There are many ways to determine whether or not you should get involved in subcontracting relationships.
Your first order of business will be deciding what in-house techs can manage by themselves and how you can supplement this with the right additional employees or subcontracting partners. If you are a small consulting firm, you will not be able to hire someone with five different certifications and pay huge salaries. This is the time to think about subcontracting.
Deciding What to Do with Subcontracting Relationships
If you think you can afford an expensive person with a lot of certifications and keep this person busy, you will still have a hard time getting the person excited about fixing jammed laser printers, hooking up PDAs to computers or reinstalling simple software. This type of work is a waste of subcontracting time and an ego destroyer for someone with senior qualifications, so you probably want to try developing subcontracting relationships for work that is more specialized.
Beginning computer consultants should have good junior technicians on staff already that can work with hardware troubleshooting and hooking up PCs to LANs. Try subcontracting work installing servers and installing and troubleshooting SQL Server and Exchange Server and firewalls.
The Bottom Line About Subcontracting
As you start to perform tasks that fall into the IT services realm, you will encounter more situations in which clients are looking for specialty work beyond what you do. Developing subcontracting relationships with non-competing firms are an excellent way to develop trusting subcontracting relationships.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
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Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
IT Consulting: What Business Skills Do You Need to Succeed?
If you want to get involved with IT consulting, you have to know more than just information about technology. Business skills are critical to IT consulting, and you need to develop them in order to be successful.
Good Data Management for Organization
You need to be well-versed in spreadsheet maintenance and know Excel very well to do well in IT consulting. You will have a lot of data to deal with for both internal and client use, and knowing how to efficiently manage it will avoid wasting time.
Use the Phone
In IT consulting, your verbal skills have to be great, and you have to be able to talk comfortably on the phone. You will be using the phone to follow up with leads and set up appointments. You will also be offering tech support and collecting on invoices and other debts.
Speak Well in Public
You will need to hold small group presentations as part of IT consulting, whether with an internal training or on a sales call. You will be talking to as many as 10 people at once sometimes and sometimes more, so your public speaking skills have to be well developed.
Use Proper Grammar and Watch Your Spelling!
Your word processing and email communication skills have to be good to deal well with clients, prospects and partners. These skills are extremely important if you want to put your best foot forward at all times in IT consulting.
The Big Idea About IT Consulting and Business Skills
A lot of your IT consulting success depends on business skills. Make sure you develop them well so you can have a long-lasting business.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Good Data Management for Organization
You need to be well-versed in spreadsheet maintenance and know Excel very well to do well in IT consulting. You will have a lot of data to deal with for both internal and client use, and knowing how to efficiently manage it will avoid wasting time.
Use the Phone
In IT consulting, your verbal skills have to be great, and you have to be able to talk comfortably on the phone. You will be using the phone to follow up with leads and set up appointments. You will also be offering tech support and collecting on invoices and other debts.
Speak Well in Public
You will need to hold small group presentations as part of IT consulting, whether with an internal training or on a sales call. You will be talking to as many as 10 people at once sometimes and sometimes more, so your public speaking skills have to be well developed.
Use Proper Grammar and Watch Your Spelling!
Your word processing and email communication skills have to be good to deal well with clients, prospects and partners. These skills are extremely important if you want to put your best foot forward at all times in IT consulting.
The Big Idea About IT Consulting and Business Skills
A lot of your IT consulting success depends on business skills. Make sure you develop them well so you can have a long-lasting business.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course Web site updated
The Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course Web site has been updated and now includes information on
- Easy-to-Customize Templates -- immediately downloadable sample document. Learn all about the templates that come along with the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, and hear the author describe them first hand.
- Audio Training Programs -- gives you all the details on the 14 hours of immediately-downloadable audio training programs that come along with the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course. Listen to select audio excerpts from these training programs.
- Sample Tips and Excerpts
- Immediately Downloadable Training Resources
- Field-Tested, PROVEN Results -- Read about, listen to, and watch how field-tested, PROVEN results, strategies and techniques have already DRAMATICALLY changed the businesses and lives of 176 people all over the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and many other nations around the World... from complete beginners, all the way to those in business since the 1980's!
- Guarantee -- Learn about how your Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course is fully protected by our famous 10 Times Return-on-Investment (ROI) Money Back Guarantee.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) -- provides answers to the most frequently asked questions that people have asked about the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course.
- Special Bonuses -- find out about free Special Bonuses that are available for a VERY limited time.
