When you are starting out as a consultant looking to get involved with computer support jobs, you might only have basic desktop support level tech skills. But you have to make sure you get paying clients – computer support jobs that fit your current tech skills comfort level. Which clients should you pursue first?
You need to start out working with home offices and small stand-alone businesses and companies with very small peer-to-peer simple networks. This way you will get some paying clients as well as reference accounts.
One-Shot Deals Can Lead to Better Computer Support Jobs
Even if you start out by doing one-shot deals, you have to go beyond. Your business will be successful when it is built on recurring revenue that comes from retainer agreements and very complex dedicated server solutions. When you are starting out in the process of getting computer support jobs you can take on smaller accounts. But you are going to have to move towards more complex, more profitable and long-term clients.
Keep up the Learning Process to get More Computer Support Jobs
If you think your lack of tech training is keeping you from clients that need a lot more from you, you should save some time each week for training, even if it is only just two or three hours worth. You can look at tutorials and resource kits and also install the not-for-resale (NFR) software and break the installation so you can continue to practice the setup.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
IT Sales Copy to Get You Going
Effective IT sales copy is essential to any marketing plan. If you want to get customers to the next step, you need to get maximum impact with your copywriting.
If you create compelling text, long IT sales copy is fine; you can even have a letter that is several pages long and includes endorsements and testimonials. Just stay away from jargon and IT speak and focus on BUSNIESS, which is what your prospects will know.
You should also show with IT sales copy that your business guarantees satisfaction. Personalize your letter and create a common connection to make sure you are creating compelling reasons for prospects to get in touch.
Make Sure Your IT Sales Copy Gets Through
A lot of IT sales letters can end up in the garbage, because a lot of people read their mail near the garbage can. If your piece of mail is not eye catching, it will be trashed, and you will have wasted time and money.
You need to make sure part of your IT sales copy gives people multiple points of contact – fax, phone, Web site and e-mail address. You need to make sure prospects have options and can get in touch with you in the way they feel most comfortable.
Are You Creating a Sense of Urgency?
You need to set a deadline with your IT sales letter to create a real sense of urgency. If you don’t have a deadline, even if prospects ARE interested, they will file it away and forget about it.
Present a call to action or special offer that asks prospects to call before X date to book a free, no obligation security checkup or some other compelling free offer that is of value to them. Give prospects a reason to react to your IT sales campaign immediately!
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
If you create compelling text, long IT sales copy is fine; you can even have a letter that is several pages long and includes endorsements and testimonials. Just stay away from jargon and IT speak and focus on BUSNIESS, which is what your prospects will know.
You should also show with IT sales copy that your business guarantees satisfaction. Personalize your letter and create a common connection to make sure you are creating compelling reasons for prospects to get in touch.
Make Sure Your IT Sales Copy Gets Through
A lot of IT sales letters can end up in the garbage, because a lot of people read their mail near the garbage can. If your piece of mail is not eye catching, it will be trashed, and you will have wasted time and money.
You need to make sure part of your IT sales copy gives people multiple points of contact – fax, phone, Web site and e-mail address. You need to make sure prospects have options and can get in touch with you in the way they feel most comfortable.
Are You Creating a Sense of Urgency?
You need to set a deadline with your IT sales letter to create a real sense of urgency. If you don’t have a deadline, even if prospects ARE interested, they will file it away and forget about it.
Present a call to action or special offer that asks prospects to call before X date to book a free, no obligation security checkup or some other compelling free offer that is of value to them. Give prospects a reason to react to your IT sales campaign immediately!
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Monday, February 11, 2008
Tips for the Computer Specialist Hiring Process
Many small business owners don’t know the first thing about hiring and managing a computer specialist and therefore can find themselves in hot water with a bad match for their company’s needs when they finally hire someone. If you need the help of a computer specialist for your business, you need to be very careful about the hiring process. The following tips can help you screen and interview a local computer specialist to find the best fit for you.
Where Does the Problem Start?
Most small business managers know what to ask when it comes to internal staff members, but hiring a computer specialist is a little trickier than the norm.
Aside from handling the legal issues of hiring a contracted employee (CONSULT YOUR ATTORNEY!), you need to know how to ask the right questions of a potential candidate for tech work. These hiring questions can be put into a checklist and used each time you interview someone new.
