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Computer Consulting Kit preview blog by Joshua Feinberg

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PC Repair Job Tips for Landing Long-Term Clients

« Becoming an IT Consultant? Ask Your...
Looking for a PC repair job with a future? Think like a business-owner and send surveys out to your prospects to build long-term client relationships. This article presents tips that help you use each PC repair job as a stepping-stone to long-term clients.
Tired of the dead-end, revolving-door PC repair job? This short post helps you get more long-term clients by tapping into surveys.

Are you tired of the revolving-door, thankless PC repair job? There is a better way, and the path to get you there usually starts with refocusing your efforts on landing long-term clients and more entrepreneurial endeavors.

The one-shot deal is for amateurs. Professionals focus on long-term clients.

Now with that in mind, how can you easily and quickly get more great, steady, high-paying clients onto your client list? It's actually pretty simple: surveys.

Surveys of your prospects, customers, and clients can be a great way for you to ensure that every successful PC repair job turns into a long-term client. Surveys of your prospects can help you get invaluable information about their IT needs, as well as keep in touch and stay current about what is going on both before and after you make a sales call.

Your goal with marketing is to make sure that you are able to take every great PC repair job that comes your way and turn it into a long-term client relationship. Surveys can help you go beyond just making sales call after sales call, or sending follow-up letters to potential clients. Surveys are a non-obtrusive way to get to know potential clients.

When well-designed, prospect surveys are not pushy, and can help you find out about each prospect’s problems and long-term business goals. This way, you can find out if there’s opportunity to go beyond a one-shot-deal PC repair job and become more of their long-term IT solution. These surveys are centered on the prospect and don’t ask for anything more than candid participation. As an incentive, perhaps include a free time-limited offer for those that complete the survey, such as a free tip sheet or report – something that will be perceived as valuable to your repair company's prospects.

When you create a prospect survey for your PC repair business:

* Keep your survey relatively short and simple.
* Mail or e-mail your survey about four weeks after your initial sales appointment, most recent pre-sales conversation, or proposal delivery.
* Send another survey again about six months later, and six months after that, to keep the dialogue open.
* Include specific questions that get to the heart of who your prospective clients are, so you know what to expect.

Which questions should you include? Ask questions that identify current issues and gauge a prospect’s fitness for long-term IT services.

* What’s the single biggest PC problem that you are having right now?
* What’s the single biggest business problem you are having right now?
* How are you currently dealing with these problems?
* What do you think the solution to these problems might look like?
* What is the single biggest obstacle that’s preventing you from moving forward with the project we have discussed?
* Do you have any friends, family members or business associates that could use our help with their computer problems?

Be sure to offer an incentive for filling out and returning the survey by the requested date. And always end your survey with a “thank you” to show you appreciate your prospects’ help and feedback. A survey serves as a great follow-up letter for your prospects and customers that hire you for a PC repair job. It is another creative touch point you can use that does not require calling, nagging, or begging for a sale.

In this short post, we looked at how you can utilize surveys as very powerful prospect follow-up tools. This way, you don't have to settle for another revolving door, thankless, dead-end project. Learn more about how to turn each PC repair job into more steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.PCRepairJobSecrets.com

Copyright (C) PCRepairJobSecrets.com All Rights Reserved

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Becoming an IT Consultant? Ask Your Prospects These 4 Key Questions

Are you becoming an IT consultant? Make sure you know that not all prospective clients are created equal. Learn 4 key qualifying questions that you must consistently ask every prospect to build a great client list as you're becoming an IT consultant.
Becoming an IT Consultant? Get More Great Clients with 4 Key Qualifying Questions.

One of the most important parts of becoming an IT consultant is making sure you know which type of small business clients you want to attract.

How can you find the prospective clients that will most benefit from your services long-term?

Look for companies that are big enough to need your services on a regular basis. So these potential clients are candidates for signing on-going service contracts, that bring you the steady revenue that will be the foundation of your business. Doing this successfully, as you are becoming an IT consultant, means you absolutely need to know the major qualifying questions inside out and backwards, like the back of your hand.

1. Geographically Desirable? Because most small business clients need a lot of hand-holding, potential clients need to be located nearby to you. Look for prospects located within a 30 - 60-minute drive from your location. If you live in a large urban area, for example, your service area may shrink considerably, as there will be a high concentration of viable prospects very nearby. Also think about proximity as you attend networking events and develop your marketing campaigns.

