Why you can't market to everybody...

Have you ever opened up one of those coupon packs that you get in the mail, and seen some local computer shop advertising a $49 service call?

How can they afford to do that? (Here's a hint... they really can't!)

Or have you ever seen some computer services business advertising $99 computer installations in the local throw-away newspaper?

Guess what you've just witnessed?

Donations....

Clueless local competitors literally flushing their advertising dollars down the drain.

These folks are making NON-deductible "donations" to overly aggressive, seemingly-friendly sales people promising the earth, moon, sun and stars.

So be very careful of WHO you copy!

The odds of finding a targeted, small business, B2B decision-maker, reading that piece, at EXACTLY that moment, who EXACTLY at the moment has a BURNING need for your computer services ...who's drawn in by a lame, institutional piece, with no compelling copy or call to action... This entire premise is SO ridiculously far-fetched that you may as well be buying lottery tickets.

What are these poor misguided business owners doing when they make these egregious, all-to-common promotional errors?

They're BROADCASTING their poorly-worded messages to 99.999% of the WRONG people.

When you need to be NARROWCASTING to the RIGHT people.

Remember, unless you have the marketing budget of a company like Office Depot, Microsoft, Dell, or Target, you can't afford to "invest" in "branding" activities.

You need to work smarter... MUCH smarter.

And avoid falling into the trap of trying to market to "everyone".

So, if you want to reach the best small business IT prospects (what I call the "sweet spot" of small business computer consulting), you need a highly-effective, field-tested plan for promoting your services DIRECTLY to highly-select decision makers.

And remember, marketing to "everyone" is like marketing to no one.... You need a BETTER plan of attack.

Best,

- Joshua


Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/

You can't be all things...

Do you call your company's business model "virtual IT"?

Do you try to position your firm essentially as your clients' outsourced IT department?

Or yourself, as your clients' virtual IT director?

Or virtual CIO?

That's all well and good and everything.

BUT, there's a hidden danger in all this.

Especially if you're a solo practice computer consultant.

And it can even be an issue if your firm has several talented systems engineers.

What's the problem you ask?

Trying to be ALL things.

For example, you or one of your senior technical staffers may have GREAT MCSE-level, or CIE-level, NOS or WAN technical skills.

But what happens when a valued client asks for help with getting some Macintosh systems to share some Microsoft Office files with PC's?

What happens when a client needs you to get AS/400 data out to an Intranet?

Do you have this diverse roster of skills in-house?

If so, great!

If not, remember, you can't be all things.

Don't put your client relationships in jeopardy by trying to learn new platforms or technologies on their nickel.

And you probably don't want to risk losing account control either by telling your client to go out and find a Mac or AS/400 consultant.

The best way?

Generally partnering and subcontracting.

So if your company needs to excel at being a great virtual IT department for your clients, remember, you may not be able to be all things to your clients.

But you should at least, take charge of managing ALL of the key pieces of your clients' IT infrastructures.


Best,

- Joshua


Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/

Are you head-over-heels?

Question for you...

How do you decide what kinds of consulting services to provide and what kinds of products to support?

There are a number of wrong ways to go through this process, but only a few RIGHT ways to figure this out.

If you want to avoid YEARS of painful mistakes in this area, let me show you how you can get it right the first time around.

There are two basic ways to approach this

Approach A

You find a product or platform that you enjoy working with, that sounds really cool and nifty and sounds like every business wants it and needs it. Then you

>> Read every book you can get your hands on, on this topic

>> Study every cbt & resource kit out there

>> Attend every workshop and conference being held about this product

>> Spend several hours each week reading all the newsgroup posts

>> Spend a day or two every week studying for certification exams

Then after you’ve done all this, pay some REAL bucks and join a partner program, because the vendor promises that they're going to send you all their great leads.

So 80 hours & $7,500 later, guess what you have?

Bupkas... Nada... Nothing!

