While many small companies only call in a local computer consulting business when something computer-related breaks, there's a lot to be gained by forging a proactive, long-term relationship with a local computer consulting business in your area.
Consider Getting Advice from a Computer Consulting Business
If you need to get advice once-in-a-while on how your computers can be better utilized, or you have a specific computer-related problem that needs to be solved, a computer consulting business is generally the way to go.
However, if computer-systems and information technology (IT) are really important to your industry and your company, outsourcing your computer-related service needs to a local computer consulting business is often a much better solution than just piecemeal, ad-hoc usage of a computer consulting business.
Hiring a Computer Consultant
Many computer consulting businesses choose to specialize and end up becoming extremely valuable to their particular area or niche. In many cases, these kinds of computer consulting businesses can know almost as much about your industry and competitive challenges as you do.
So to help your company grow and to make sure it's not being short-sighted with its computer-related needs, consider getting advice from a computer consulting business.
Wearing Lots of “Hats” is Fine… But Don't Let These “Hats” Blind-Sight You
Sometimes small companies already have an idea of what their computer-related needs are when they enlist the help of an outside computer consulting business.
There are several advantages to bringing in an outside computer consulting business, as opposed to trying to limp along with someone internally who just wears the “hat” of the occasional computer person.
One of the most important reasons to bring in a computer consulting business though is that a computer consultant is someone who is an expert in his or her field. This means you can have access to an expert for a fraction of the cost it would take to hire that caliber of professional on a full time basis.
In almost all cases, a computer consultant like this can troubleshoot problem much faster and much more effectively than your internal employees.
A Fresh Computer Consultant Perspective
A computer consultant or computer consulting business can also being in a fresh perspective to your company.
It's often really helpful to have a fresh set of eyes to look at your company and its IT infrastructure. Over time, non-technical small business owners and managers have a tendency to see the same things within their own companies. A good computer consultant or computer consulting business brings a new and fresh perspective into your situation and can help you truly visualize the forest through the trees.
How Computer Consulting Businesses Help
A good computer consulting business or computer consultant is prepared to do any number of things to help your company make the most out of any business or technology challenge it faces. This may include personal coaching, training for small and large groups of employees, and leading strategy-planning meetings with key people… almost as if that computer consultant were your part-time chief information officer (CIO).
The best computer consultants will not enter into your company with a preset plan, but rather will tailor a plan according to the specific needs of your company. A good computer consulting business will have computer consultants on their staff who can quickly find out what the needs of your company are and then come up with cost-effective solutions.
The Bottom Line
In this article, you've been introduced to the basics of why to hire a computer consulting business and what computer consulting businesses can do for your company.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, ComputerConsultingSecrets.com, All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Showing posts with label computer consulting business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer consulting business. Show all posts
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are you having trouble growing your computer consulting company's profits?
If so, then you must learn how to focus on your computer consulting firm's profit and bottom line.
In this article, we'll look at 7 profit secrets and strategies you can use in your computer consulting business, to ensure that you are able to balance your clients' small business IT needs against your own computer consulting company's profitability challenges.
Origins of the Problem
While focusing on your computer consulting profits may sound simple enough at first glance, this business-focused discipline often eludes many a computer consulting firm.
This usually happens because many computer consulting business owners fall in love the technology gadgetry, and get seduced by seemingly attractive reseller channel programs, at the expense of their business' profit.
At the end of the day however, your computer consulting company is a business… not a charity and not a hobby. And your computer consulting company must be run like a business.
Profit Secret #1: Show motivation with your small business computer consulting clients.
To avoid being labeled as just another clueless geek, you need to position your computer consulting services to be more in line with those of a virtual CIO for hire. So always be on the look out for new ways to enhance your clients' businesses… not just fix broken desktops and servers.
Profit Secret #2: Be dedicated to the task and relentless in your pursuit to improve the status quo.
Because it takes a lot of work to land the best computer consulting clients, you need to focus on lifetime customer value… not just one-shot-deal sales. So always remember that your proposed or recently implemented computer consulting technology solution isn't a one-shot deal. This kind of long-term vision and planning requires tremendous staying power and perseverance… which often escapes many computer consulting business owners.
Profit Secret #3: Don't be afraid to be creative with your client engagements.
Small business technology solutions often need to stay within relatively modest budgets. And your computer consulting solutions must work without the need for in-house IT staff. To satisfy these challenges, don't be afraid to think outside of the box when appropriate.
Profit Secret #4: Evaluate how your clients' systems, both paper- and computer-based, function today.
As part of your virtual CIO role, look at how these existing clients systems are meeting or not meeting present and future needs. Most of this work will be done during IT audits… another key computer consulting profit secret that can really help to separate you from the pack of mediocrity.
Profit Secret #5: Put yourself in your clients' shoes and think about what THEIR clients need from them.