- Contact Us -- shows who to contact if you have pre-sales or post-sales questions.
- Press Kit -- includes an author backgrounder and links to author media coverage.
- About Us -- provides general background information on the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, its publisher, and why the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course is so different.
Monday, May 21, 2007
IT Consulting: How to Earn Income During Start-Up
During the start-up phase of your IT consulting business, you should be getting leads and prospects through demand generation, qualifying these prospects and leads and going out and following up on sales meetings. You can’t afford to get strong-armed into joining a channel program or by the latest gadgets that do not serve an immediate purpose with clients.
Stay Away from Channel Programs
During the start-up phase of an IT consulting business, don’t get suckered into joining channel programs that won’t help your business. Focus on finding paying clients above all else.
How Will You Get Paid?
You need to figure out a structured way of ensuring payment with new IT consulting clients. Get payment as you do the work or get credit card authorization, particularly when products are a part of the transaction, such as hardware, software or peripherals.
You will need to get a merchant account if you want to take credit cards. Never give credit and especially not without doing a regular credit application and check.
Ask for Deposits
Always get a deposit check from IT consulting customers and clients, particularly in the case of a product purchase. A big IT consulting project with services, installation, design work, troubleshooting or upgrades needs to have a substantial deposit attached. Your deposits should be about 10 to 25% upfront, minimally, ideally as much as 35%.
The Main Idea About IT Consulting Start-Up
During the start-up phase of your IT consulting business, make sure to bill regularly and put a due-date on invoices to ensure you get paid for your services.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg
Stay Away from Channel Programs
During the start-up phase of an IT consulting business, don’t get suckered into joining channel programs that won’t help your business. Focus on finding paying clients above all else.
How Will You Get Paid?
You need to figure out a structured way of ensuring payment with new IT consulting clients. Get payment as you do the work or get credit card authorization, particularly when products are a part of the transaction, such as hardware, software or peripherals.
You will need to get a merchant account if you want to take credit cards. Never give credit and especially not without doing a regular credit application and check.
Ask for Deposits
Always get a deposit check from IT consulting customers and clients, particularly in the case of a product purchase. A big IT consulting project with services, installation, design work, troubleshooting or upgrades needs to have a substantial deposit attached. Your deposits should be about 10 to 25% upfront, minimally, ideally as much as 35%.
The Main Idea About IT Consulting Start-Up
During the start-up phase of your IT consulting business, make sure to bill regularly and put a due-date on invoices to ensure you get paid for your services.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg
Saturday, May 19, 2007
IT Sales: Stress What Makes You Unique to Prospects and Clients
If you want to increase your IT sales successes, you have to show your clients and prospects that your benefits are different from everyone else’s.
IT Sales and Benefits: An Example
Let’s say you move to a new location in a 27-story building that houses a lot of high-end firms. There are other similar buildings in the neighborhood, and you may wonder if you should capitalize on the closeness.
The truth is, the presence of other firms can help you own the whole area. Your unique benefit is that you are right there, and you can get things done more quickly and better and cheaper than another person that is not there.
IT Sales: Sell Your Own Uniqueness
When you are selling your service agreements, you can lead into it by giving a guaranteed response time. Because you are right in the neighborhood, you can make blatant promises that you can be at their offices within 60 minutes in the case of a downed server or other emergency that happens during regular business hours. Further bolster your guarantee with $100 off your bill that month if you are at all late.
If you can get a large number of clients in the immediate area, and your staff is right there, the atmosphere becomes like a corporate campus and IT sales become easier. There is no travel time, and staff utilization rates can be higher than normal.
IT Sales: How Do You Find the Best Businesses?
In order to locate these businesses, do a survey. Mail something out to every decision maker in your building and those adjacent. The survey should ask questions such as the following questions:
1. How many PCs do you have?
2. How many employees do you have?
3. How do you get your IT support right now, and what do you like and dislike about it?
4. What is your biggest current business challenge, and what is your biggest current IT challenge?
The survey leading up to IT sales is just a means to get a response and gauge interest. A survey with basic questions should get a good response rate. Response generation should be as easy as going to the local coffee shop and meeting the regulars and people that go in and out of local offices regularly.
IT Sales is About Getting to Know People
You should get to know local shoe repair shops, food delivery people, mail carriers and UPS and FedEx drivers. You should get to know people that know your IT sales targets so you can network yourself into offices within the area.
