent of the time computer problems can be solved with a simple reboot. Take the advice from Computer Consulting 101 and always reboot your PC before calling in for help from professionals.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
This may seem like overly simple advice, but those at Computer Consulting 101 have found that users often forget about it in the midst of panic. And rebooting can save valuable time and dollars spent on computer consulting advice that could be better used for serious issues that crop up in the future.
Computer Consulting 101: The Rebooting Process
1. Exit out of all files and programs.
2. Go through a standard shutdown and restart sequence to reboot.
If your computer problem is related to hardware such as network cards, modems, a mouse, keyboards or sound cards, you can add the following sequence to your reboot before calling computer consulting professionals:
1. Go to the start menu.
2. Shut down your PC.
3. Turn the power off for a minute or more, if your computer did not shut itself down.
4. Turn your PC back on and see if the problem fixed itself.
The Bottom Line About Rebooting from Computer Consulting 101
About 10-20 percent of the time computer problems can be solved with a simple reboot. Take the advice from Computer Consulting 101 and always reboot your PC before calling in for help from professionals.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Saturday, April 07, 2007
IT Sales: Go Beyond the Initial Call
The initial IT sales call is mainly an opportunity to qualify a lead. By qualifying leads you save time before getting really involved in the IT sales process and move more quickly onto the next step.
No Games of “20 Questions”
Often during an initial IT sales conversation, prospects will ask a lot of interview questions. If you don’t know how to cut them off, you will find yourself without the chance to ask prospects important questions about their needs to gauge the fitness of the relationship.
Cut the prospect off during the initial IT sales call after you’ve taken some notes describing their problems and urge the prospect to talk to you about the next step. Start this process as soon as you’ve finished your IT sales presentation, and suggest the next step of having a technician return for a site survey.
The Next Step of IT Sales: A Site Survey
A site survey helps you inventory problems and prioritize. You and the prospect can use this part of the IT sales process to help decide what will come first, second, third and so-on.
The site survey will include a report that tracks everything from their security to software licensing and data protection.
Make sure to cut off prospects before questions get out of hand as part of the IT sales process and have a better shot at getting to the next steps.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
No Games of “20 Questions”
Often during an initial IT sales conversation, prospects will ask a lot of interview questions. If you don’t know how to cut them off, you will find yourself without the chance to ask prospects important questions about their needs to gauge the fitness of the relationship.
Cut the prospect off during the initial IT sales call after you’ve taken some notes describing their problems and urge the prospect to talk to you about the next step. Start this process as soon as you’ve finished your IT sales presentation, and suggest the next step of having a technician return for a site survey.
The Next Step of IT Sales: A Site Survey
A site survey helps you inventory problems and prioritize. You and the prospect can use this part of the IT sales process to help decide what will come first, second, third and so-on.
The site survey will include a report that tracks everything from their security to software licensing and data protection.
Make sure to cut off prospects before questions get out of hand as part of the IT sales process and have a better shot at getting to the next steps.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
Monday, April 02, 2007
IT Consulting: Ways to Accomplish a Business Launch Gradually
IT consulting requires you to have a clear launch plan for your business. There are 21 steps that can take you all the way to Day 1 of your IT consulting business and decrease or even eliminate many of the risks associated with start-up. The following represent the first three of these steps.
1. Overcome three weaknesses. Pick three areas that need work and try to work on fixing them in the next 90 days. These can be related to personality, business or technical skills. Don’t try to learn absolutely everything at once. Clients will ultimately hire you because you can get the work done and find someone that knows answers if you are unclear.
2. Find out the size of client businesses that are your best match. With which niche and industry have you previously worked and with which industry do you have the most experiece. You will need at least 500 to 1,000 people for marketing your IT consulting business, and only a very small percentage of these will actually respond. Even smaller numbers will become sweet spot clients for your IT consulting business.
3. Choose a company name. Your company name needs to say exactly what you do and also show why you are special. Put across your geographic area or specialty or both. Make sure you test out your IT consulting name on others before committing to make sure you are making your point clear.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
1. Overcome three weaknesses. Pick three areas that need work and try to work on fixing them in the next 90 days. These can be related to personality, business or technical skills. Don’t try to learn absolutely everything at once. Clients will ultimately hire you because you can get the work done and find someone that knows answers if you are unclear.
2. Find out the size of client businesses that are your best match. With which niche and industry have you previously worked and with which industry do you have the most experiece. You will need at least 500 to 1,000 people for marketing your IT consulting business, and only a very small percentage of these will actually respond. Even smaller numbers will become sweet spot clients for your IT consulting business.
3. Choose a company name. Your company name needs to say exactly what you do and also show why you are special. Put across your geographic area or specialty or both. Make sure you test out your IT consulting name on others before committing to make sure you are making your point clear.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
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