Computer Consulting: Find Your Prospects

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Finding your prospects among all your computer consulting leads can be a challenge, but there are some things you can look for that will help you narrow the selection process down significantly. Narrowing your computer consulting focus is one technique, but there some other big strategies.

Three Different Audience Sizes

How big should the companies you target with your computer consulting business be? One arena is the micro small business market – companies that just have a few PCs, a small number of employees. This size is challenging for computer consulting because these businesses are not typically looking for IT support.

The sweet spot of computer consulting is the nest step up and is typically the most popular target area amidst professionals. Computer consultants do well in this area of 10 – 50 PCs. At this size of company, professionals will find that downtime is more expensive and as a computer consulting expert, you can make a strong case when selling them on your services by explaining to them how costly technology problems can be.

The next step up is the borderline of the small business market and the bottom of medium-sized businesses. At this stage, you might find IT services bills that approach the same amount as a full-time, salaried IT manager. They will no longer need to outsource generalist computer consulting roles, because they will do better with an on-site person.

If you want to really narrow down your computer consulting focus and find good prospects, you need to define your ideal client and target.

Added By: Computer Consulting Kit

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Get Rid of Computer Consulting Time Wasters

Monday, November 26, 2007

When you are working in computer consulting, you are selling your personality, charisma and business knowledge. But your time is at a premium and you can’t afford to waste it. You have to keep track of every hour, whether billable, sales-related, prospecting or administrative.

How do you figure out what is worth your time?

Is It a Computer Consulting Emergency

If you need to get rid of those that will waste your time and be more efficient, you have to know their sense of urgency. Is it a server down issue that is affecting 27 workers and destroying productivity? Then it’s a pretty urgent computer consulting need.

It could be something much less urgent, like a broken PDA or something that affects just one person. Figure out what the situation is and whether it is a good use of your computer consulting time or not.

Identify the Budget

When you know what a company’s budget is from the beginning you can figure out if you are wasting your time. If a prospect has no money, you should not be continuing the conversation about computer consulting. Put them on a follow-up list for three or six months to find out if they have money in the future, but otherwise, let it go.

Computer Consulting and Tact

You can’t ask someone flat-out whether or not he/she is too broke to afford your services. You can, however investigate by asking questions about current computer consulting support or how a prospect has received it in the past. If a prospect has only used volunteers or moonlighters previously, you can guess this person does not have the money to pay you for your services.

On the flip side, you might find out a prospect is already working with another VAR – a competitor even – at which point you know the prospect would be able to afford your services.

What is the Level of Pain?

You need to ask yourself how much pain a prospect is in, and if you can offer an effective computer consulting solution that will fix it. This will determine whether or not the relationship is worth it, and whether a prospect – or you – will be wasting time by pursuing a relationship.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

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Finding Sweet Spot Computer Consulting Clients

Saturday, November 17, 2007

If you want to do great business with your computer consulting business, you need to decide to work with the sweet spot of small businesses.

But how do you decide who fits into this category? How do you really figure out which prospects will bring you enough recurring revenue to be real sweet spot clients?

What Are the Signs of Sweet Spot Computer Consulting Clients?

Sweet spot clients are located no more than 30-50 minutes driving distance from your home base. You want to be able to get plenty of face time with them and get there quickly in emergencies. You don’t want to have to sit in traffic and waste valuable billing hours.

Finding Local Sweet Spot Clients

To get great computer consulting prospects, you can rent direct mail lists that provide information on businesses in the range of 0 – 50 miles or 0 – 80 kilometers. You can also join local organizations located within a half an hour or an hour of your business.

How Big Are These Clients?

Computer consulting sweet spot clients have 10 – 50 computers, 10 – 100 employees and a million to 10 million dollars in sales. You can also find sweet spot clients by going through local accounting firms and other trusted business advisors. You are going to fall into this “trusted advisors” category too, so you should position yourself right in the middle of it from the beginning.

Well-Connected Businesses

Sweet spot computer consulting clients have strong relationships with other business advisors, typically through outsourcing. They will have relationships with attorneys, accountants, advertising consultants, graphic designers and others, and so they already value the type of relationship you are trying to develop.

Get to sweet spot small business clients in computer consulting by going through companies with which they will work at networking events.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

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Get the Computer Consulting Word Out

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Your current computer consulting business clients, friends and family have to know all about your business. They should know which kinds of companies you serve, what you do and also that you are very appreciative of referrals.

When you ask really good open-ended questions, you might find thyat a simple discussion turns into a $10,000 or even $15,000 opportunity.

What Did You Overhear?

Sometimes you might overhear conversations in your computer consulting work that tell you someone needs your help. You may get a client asking on behalf of someone in accounting at the same business that is having the same problem over and over again. This is your chance to snag a new opportunity.

The Best Questions Are Open Ended

You need to get customers talking in constructive ways about your computer consulting business. Instead of asking them, “Are we doing a good job?” you can ask questions that lead to more than a “Yes” or “No” answer. For example:

“How are we doing?”

“How else can we help?”

“What do you like about the service we’re providing?”

“How can we improve?”

Take Information to Improve Your Computer Consulting Business

Any information you get from customers and clients can be used to make improvements and create new ways of working in relationships that can benefit both you and your computer consulting clients.

Submitted By: Joshua Feinberg

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What's Your Computer Consulting Business Client Criteria?

Monday, November 5, 2007

If you are looking for high-quality customers and clients for your computer consulting business, you need to know some qualifying criteria.

Proximity

A prospect/customer/client for your computer consulting business should be within a 30 – 60-minute drive from your location. Proximity is also important to the networking events you attend and any part of your marketing campaign.

Client Size

When you are trying to find prospects for your computer consulting business, you need to find businesses with 10 – 50 PC’s. The concept behind this is that the prospect should be big enough to need a real server, which typically means the company has 10 – 100 employees and usually $1 million - $10 million in annual sales. You will need this information to help you with marketing activities.

What Should Prospects Use?

Potential clients should have their own e-mail domain, so you will want to know how computer consulting business prospects get and send e-mails in your first meeting. Ideal prospects will usually have a dedicated server or internet access and therefore, more sophisticated IT needs.

Are Prospects Serious about IT?

If you encounter a prospect without a dedicated server or Internet access or if they have a P2P server, you probably want to keep looking.

The Main Idea about Computer Consulting Business Prospects

Any prospective client you are targeting for your computer consulting business should be devoted to supporting his/her IT assets.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

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