Yes, as a computer consulting business owner, you need to have good people skills and a certain degree of empathy for your clients' business problems. But an even more advanced computer consulting business owner doesn't just stop at understanding their clients' business problems. The virtual CIO really digs in and learns about their clients' customers' business problems… one layer down on the value chain.
Profit Secret #6: Keep up with advances and new versions.
As virtual CIO for your computer consulting clients, your clients depend on your firm to advise them on what tools can better help their businesses grow. So while you can't allow this R&D and training to consume and devour all of your scarce weekly schedule, you do need to stay a few steps ahead of your clients' IT needs at all times.
Profit Secret #7: Summarize and share that information with your clients.
The essence of your R&D and training should focus on one major objective: will this new platform or tool add value to your computer consulting clients' existing or future installations? And how you can best summarize this information, in layperson language that non-technical clients can understand?
The Bottom Line
Your computer consulting firm's needs to be your client's virtual IT department can often be at odds with your computer consulting firm's need to be profitable. A big part of this problem happens because computer consulting business owners fall in love with technology, at the expense of their marketing and sales activities.
To make sure you don't fall into this same strap, which can kill your computer consulting profits, don't go overboard with your training and R&D activities. Be sure to keep business development activities in your weekly schedule… EVERY week. If you want to keep your computer consulting profits as healthy as possible, make sure that you're proactive in your marketing and sales activities… dig the well for computer consulting profits BEFORE you're thirsty. And a great way to start is by listening to the profit-generating secrets at http://www.computer-consulting-101.com
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
If so, then you must learn how to focus on your computer consulting firm's profit and bottom line.
In this article, we'll look at 7 profit secrets and strategies you can use in your computer consulting business, to ensure that you are able to balance your clients' small business IT needs against your own computer consulting company's profitability challenges.
Origins of the Problem
While focusing on your computer consulting profits may sound simple enough at first glance, this business-focused discipline often eludes many a computer consulting firm.
This usually happens because many computer consulting business owners fall in love the technology gadgetry, and get seduced by seemingly attractive reseller channel programs, at the expense of their business' profit.
At the end of the day however, your computer consulting company is a business… not a charity and not a hobby. And your computer consulting company must be run like a business.
Profit Secret #1: Show motivation with your small business computer consulting clients.
To avoid being labeled as just another clueless geek, you need to position your computer consulting services to be more in line with those of a virtual CIO for hire. So always be on the look out for new ways to enhance your clients' businesses… not just fix broken desktops and servers.
Profit Secret #2: Be dedicated to the task and relentless in your pursuit to improve the status quo.
Because it takes a lot of work to land the best computer consulting clients, you need to focus on lifetime customer value… not just one-shot-deal sales. So always remember that your proposed or recently implemented computer consulting technology solution isn't a one-shot deal. This kind of long-term vision and planning requires tremendous staying power and perseverance… which often escapes many computer consulting business owners.
Profit Secret #3: Don't be afraid to be creative with your client engagements.
Small business technology solutions often need to stay within relatively modest budgets. And your computer consulting solutions must work without the need for in-house IT staff. To satisfy these challenges, don't be afraid to think outside of the box when appropriate.
Profit Secret #4: Evaluate how your clients' systems, both paper- and computer-based, function today.
As part of your virtual CIO role, look at how these existing clients systems are meeting or not meeting present and future needs. Most of this work will be done during IT audits… another key computer consulting profit secret that can really help to separate you from the pack of mediocrity.
Profit Secret #5: Put yourself in your clients' shoes and think about what THEIR clients need from them.
Yes, as a computer consulting business owner, you need to have good people skills and a certain degree of empathy for your clients' business problems. But an even more advanced computer consulting business owner doesn't just stop at understanding their clients' business problems. The virtual CIO really digs in and learns about their clients' customers' business problems… one layer down on the value chain.
Profit Secret #6: Keep up with advances and new versions.
As virtual CIO for your computer consulting clients, your clients depend on your firm to advise them on what tools can better help their businesses grow. So while you can't allow this R&D and training to consume and devour all of your scarce weekly schedule, you do need to stay a few steps ahead of your clients' IT needs at all times.
Profit Secret #7: Summarize and share that information with your clients.
The essence of your R&D and training should focus on one major objective: will this new platform or tool add value to your computer consulting clients' existing or future installations? And how you can best summarize this information, in layperson language that non-technical clients can understand?
The Bottom Line
Your computer consulting firm's needs to be your client's virtual IT department can often be at odds with your computer consulting firm's need to be profitable. A big part of this problem happens because computer consulting business owners fall in love with technology, at the expense of their marketing and sales activities.