Part-time or Full-Time Computer Consulting?
1. “Do you have a day job or are you a moonlighter?”
Solo Practitioner or True Computer Consulting Business?
2. “Are there other people working at your company, or is it just you?”
3. “Are the other people working for you employees or contractors? What are their names and backgrounds, and how long have they been with the company?”
4. “Will the other people at your company be involved with my account?”
A Small Business or Large Company Computer Consulting Experience?
5. “What size is your typical client, in terms of number of PCs, employees and annual revenue?”
Generalist or Specialist Consulting Company?
6. “In what industry or vertical markets have you been working?”
7. “Which software applications and technology platforms do you support?”
8. “Which products, services and platforms do you NOT support and service?”
9. “Do you work with a specialty hardware, software or services vendor?”
The Main Idea about the Computer Specialist Hiring Process
The above questions are just some you can ask of candidates for outsourced tech services for your business. You need to understand important aspects of cost and also be able to properly evaluate a computer specialist in order to figure out whether or not he/she will work well with you.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Where Does the Problem Start?
Most small business managers know what to ask when it comes to internal staff members, but hiring a computer specialist is a little trickier than the norm.
Aside from handling the legal issues of hiring a contracted employee (CONSULT YOUR ATTORNEY!), you need to know how to ask the right questions of a potential candidate for tech work. These hiring questions can be put into a checklist and used each time you interview someone new.
Part-time or Full-Time Computer Consulting?
1. “Do you have a day job or are you a moonlighter?”
Solo Practitioner or True Computer Consulting Business?
2. “Are there other people working at your company, or is it just you?”
3. “Are the other people working for you employees or contractors? What are their names and backgrounds, and how long have they been with the company?”
4. “Will the other people at your company be involved with my account?”
A Small Business or Large Company Computer Consulting Experience?
5. “What size is your typical client, in terms of number of PCs, employees and annual revenue?”
Generalist or Specialist Consulting Company?
6. “In what industry or vertical markets have you been working?”
7. “Which software applications and technology platforms do you support?”
8. “Which products, services and platforms do you NOT support and service?”
9. “Do you work with a specialty hardware, software or services vendor?”
The Main Idea about the Computer Specialist Hiring Process
The above questions are just some you can ask of candidates for outsourced tech services for your business. You need to understand important aspects of cost and also be able to properly evaluate a computer specialist in order to figure out whether or not he/she will work well with you.
Added By: Computer Consulting Kit
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Computer Repair Business: Focus on Customer Service
When you are building your computer repair business, you need to think about what you can do from a customer service standpoint to sell more managed services and monitoring. Think about what the value would be to your clients if you could predict and prevent major issues before emergencies arise.
When planning how to market your computer repair business, think about specific situations. For example, if someone had $1,700 worth of virus-related services last quarter, what can you offer them that can prevent this in the future?
Which Services Can You Provide with Your Computer Repair Business?
Think about what you need to offer your clients. Do you need to give them more virus protection or just more end user training? Look at your service tickets for your computer repair business and identify patterns. When you really gauge what you need to do, you are providing excellent customer service because you are truly anticipating needs.
Be Proactive!
You and your computer repair business staff members need to be proactive about how you deal with relationships and anticipate your clients’ needs ahead of time. You should learn for what you should be looking.
You also need to provide rewards for the technical staff of your computer repair business and pass along opportunities. Compensate account managers and staff based on customer satisfaction ratings so you are constantly putting the focus on customer service.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
When planning how to market your computer repair business, think about specific situations. For example, if someone had $1,700 worth of virus-related services last quarter, what can you offer them that can prevent this in the future?
Which Services Can You Provide with Your Computer Repair Business?
Think about what you need to offer your clients. Do you need to give them more virus protection or just more end user training? Look at your service tickets for your computer repair business and identify patterns. When you really gauge what you need to do, you are providing excellent customer service because you are truly anticipating needs.
Be Proactive!
You and your computer repair business staff members need to be proactive about how you deal with relationships and anticipate your clients’ needs ahead of time. You should learn for what you should be looking.
You also need to provide rewards for the technical staff of your computer repair business and pass along opportunities. Compensate account managers and staff based on customer satisfaction ratings so you are constantly putting the focus on customer service.
Added By: Joshua Feinberg
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