Now you're first ready to go out and look for clients who need this product or platform.

So after being effectively brainwashed at a channel program event, you're programmed to spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to EDUCATE prospects and CONVINCE them that

A) they have A problem

B) it's THIS particular problem

C) you have THE solution

D) the benefits of the solution by far outweigh the cost

E) there's some urgency to get off the fence & do something

If you're starting to wonder who in their right mind would succumb to such a disastrous business development plan,you're on the right track and ready to hear about what actually DOES work!

Meet APPROACH B

Start talking to VERY specific business owners and managers that are most likely to REGULARLY NEED IT services.

To learn about

a) what to ask prospects?

b) how to ask prospects?

c) how to respond to different scenarios?

d) how to structure and control your early meetings?

e) how to move prospects to action?

f) how to turn one-time-customers into long-term, steady high-paying clients?


Whatever you do, please please please

don't be seduced by a fast-talking salesperson....

don't get brainwashed into believing a particular platform or technology is the ONLY way to go, or the best thing since sliced bread

don't try to grow your business backwards

Remember, at the end of the day, it's all about delivering what your PAYING clients need... not what you want them to need.

Best,

- Joshua


Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/

How to keep your competitors away from your prospects

Have you ever lost a project that you bid on to a competitor?

C'mon... be honest.

Listen, it's no big deal to just lose a project or two, a few times a year.

No one, not even me, has a 100% batting average.

But what happens when we're not talking about losing one or two projects a year?

What happens when you're losing one or two projects a month that way?

Non-sense you say?

Have you ever taken time to follow-up on EVERY proposal or price quote you've put out there to prospects?

While a significant percentage of your prospects (perhaps 1/4 to 1/3) may be professional procrastinators and decide to do nothing...

The vast majority of your prospects will end up hiring SOMEONE's consulting company to do the job.

But do you know why someone else is getting that job instead of your firm?

One very simple reason...

Your competitor cared enough to follow-up!

It's really that simple. Whether it was a phone call, an e-mail, a personal note, an impromptu visit...

Your competitor happened to be in the right place, at the right time... when your prospect's server went down for the 3rd time this month.

Now why didn't your prospect, that you haven't spoken to in 6 months, remember how hard you worked on that proposal?

And why didn't your prospect remember to call you?

Like they say,

Out of sight, out of mind.

You snooze, you lose.

So if you want to make sure that your competitors don't steal away your best prospects, make sure that YOUR firm has at least a decent follow-up process.

And for that matter a decent overall sales process.

Remember, you CAN’T just keep calling and asking,"Are you ready to buy yet?"

Best,

- Joshua


Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/

Are there holes in your bucket?

It's been said by many that generating new business is like making it "rain" (or simply rainmaking).

Think about your leads and prospects like little seedlings that need constant nurturing and "watering" (i.e. follow-up activities).

When you water enough seedlings, sooner or later your prospects will mature into full-blown steady clients.

Take good care of your clients (over-deliver on value and exceptional service) and you'll build up quite a respectable consulting business with lots of extremely desirable, steady, high-paying clients.

However, there's a basic problem with this kind of thinking:

It ignores an EXTREMELY important reality:

Your bucket isn't perfect.

No "watering" method is perfect, because your lead generation, lead qualification and sales call watering buckets all have HOLES in them.

And when you're trying to keep your billable hours bucket constantly filled up with "water", you have to make sure that you're adding water to that bucket AT LEAST as fast as the bucket is springing leaks.

What causes your "bucket" to leak?

"Water" (billable hours) will seep out of your "bucket" (bottom line) because of

** Client attrition through management or ownership changes,

** Completed projects,

** Slow payment history,

** Loss of key employees or contractors

So how do you make sure that you're able to add water to your revenue-generating bucket, time-efficiently and cost-effectively?