2. Big Enough, But Not Too Big? Think Goldilocks: not too big, not too small. As you are becoming an IT consultant, target clients that have 10-75 workstations. At this size, the prospect is big enough to need a real, dedicated server … but not so big that the prospect needs a full-time, in-house IT department. Another way to think about this is that the prospect will likely have $1 million - $10 million in annual sales, or your local currency equivalent. Know this type of information about your potential clients, so you can develop much more powerful, affordable, and cost-effective marketing strategies.

3. A Platform You Can Support? Before you get too far into the sales process, be sure to properly qualify prospective clients based on their installed platform ofOS's and NOS's. For example, if your specialty is Windows-family OS's/NOS's and a prospect is 100% standardized on Mac's, you should refer that prospect elsewhere.

4. Serious About IT? If you come across a small business prospect for your IT consulting business that doesn’t have a dedicated server, because they're messing around with peer-to-peer ad-hoc networking, you probably want to run the other way. Before you spend too much time on a potential client, make sure the prospective client is really ready for your solutions.

In this short article, we talked about 4 simple, but very powerful qualifying criteria for prospective clients. By consistently asking these questions, you can more proactively manage the selling process and utilize your limited time more effectively. Learn more about becoming an IT consultant and attracting steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.BecomingAnITConsultant.com

Copyright (C) BecomingAnITConsultant.com All Rights Reserved.

Topics:

Technology, Careers, becoming an it consultant, Information Technology Sector, Technology Sector, Professional Services Sector, Software and Services, Consulting Services

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How to Become a Reseller of PC Hardware and Software

Looking to learn how to become a reseller of computer hardware and software? Before you get too much product-focused tunnel-vision, learn 4 easy ways to add more lucrative value-added service revenue, as you figure out how to become a reseller, the profitable way.
Want to learn how to become a reseller of computer hardware and software? This short post introduces 4 ways to do so more profitably.

Want to learn how to become a reseller of computer hardware and software?

Good! You're on the right track, kind of, sort of.

Why only a half-hearted pat on the back?

Because becoming a reseller shouldn't be thought of in a vacuum. The days of being able to grow a successful business, purely on the basis of reselling PC hardware and software, has seen its better days.

Why? Because the profit margins on most PC hardware and software reselling run somewhere between anemic and non-existent.

Today, to become a reseller of computer hardware and software, you need to be thinking of additional related revenue streams such as installation, customization, training, and ongoing service.

That's not to say that if you're figuring out how to become a reseller that you absolutely must follow a prescribed business-salvation plan. But you need to be honest enough with yourself to recognize that reselling is a brutal business, it has been a brutal business since at least the mid-1990's, and that the only way for most resellers of computer hardware and software to survive and thrive is by getting involved in selling value-added services to their customers.

What kinds of value-added services? It largely depends on whether you try to sell to "everyone", or whether you're smart enough to focus primarily on B2B (business to business), where there's a lot more at stake with IT and the potential for loads of recurring revenue.

So if you want to become a reseller that focuses on the B2B segment, primarily local small businesses, consider offering the following 4 services.

1. Technology Assessment Services. Before you can make sound hardware and software product recommendations, you really need to spend some time getting to know your customers' true IT needs, what they already own, where their businesses are headed in the next 2-4 years, and what IT problems they currently face. As this is more of a consulting service rather than a traditional reseller role, you should most certainly charge a nominal fee for your Technology Assessment Services.

2. Systems Installation Services. While there's little value-added in just un-boxing equipment and plugging it in, there's tremendous value-add in the software patching, data migration, integration work, and customization. Again, as this is more of a consulting service, you should be charging extra for Systems Installation Services and strongly recommending them for any of your customers who don't have in-house IT support.

3. Training. While Fortune 1000 companies usually have formal plans for employee software training, small businesses rarely have this luxury. As a result, the only training employees often receive is from their reseller. Even if your customers can only afford to pay your company for an hour or two of ad-hoc one-on-one training with each employee, this training can make an enormous difference to your customers getting better utilization from their newly purchased systems. Again, add this to the list of easy incremental sales for most customers.

4. Help Desk. When your customers have how-to or troubleshooting questions, customers rarely have the expertise or patience to deal with multiple vendors each pointing the finger at each other. Solve this problem for your customers, with a single point of contact help desk. Once again, this is a relatively easy, high-margin incremental revenue source that's very conducive to selling on a subscription basis.

Most entrepreneurs, when thinking about how to become a reseller of computer hardware and software, just focus on what reseller programs to join. While you certainly do need to have your favored product lines, the harsh financial realities of becoming a reseller in this day and age demand that you diversify into higher margin value-added consulting services.

