http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com When you are just starting out in the IT consulting business, you need a website. Potential clients will know whether you are full time and in the IT consulting business for the long haul or just trying it on for size by the quality of your website. S... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/a-good-website-is-critical-in-the-it-consulting-business-104569.html 17th November 2006 The IT sales call should be mainly about making sure your prospect is well-suited for and in need of your services. If you don't use this call for that purpose, you can waste time with a prospect that does not actually want to hire you, rather simply wan... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-sales--beyond-the-initial-call-100126.html 15th November 2006 Phone support is an area where many new IT consultants lose their shirts. They want to offer high quality service so they make phone support part of their service contract. The problem is they end up giving away the phone support for free. When you a... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/phone-support--dont-give-it-away-for-free-96343.html 26th October 2006 Follow up is an incredibly important aspect of your marketing and contact management systems. You need to be diligent but not aggressive with your follow-up, though. Your follow up should be creative and customized for each lead or prospect but never so... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/follow-up-tips-for-computer-services-part-1-91302.html 03rd October 2006 Although technical skills are essential for IT consultants, there are many other things you need to know when running your own business. Here is a list of a few of the most important things you need to learn when running your own business. Learn How to... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-more-than-technical-90063.html 28th September 2006 Every company has some unique facet that makes them different from the rest of their competition. In order to effectively reach your clientele, you need to figure out what your unique offering is. For example, if you're within walking distance of many bus... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-sales-what-is-your-unique-offering-90060.html 28th September 2006 Contact management systems allow you to track which marketing techniques are working and which aren't. With an effective contact management system in place you can see at a glance how much time you are spending with leads and from which sources you are g... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/contact-management-systems-track-your-marketing-efforts-89928.html 28th September 2006 Mingling is an important business skill in your new computer consulting business. In fact two of the most important marketing activities you will do are networking and relationship marketing. Mingling is key to your success with both of these. Even... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/mingle-for-business-success-78317.html 31st July 2006 Follow up is a critical activity for maximizing your lead potential. Whenever you meet anyone you should immediately send a follow up letter, postcard, phone call – anything to keep your name in their mind. You go to meetings and business networking e... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/followup-diligence-and-persistence-pay-off-77466.html 28th July 2006 Service contracts are key for the busy computer consultant. They will help you to manage your time when you have many clients all needing service at once. By setting up computer service contracts you will be able to maximize your utilization rate while s... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/service-contracts-the-best-business-model-for-consulting-77017.html 26th July 2006 Business web page design is an important consideration when you are starting your business. There are many options and styles and it can be confusing. What you need to remember though is, regardless of the style you choose, your business web page design... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/business-web-page-design-tips-75510.html 24th July 2006 Payroll management is an issue that is never too early to start considering. Obviously, in the early stages of your business, your payroll management will consist of paying yourself. As your business grows you will have to concern yourself with compensa... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/payroll-management--start-planning-now-74870.html 22nd July 2006 Legal issues at start-up are often confusing. Mary times this will be your first foray into the business world. There are two main places where legal issues should be explored with an attorney. Legal Issues With Business Type Before starting you ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/legal-issues-at-startup-73299.html 17th July 2006 Unique selling proposition is a marketing concept that refers to the one element that sets a firm apart form its competition. Your unique selling proposition is what differentiates you in the market place . Every business needs to have a unique selling ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/unique-selling-proposition--whats-yours-73141.html 17th July 2006 Consulting rates of your competitors provide an excellent starting point for your own billing rate analysis. If you know you competitor's consulting rates you can analyze various rate scenarios within a tighter range. You don't want to under or over pri... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/consulting-rates--what-are-my-competitors-charging-73137.html 17th July 2006 Hourly rates that you charge your clients are very closely related to the ultimate success or failure of your business. Your hourly rates must be high enough to sustain your income needs and not so high that you drive away your sweet spot, small business,... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/hourly-rates--dont-lowball-to-get-clients-72776.html 16th July 2006 Contingency plans are absolutely critical for first year business success. A contingency plan is what will help you deal with the curve balls that get thrown at you. Despite your best research and planning, you will encounter surprises: good and bad. ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/contingency-plans--can-you-handle-curve-balls-72701.html 16th July 2006 In dealing with apathy toward small business networking, discontinued technical support is another powerful counterforce, especially when you're talking about vertical, industry-specific software, such as niche applications designed for accountants, attor... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-networking-overcoming-more-client-objections-67387.html 27th June 2006 In the computer consulting business, risk-averse small business owners are very similar to small businesses that are apathetic about moving forward with your proposed small business network. Apathetic small business owners know they have a need, but th... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/the-computer-consulting-business-overcoming-client-risk-aversion-67267.html 26th June 2006 Since the vast majority of small business prospects and clients that you encounter will likely be running some version of Microsoft Windows, it is a good idea to educate small business managers on the differences between the "current" versions of Microsof... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-networks-are-your-clients-using-the-right-tools-66700.html 25th June 2006 If you're new to small business consulting, you may think there is no such thing as a prospect or client being too enthusiastic about jumping headfirst into a major IT project. Enthusiasm is a good thing when it comes to signing your firm's small business... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-consulting-overcoming-unrealistic-expectations-66697.html 25th June 2006 Many small businesses mistakenly think that they're too small to cost-justify a "real" client/server small business network. However, because small businesses want, and in most cases, need, the same technology tools as their larger competitors, deploying... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-networks-getting-past-small-business-networking-myopia-66534.html 25th June 2006 When starting an IT consulting business, should you already have partnerships established with other companies to provide services that you don't? The whole problem with running an IT consulting business is that you need to be able to satisfy a lot of nee... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/starting-an-it-consulting-business-establishing-partnerships-66533.html 25th June 2006 In IT consulting you have many different options in who you choose as your clients. Larger than the sweet spot businesses are the large small businesses, which provides a different IT consulting opportunity. Large/Small Businesses Defined Large/Smal... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-moving-from-micro-businesses-to-the-sweet-spot-65701.html 23rd June 2006 When you are running your own IT consulting firm, you will need some basic IT sales skills to effectively get your small business prospects and clients signed on for your recommended network solution. Because small businesses are often resistant to cha... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-sales-skills-selling-servers-and-lans-to-clients-65216.html 22nd June 2006 As you grow, should you go after government, city, state, municipality contracts like school district contracts? Maybe. They are an entirely different business model. When you are talking about selling to medium sized businesses, again go back and assess ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-medium-sized-businesses-and-government-contracts-65213.html 22nd June 2006 In IT consulting, you should be aware of your seasonal selling trends. The general rule of advice is don't expect anyone to make a major buying decision for a small business IT project in the late summer or during the holidays; unless it's an emergency. ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-seasonal-selling-trends-63669.html 16th June 2006 During 2002, many vendors were rushing to market 802.11a (up to 54Mpbs) wireless Ethernet products that were supposed to be the next wave in wireless networking. However, at the same time, an "in-progress" standard called 802.11g may supplant both the ori... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/wireless-ethernet-a-viable-business-opportunity-for-the-it-consultant-63331.html 16th June 2006 To help you and your clients get started on the right track with handheld devices, here are some simple tips to help you find your clients' the right PDA to avoid frustrating tech support headaches. Purchase Handheld Devices Wisely Be very cautious... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/handheld-devices-tips-on-making-the-right-purchasing-decision-63328.html 16th June 2006 While it's tough to make much of a profit margin on sales of desktop or notebook PCs, it's next to impossible to profitably sell personal digital assistants (PDAs) to your small business clients. After all, these handheld devices are generally position... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/handheld-devices-supporting-your-clients-needs-62651.html 12th June 2006 There are some clues that will tell you if a prospect will make a good sweet spot client for your IT consulting business. In this article, learn some of the tip-offs that a prospect is a good fit. Does the Company Have a Website? A prospect's websi... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-search-for-sweet-spot-clients-62648.html 12th June 2006 Very small businesses, those with less than a handful of PCs, often use informal peer-to-peer networks to share files and printers. This is in sharp contrast to a more robust client/server network with a dedicated server computer, and often selected to k... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-consultants-avoid-clients-using-peertopeer-networks-62426.html 12th June 2006 If you set your IT support rates too cheap, you're going to have to work like crazy. The last thing you want to discover at the end of the quarter, after you've entered everything in QuickBooks or Excel, is that you've provided IT support for free. Be... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-support-dont-work-too-cheaply-62424.html 12th June 2006 As a new IT consulting business, it is important to learn about the most common mistakes made with time tracking and invoicing so you can avoid them. Doing so will put your company in a better overall financial position. You will also be able to sleep... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-time-tracking-and-invoicing-62423.html 12th June 2006 You want to ensure you always get a deposit check on any major IT consulting project. Don't start a 40, 60 or 80 hour project on a handshake. This isn't "Leave it to Beaver," IT consulting here. Don't Get Taken Advantage Of There are a lot of ruth... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-ensuring-you-get-paid-62212.html 10th June 2006 In running an IT consulting business, do not be too quick to give new clients credit. Even when you give them credit, keep their lines of credit relatively low until they've built up some history with you. Provide Low Lines of Credit If you have n... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-providing-clients-with-credit-61985.html 09th June 2006 As a new small business computer consulting firm, you might ask what level of technical staff you can put on payroll. Don't get too excited yet; you have to be realistic about this. Of course, it varies by job market, but all things being equal, what ... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-computer-consulting-can-you-hire-help-61402.html 08th June 2006 Big small businesses get their IT support, from an internal IT person, or a small IT department. Remember, a big/small business typically has 50 to 100 PCs doing anywhere from 5 million to 20 million dollars in U.S. annual revenue. IT Support Sources f... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-support-where-do-larger-small-and-medium-sized-businesses-get-it-61271.html 08th June 2006 Over the past five years, the price points on notebook PCs have been driven down dramatically. However, lower purchase prices not withstanding, notebook PCs still have a rather unique warranty service dilemma. If a keyboard, mouse-equivalent (tracking-... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/notebook-pc-warranties-study-them-carefully-61270.html 08th June 2006 In IT consulting it is important to know the relationship between hourly billing rates and salary affordability so you can properly plan for both your own salary draw, as well as salaries of future technical and sales-related staff. This is directly re... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-charge-appropriately-for-your-services-61269.html 08th June 2006 In small business computer consulting, it can be easy to get yourself into money trouble really fast. Conserve your precious capital by avoiding some of the common mistakes when marketing your small business computer consulting firm. Perform Tests W... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/small-business-computer-consulting-smart-marketing-60863.html 07th June 2006 Since micro small business often rely on internal gurus or free help, many IT consultants find the sweet spot small business ideal for computer consulting. In this article, you'll learn what IT consulting rates are appropriate for this group. All rates ar... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consulting-rates-whats-appropriate-60861.html 07th June 2006 As an IT consultant looking to go solo, how you can cut through the information overload so you can tune out the distractions and focus on only the most relevant, critical tasks for starting up a business? You need to first realize you may need to stop sp... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-consultant-how-to-manage-your-time-during-start-up-60859.html 07th June 2006 Partnering does not happen overnight. You should approach it slowly and methodically like courtship or dating. In the same way you wouldn't sleep with someone or suggest going to bed with someone on the first date, you don't want to try to close a deal wi... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/partnering-is-like-courting-60021.html 04th June 2006 Think about how you're going to package your IT service agreements. For example, are you going to make them fixed- price, retainer-based or based on pre-paid blocks of time? IT service agreements that are fixed priced are tricky because you have to fo... http://www.articlealley.com/http://computerconsultingki.articlealley.com/it-service-agreements-creating-the-package-60019.html 04th June 2006