You need a kick-butt plan for

1) generating great leads and prospects

2) qualifying leads and prospects

3) conveying value during your initial meetings

4) moving your prospects from free to FEE

5) locking-in recurring revenue with long-term projects and ongoing maintenance agreements

So if you need to make sure that you don't end up killing-off your business during a draught, if you need to make sure you have time- and cost-effective ways to continue "watering" your prospects and clients on a regular basis, make sure you have the right tools at your disposal.

Because, frankly if you try to fill your "bucket" with a fire hose, you'll completely lose control of the "water flow", go broke and fall flat on your face.

If you try to fill your "bucket" with an eye dropper, it'll be like watching glaciers move.


Best,

- Joshua


Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/

Why minimum wage?

Do YOU fall into this ultra-common trap?

The trap you ask?

Working for minimum wage.

I'm serious.

Now, bear in mind I'm not talking about flipping burgers down at the local fast food joint. I'm not talking about pumping gas.

But what I AM talking about is working for WAY, WAY under your computer consulting firm's true market value.

For example, in most major metro markets in the U.S., computer consultants, that work with sweet spot small businesses, are able to bill out in the neighborhood of $100+ per hour.

Yet, every once in a while, we hear of a true tragedy...

It usually goes something like this...

A newbie is working 60 hours a week and only grossing a paltry $1,200 per week for this breakneck pace.

When we probe a little deeper, we usually discover a few things.

a) No understanding of the difference between "gross billing" and net (of expenses, taxes, etc.)

The newbie is usually under the mistaken notion that $60,000 year in gross billing (50 weeks/year x $1,200/week) is enough to sustain a computer consulting business. This may be some cold water in your face, but in almost all cases it's NOT! Not even close.

After taxes, overhead, and marketing expenses, you'd be lucky if you could afford to "pay" yourself a $400/week salary... basically $10/hour IT minimum wage.

You may as well call your company a non-profit at that point. Actually, you're probably a LOT worse off. Because even non-profit agencies pay their IT staff more.

b) No understanding of how others around the country and in their local marketplace conduct business.

In other words, why in your right mind would you bill your firm out at $40/hour... when your competitors, with nearly identical skills and similar clients, are billing two to three times that amount?!?

c) No understanding of how to target market, to effectively locate prospective clients that have a need and budget for premium, professional IT services.

Mix (a) + (b) + (c) and you have a true recipe for tragic business disaster...

In other words, a truly half-baked business model that will fail. It's only a matter of time.

Fortunately, all of the above IS preventable.

Your computer consulting firm is not supposed to be a non-profit agency. You must be able to reap a profit... and be able to pay yourself (and your staff) competitive wages. If you can't,
something REALLY major is wrong.

Best,
- Joshua

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com
http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/

How marketable are your IT consulting skills?

A lot of new computer consultants often e-mail or call me to ask whether I think their skills and background are well-suited for small business computer consulting.

So let me give you my insight.

Unfortunately a lot of beginners sell themselves short ...very short ...and don't realize just how valuable and marketable their technical skills ARE!

I've found there are all different levels.

Just as there are all different levels of IT professionals (from level 1 help desk all the way through to senior systems architects, IT directors, etc.), there are all different levels of small business IT consultants.

For the most part though, small businesses are often YEARS behind the curve technology-wise and can often benefit greatly even from rather basic desktop support IT skill-sets (i.e. help with Microsoft Office, notebooks, PDAs, QuickBooks, ACT!, etc.).

If you pursue this route, you should definitely partner up with some other computer consultants for more technical tasks (LANs, WANs, software development, etc.).

Do your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. come to you for informal computer help?

In other words, do others see you as an expert?

If so, there's more than likely a good, strong viable marketplace for your background.

If you enjoy working with technology and helping other people solve their computer problems, and you're good at showing other people how to use PCs and software to solve their business problems, small business computer consulting can be a great way to go.

Best,
- Joshua

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder ComputerConsulting101.com http://www.computerconsultingkit.com/