In this short post, we've introduced you to some simple strategies to take the brutally competitive, low-margin prospect of becoming a reseller and turn that into a much more lucrative value-added IT consulting business. To learn more about how to become a reseller of computer hardware and software the profitable way, be sure to sign-up for the free additional tips and business strategies now at http://www.HowToBecomeAResellerTips.com

Copyright (C) HowToBecomeAResellerTips.com All Rights Reserved

Topics:

Technology, Management, how to become a reseller, computer hardware and software, Computer Technology, Science and Technology, Technology, Software, Professional Services Sector

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IT Contracts Business and the Value of On-Going Client Support

Own an IT contracts business? Learn why providing on-going client support is key to long-term success. This article explains why your IT contracts business needs to invest in long-term client relationships.
Learn why you must build real, formalized client relationships for long-term success with your IT contracts business.

If you own an IT contracts business, the only way to really thrive in today’s marketplace is to focus on providing on-going support to your clients, through well-planned support contracts.

You need to help small businesses navigate common IT pitfalls and offer simple strategies that can really increase their bottom line. In a given week, you may be optimizing or installing completely new networks, operating systems, or hardware. Regardless of your projects and plans, you need to have a commitment signed by both you and your clients that outlines your responsibilities and protects both of you from misunderstandings, so you can really work as a team.

There are a lot of potential IT hazards in the small business world, and as you build your IT contracts business, you have to be prepared to take on challenges and provide predictable, professional support. Why?

(a) You Give Your Clients Their Own On-Call IT Consultant. When you base your IT contracts business model on planned, regular support and services, your firm becomes your clients' on-call IT provider. When an emergency arises, your clients can simply call your company in to help address the particular challenge in the most time-, service- and cost-efficient way. As their regular IT provider, you also become responsible for helping your small business clients take stock of their hardware and software, to see what needs upgrading, and decide what can be left alone. When you do a good job of long-term planning and taking good, proactive care of the health of your clients’ networks and systems, emergencies will be few and far between.

(b) You Help Your IT Contracts Business Clients Proactively Prevent Systems Problems. If you are providing well-planned support contracts programs to your clients, you will serve their current needs, plan for the future, and take proactive measures to prevent unplanned system downtime. The parameters of how you will do this needs to be outlined in your on-going agreement and project plan documents. Let your clients know where their systems vulnerabilities are, then think about how you can optimize your on-going services to improve their existing infrastructure and procedures. Once you’ve pin-pointed holes and inefficiencies, you can usually easily clear up the problem with a few well-planned remedies. By building formalized, on-going relationships with your clients, you become familiar with their problems and help them find the best most cost-effective solutions.

In this short post, we talked about providing on-going support to your small business clients and what this means to the long-term viability of your own business. You can learn more about how to build your IT contracts business and attract steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.ITContractsBusiness.com

Copyright (C) ITContractsBusiness.com All Rights Reserved.

Topics:

Technology, Leadership, it contracts, Business, Small Business, Information Technology Sector, Technology Sector, Professional Services Sector

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Computer Repair Business Forms That Every Small IT Business Needs

Do you use computer repair business forms? Learn how to use forms efficiently to build relationships with your clients and run your business profitably. This article presents 3 computer repair business forms you need to build a stable company.
Do you use computer repair business forms? Learn about the 3 forms you need to build solid, long-term client relationships.

Are you using computer repair business forms to help you run your company?

If not, you need to stop re-inventing the wheel for every customer's whim ... and start working more efficiently. This way you can focus on building long-term relationships and getting repeat business.

Many new computer repair entrepreneurs are so excited to get up and running that they don't develop streamlined documents for working with customers and clients. Then, when business picks up, they realize there really isn't time in the day to start from scratch every time a new customer comes in the door. It's really important to your company's future to plan and customize computer repair business forms, so you can better organize the work you do. This way, you'll be able to respond quickly and efficiently to client needs as your business grows and changes.

At the minimum, you'll need 3 important computer repair business forms if you want to attract long-term small business clients.

1. Rate Card Template. Developing a very clear and concise rate card should be one of your main priorities as you start your computer repair company. If you want to attract long-term clients and move beyond the short-term payout of one-shot deal customers, make sure you aim to have a roster full of clients on annual service/repair agreements. In order to attract these types of clients, make sure your rate card template stresses the EXTREME difference between annual service agreement rates and regular, "pay-as-you-go" rates. Make sure your rate card focuses on the benefits you provide to your long-term clients such as prioritized response time, emergency service, monthly planning sessions, etc. at no extra cost. A properly-designed rate card accomplishes a variety of goals, sets the tone for your level of professionalism, fully discloses and clearly communicates your fees, ensures that you are fairly compensated for after-hours and emergency repair services, allows you to bill more for highly-skilled work, and reinforces the value proposition of your long-term, annual repair agreement.