IT Sales: The Big Idea
Take advantage of location and sell based on a guarantee to develop your brand and get more IT sales.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
IT Sales and Benefits: An Example
Let’s say you move to a new location in a 27-story building that houses a lot of high-end firms. There are other similar buildings in the neighborhood, and you may wonder if you should capitalize on the closeness.
The truth is, the presence of other firms can help you own the whole area. Your unique benefit is that you are right there, and you can get things done more quickly and better and cheaper than another person that is not there.
IT Sales: Sell Your Own Uniqueness
When you are selling your service agreements, you can lead into it by giving a guaranteed response time. Because you are right in the neighborhood, you can make blatant promises that you can be at their offices within 60 minutes in the case of a downed server or other emergency that happens during regular business hours. Further bolster your guarantee with $100 off your bill that month if you are at all late.
If you can get a large number of clients in the immediate area, and your staff is right there, the atmosphere becomes like a corporate campus and IT sales become easier. There is no travel time, and staff utilization rates can be higher than normal.
IT Sales: How Do You Find the Best Businesses?
In order to locate these businesses, do a survey. Mail something out to every decision maker in your building and those adjacent. The survey should ask questions such as the following questions:
1. How many PCs do you have?
2. How many employees do you have?
3. How do you get your IT support right now, and what do you like and dislike about it?
4. What is your biggest current business challenge, and what is your biggest current IT challenge?
The survey leading up to IT sales is just a means to get a response and gauge interest. A survey with basic questions should get a good response rate. Response generation should be as easy as going to the local coffee shop and meeting the regulars and people that go in and out of local offices regularly.
IT Sales is About Getting to Know People
You should get to know local shoe repair shops, food delivery people, mail carriers and UPS and FedEx drivers. You should get to know people that know your IT sales targets so you can network yourself into offices within the area.
IT Sales: The Big Idea
Take advantage of location and sell based on a guarantee to develop your brand and get more IT sales.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
Monday, May 14, 2007
IT Consulting and Trends of the Seasons
Those in IT consulting need to know about seasonal selling trends. You cannot expect someone to make a huge decision for an IT project during the following times unless it is an emergency: late summer; during the holidays.
IT Consulting: Stay Away from Standard Vacation Times
If you are running an IT consulting business you need to remember that most people will be vacationing off and on between early July and Labor Day, so you should not expect major IT purchases or decisions during this time. Therefore, if you have a lot of IT consulting leads in the winter and early spring, follow up in April, May and June.
IT Consulting: With Promotion of your Business, Timing is Everything
You should concentrate marketing and sales efforts in the fall, from Labor Day in early September until around Thanksgiving in November. These weeks are the key time to follow up on all IT consulting leads, hit the streets and go on a lot of sales calls so you can generate proposals and try to get big project commitments.
IT Consulting: No Commitment During the Holidays
In around mid- to late November, you will have a hard time getting people to agree to major IT consulting projects until after January 1st unless they have emergencies. Usually, they will object to sales by telling you your proposals sound great, but that they won’t be ready until after the 1st of the year.
IT Consulting: Seasonal Selling Trends Main Ideas
Be aware of the trends of the different seasons and use the information to plan the efforts of your IT consulting firm.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit
IT Consulting: Stay Away from Standard Vacation Times
If you are running an IT consulting business you need to remember that most people will be vacationing off and on between early July and Labor Day, so you should not expect major IT purchases or decisions during this time. Therefore, if you have a lot of IT consulting leads in the winter and early spring, follow up in April, May and June.
IT Consulting: With Promotion of your Business, Timing is Everything
You should concentrate marketing and sales efforts in the fall, from Labor Day in early September until around Thanksgiving in November. These weeks are the key time to follow up on all IT consulting leads, hit the streets and go on a lot of sales calls so you can generate proposals and try to get big project commitments.
IT Consulting: No Commitment During the Holidays
In around mid- to late November, you will have a hard time getting people to agree to major IT consulting projects until after January 1st unless they have emergencies. Usually, they will object to sales by telling you your proposals sound great, but that they won’t be ready until after the 1st of the year.
IT Consulting: Seasonal Selling Trends Main Ideas
Be aware of the trends of the different seasons and use the information to plan the efforts of your IT consulting firm.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit
Saturday, May 12, 2007
IT Specialist: The Real Way to Narrow Your Focus
You may wonder why you should be an IT specialist, which may imply to you turning away prospective clients. However, a true IT specialist focuses marketing efforts on finding enough prospects to which to market. An IT specialist chooses an area of focus that gives him/her ample prospects that will turn into clients that can grow and shape a consulting business.