To make sure you don't fall into this same strap, which can kill your computer consulting profits, don't go overboard with your training and R&D activities. Be sure to keep business development activities in your weekly schedule… EVERY week. If you want to keep your computer consulting profits as healthy as possible, make sure that you're proactive in your marketing and sales activities… dig the well for computer consulting profits BEFORE you're thirsty. And a great way to start is by listening to the profit-generating secrets at http://www.computer-consulting-101.com
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Friday, December 26, 2008
More Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 2 of 2)
Does your company need to retain the services of a competent computer consulting firm, but you have no idea how to really evaluate “competence”?
In the first part of this two-part series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips, we looked at why small businesses find it so difficult to hire good computer consulting companies, as well as four basic questions that you must be addressed when searching for a new computer consulting vendor.
Now in this second and final installment of this two part series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips, we’ll look at how you can evaluate the true, often-confusing expenses of using a computer consulting company, as well as how to more thoroughly review the computer consulting company’s professional credentials and experience.
Reseller, “Pure” Computer Consulting Company, or Hybrid Technology Provider
Does your company resell various technology products, such as hardware and software? Is this a profit center or do you mind if we shop for our products elsewhere? And if we do shop elsewhere, can we still purchase your needs analysis and procurement services?
Are there any other vendors, such as ISPs or telephone companies, that your firm acts as an agent or affiliate for? In other words, do you accept commissions or referral fees for steering business toward certain vendors?
Costs, Hidden Charges, and Billing Procedures
What are your payment terms, rates and hourly billing minimums? What is billable and what is not billable?
Do you charge for your travel time? Telephone support? E-mail/online support? Remote support?
Are there any hourly rate billing premiums for after-hours or emergency service? What constitutes “after hours” or an “emergency”?
Do you offer support contracts? What are the cost and benefits?
Client Reference Accounts, Case Studies, and Testimonials
Can you tell me about one of your more long-term small business client accounts?
Can you tell me about one of your more recently signed-on clients? Can you tell me about a small business client who didn't work out and why?
Can you provide references?
Research/Developments and Keeping Skills Sharp
How do you keep up with new tech developments?
What do you bill clients for and what do you absorb internally? Are there any gray areas?
Training Approach and Knowledge Transfer
How do you feel about handholding and in-depth training with users?
What kind of user and technical training can you provide?
Will you train our internal computer administrator to become more self-sufficient, even if it takes away from your "job security" and opportunities to bill more hours?
The Bottom Line
Don't fall into the ultra-common trap of hiring an independent computer consultant or computer consulting firm that isn't a good fit for your business. Use these Computer Consulting 101 hiring and screening questions as the basis for making a more informed hiring decision for your computer consulting vendor. And if you have any doubts, don't be afraid to seek out a second opinion with another computer consulting company.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
In the first part of this two-part series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips, we looked at why small businesses find it so difficult to hire good computer consulting companies, as well as four basic questions that you must be addressed when searching for a new computer consulting vendor.
Now in this second and final installment of this two part series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips, we’ll look at how you can evaluate the true, often-confusing expenses of using a computer consulting company, as well as how to more thoroughly review the computer consulting company’s professional credentials and experience.
Reseller, “Pure” Computer Consulting Company, or Hybrid Technology Provider
Does your company resell various technology products, such as hardware and software? Is this a profit center or do you mind if we shop for our products elsewhere? And if we do shop elsewhere, can we still purchase your needs analysis and procurement services?
Are there any other vendors, such as ISPs or telephone companies, that your firm acts as an agent or affiliate for? In other words, do you accept commissions or referral fees for steering business toward certain vendors?
Costs, Hidden Charges, and Billing Procedures
What are your payment terms, rates and hourly billing minimums? What is billable and what is not billable?
Do you charge for your travel time? Telephone support? E-mail/online support? Remote support?
Are there any hourly rate billing premiums for after-hours or emergency service? What constitutes “after hours” or an “emergency”?
Do you offer support contracts? What are the cost and benefits?
Client Reference Accounts, Case Studies, and Testimonials
Can you tell me about one of your more long-term small business client accounts?
Can you tell me about one of your more recently signed-on clients? Can you tell me about a small business client who didn't work out and why?
Can you provide references?
Research/Developments and Keeping Skills Sharp
How do you keep up with new tech developments?
What do you bill clients for and what do you absorb internally? Are there any gray areas?
Training Approach and Knowledge Transfer
How do you feel about handholding and in-depth training with users?
What kind of user and technical training can you provide?
Will you train our internal computer administrator to become more self-sufficient, even if it takes away from your "job security" and opportunities to bill more hours?
The Bottom Line
Don't fall into the ultra-common trap of hiring an independent computer consultant or computer consulting firm that isn't a good fit for your business. Use these Computer Consulting 101 hiring and screening questions as the basis for making a more informed hiring decision for your computer consulting vendor. And if you have any doubts, don't be afraid to seek out a second opinion with another computer consulting company.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
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