To find a niche, think about your best clients. If they are small accounting offices, for example, you can do a search online to see how many small accounting offices are within a hour of where you are located. You can contact the industry trade groups or talk to a mailing list broker if this information is not readily available to you.
IT Specialist: Niche-Focused Marketing
Marketing to a niche is easier than general marketing because you know which trade publications you should contact for ads. You shouldn’t spend time or money on generic ads in newspapers, on the radio or in the phone book. Because you are an IT specialist, you can go straight to your niche.
Once you know what your expertise is as an IT specialist, you increase your worth to prospects. Your marketing message will ring truer to your targets because you are focusing on the people that will sit up and take interest in what you are saying.
IT Specialists Don’t Speak to the Masses
As an IT specialist, you don’t want a message that gets to everyone or you will attract those looking for the lowest price. You will be a commodity rather than a valuable professional service.
IT Specialist: Your Name Should Be Visible to Clients
If you know of a newsletter or magazine that prospects will read, put in a targeted ad for your company or write an article or get involved in the organization through a speaking engagement or event. Mention how your company provides IT solutions for that industry to get the right people to respond.
What it Means to Be an IT Specialist
There are a lot of ways to get to prospects that can use your services as an IT specialist. However, the most important thing to remember is to choose a niche that is enjoyable to you and lucrative enough to give you enough clients and top prices. Targeted marketing is essential if you want to be a successful IT specialist and part of this is finding a niche that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg
To find a niche, think about your best clients. If they are small accounting offices, for example, you can do a search online to see how many small accounting offices are within a hour of where you are located. You can contact the industry trade groups or talk to a mailing list broker if this information is not readily available to you.
IT Specialist: Niche-Focused Marketing
Marketing to a niche is easier than general marketing because you know which trade publications you should contact for ads. You shouldn’t spend time or money on generic ads in newspapers, on the radio or in the phone book. Because you are an IT specialist, you can go straight to your niche.
Once you know what your expertise is as an IT specialist, you increase your worth to prospects. Your marketing message will ring truer to your targets because you are focusing on the people that will sit up and take interest in what you are saying.
IT Specialists Don’t Speak to the Masses
As an IT specialist, you don’t want a message that gets to everyone or you will attract those looking for the lowest price. You will be a commodity rather than a valuable professional service.
IT Specialist: Your Name Should Be Visible to Clients
If you know of a newsletter or magazine that prospects will read, put in a targeted ad for your company or write an article or get involved in the organization through a speaking engagement or event. Mention how your company provides IT solutions for that industry to get the right people to respond.
What it Means to Be an IT Specialist
There are a lot of ways to get to prospects that can use your services as an IT specialist. However, the most important thing to remember is to choose a niche that is enjoyable to you and lucrative enough to give you enough clients and top prices. Targeted marketing is essential if you want to be a successful IT specialist and part of this is finding a niche that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg
Monday, May 07, 2007
IT Consulting: Become a Full-Time Professional
Determining the best time to leave a full-time job and become a full-time computer consultant can be challenging. The following tips can help you learn more about what schedule for launch will work best for you.
IT Consulting: You Need to Know Your Expenses
You have to know what your living expenses are before leaving your day job and embarking on a career as a full-time IT consulting professional. You also have to know what is in your IT consulting sales funnel to make the best decision.
IT Consulting: Be Ready for Surprises
You should have a plan already in place to handle bumps during the process of planning your IT consulting business. What happens if your launch date has to be sooner or later than expected? You might lose your day job suddenly and find yourself needing to start your IT consulting business today.
IT Consulting: You Need to Find Steady Clients
In order to be prepared to give you a steady paycheck ad benefits, vacation time and other perks and still have a livable life, you need to get steady clients and steady income. Your IT consulting business needs to have regular and committed clients to support you.
IT Consulting: Charge the Best Rates
You can’t undercharge clients or you will not be able to sustain your IT consulting business for the long haul. You need to charge top rates for your services to get the most serious clients and help your business succeed. Don’t cheat yourself or prevent yourself from having a successful IT consulting career by charging too little.
IT Consulting: Moonlighting and Next Steps
Moonlighting is a good option for many IT consulting professionals starting out. The Computer Consulting Kit offers a 21-step checklist for those looking to get through the first 90 days of start-up that includes adapting to sudden loss of job, etc. But while you wait for IT consulting start-up you can take moonlighting opportunities that will help build relationships.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
IT Consulting: You Need to Know Your Expenses
You have to know what your living expenses are before leaving your day job and embarking on a career as a full-time IT consulting professional. You also have to know what is in your IT consulting sales funnel to make the best decision.
IT Consulting: Be Ready for Surprises
You should have a plan already in place to handle bumps during the process of planning your IT consulting business. What happens if your launch date has to be sooner or later than expected? You might lose your day job suddenly and find yourself needing to start your IT consulting business today.
IT Consulting: You Need to Find Steady Clients
In order to be prepared to give you a steady paycheck ad benefits, vacation time and other perks and still have a livable life, you need to get steady clients and steady income. Your IT consulting business needs to have regular and committed clients to support you.
IT Consulting: Charge the Best Rates
You can’t undercharge clients or you will not be able to sustain your IT consulting business for the long haul. You need to charge top rates for your services to get the most serious clients and help your business succeed. Don’t cheat yourself or prevent yourself from having a successful IT consulting career by charging too little.
IT Consulting: Moonlighting and Next Steps
Moonlighting is a good option for many IT consulting professionals starting out. The Computer Consulting Kit offers a 21-step checklist for those looking to get through the first 90 days of start-up that includes adapting to sudden loss of job, etc. But while you wait for IT consulting start-up you can take moonlighting opportunities that will help build relationships.
Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
Saturday, May 05, 2007
A Computer Consulting Business Takes Time and Hands-On Work to Build
Starting up a computer consulting company is a time-intensive process that involves meting a lot of people and getting to know them. As a computer consulting professional, you will have to make a lot of follow-up calls, take out display ads and do direct mail campaigns and other marketing activities in order to establish real connections with people. Be realistic when planning out your computer consulting business and know it will be a very labor-intensive endeavor.
Computer Consulting: Franchises are Not Easy
A franchiser will not be handing you a client so don’t buy one if this is your expectation. Instead buy a current business if this is really your need, and then expect you will need a lot of capital to keep it going. Buying a small computer consulting firm can cost somewhere between a few hundred thousand to a few million dollars.
Computer Consulting Start-Up Costs
You can start your own computer consulting firm for as little as just a few thousand dollars. You will need a business phone number and voicemail, a cell phone, business cards and legal licensing registrations. You will also need to meet with an attorney and an accountant and get some insurance. Start-up costs are much higher with a franchise than with an independent computer consulting firm.
Computer Consulting: You Can’t Own a Franchise as a Control Freak
Franchises give you less control than other types of computer consulting businesses. You will have to do things an established way and will not have much leeway to do otherwise. Your company might be paying the franchiser a percentage of your company’s revenue forever. If you want flexibility, you probably don’t want to buy a computer consulting franchise.
The Big Idea About Computer Consulting Practices
You have some options when it comes to starting a computer consulting business. You can start an independent business, buy a franchise or else buy a pre-established business. Decide whether you want to start from scratch or get a client list and then be prepared to do some serious work.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
Computer Consulting: Franchises are Not Easy
A franchiser will not be handing you a client so don’t buy one if this is your expectation. Instead buy a current business if this is really your need, and then expect you will need a lot of capital to keep it going. Buying a small computer consulting firm can cost somewhere between a few hundred thousand to a few million dollars.
Computer Consulting Start-Up Costs
You can start your own computer consulting firm for as little as just a few thousand dollars. You will need a business phone number and voicemail, a cell phone, business cards and legal licensing registrations. You will also need to meet with an attorney and an accountant and get some insurance. Start-up costs are much higher with a franchise than with an independent computer consulting firm.
Computer Consulting: You Can’t Own a Franchise as a Control Freak
Franchises give you less control than other types of computer consulting businesses. You will have to do things an established way and will not have much leeway to do otherwise. Your company might be paying the franchiser a percentage of your company’s revenue forever. If you want flexibility, you probably don’t want to buy a computer consulting franchise.
The Big Idea About Computer Consulting Practices
You have some options when it comes to starting a computer consulting business. You can start an independent business, buy a franchise or else buy a pre-established business. Decide whether you want to start from scratch or get a client list and then be prepared to do some serious work.
Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit
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