2. Annual Service Agreement Template. Many technology repair professionals don't realize how crucial it is to base their businesses on serving long-term clients. When you have a roster of clients that have agreed to entrust you with their on-going maintenance needs, you get steady, predictable revenue and give your clients the benefit of knowing they have someone there on a weekly, monthly and annual basis to take care of their complex technology needs. Service agreements provide the foundation to develop long-term mutually-beneficial relationships, so you know where your next billable project is coming from at all times. This way, you can plan your growth and stop scrambling to find the next short-term customer. So, you really need to include an annual service agreement template in your list of computer repair business forms.

3. Change Order Form. Even with the most thorough up-front needs analysis and project planning, your clients will inevitably come up with additional work items once a major project is underway. These "oh, by the way" types of items are why you need a change order form. You may not think so at first, but change orders can make or break a project. And the "make" or "break" really depends on how well you are able to handle the requests. At a bare minimum, change orders require anywhere from minor to major revisions to any time and materials budgets in initial proposals and price quotes. Change orders also can monumentally impact projected milestones and estimated completion dates. In order to protect you and your clients, and manage their expectations, you need to establish from the outset how you and your clients will deal with change order requests. Change order forms can also help you discourage clients from making little changes on a regular basis; they will have to think before they act and ask themselves, "Is the desired change really worth the cost of the change order?"

In this article, we talked about 3 important forms every PC repair company needs to help efficiently and profitably run a business and build more long-term client relationships. Learn more about how to use computer repair business forms to attract steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.ComputerRepairBusinessForms.com

Copyright (C) ComputerRepairBusinessForms.com All Rights Reserved

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Computer Repair Employment Ain't What It Used to Be

If you want steady computer repair employment, you need to understand that the game has changed in a big-time way.

Let's face it. Computer repair employment ain't what it used to be.This isn't 1999 or 1989 or 1985. And unless you have access to MartyMcFly's DeLorean time machine and its cultural-icon flux capacitor,it's time to face reality.

Don't put your career in the hands ofsomeone else. Take control of your own future. What's one of the bestways to do this? Take your hard-earned computer repair skills and buildyour own computer repair business around the needs of local smallbusiness clients.

Because unless you're ready to really gohead-to-head with computer repair giants, you need to buildrelationships with clients that will need you for on-going computerrepair services and all of their other IT-related needs. This means youreally have to get to the heart of their biggest business problems andIT needs.

If you want to build a strong enough business, so younever have to worry about computer repair employment ever again,consider the following 4 tips that help you learn about your clients'true needs.

  1. Ask Clients about Their Top 3 Business and IT Problems. When you first meet with prospects, you need to get them talking about their top 3 business and IT problems. You might learn that the problems your prospects have are not the ones your business can solve. In this case, you will know immediately you are barking up the wrong tree and need to move onto better opportunities. The key point is to get your prospects talking.
  2. Ask about Your Prospective Clients' Preferences. You need to get prospects talking about what they like and dislike about past computer repair they've received. This process can give you a lot of clues about what they ARE seeking. Remember, most non-technical small business owners and managers have very little experience in computer repair employment-related issues. So you'll really need to take charge of the discussion if you want it to be a productive dialogue.
  3. Find Out if There is an Emergency. When you first talk to prospects, you also need to make sure you find out if they have an emergency that has to be addressed in the next 24-72 hours. Or they might just be looking for something like an IT audit, site survey or technology assessment, but you have to find out in the first meeting.
  4. Bring Your Prospects to the Next Step. You need to move your prospects from non-paying prospects to paying customers and clients. In order to do this, you have to make sure you don't let them pick your brain too much in the first meeting. You need to get them to write a check to your company sooner rather than later, so you can make the most out of each prospect and not just provide a free advice session. If you don't take charge, it's almost like pro-bono computer repair employment. Make sure you have something ready to offer prospects that allows them to get started with you right away in a relatively low-risk setting for both parties. That's what a proving ground project is all about. If you want to be really prepared, you can bring blank forms with you so you are ready for them to sign on for your initial proving ground project at the end of the meeting.

Inthis article, we talked about 4 tips to help you build a profitable andsustainable computer repair business around the unique needs of localsmall business clients. Learn more about how to avoid dead-end computerrepair employment by building a business with great, steady,high-paying clients now at http://www.ComputerRepairEmployment.com.

Copyright (C) ComputerRepairEmployment.com All Rights Reserved

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Starting a Consulting Business with Your Right Foot-in-the-Door

Are you starting a consulting business in the IT field and wondering what to charge for an initial consultation, or a more in-depth technology assessment/IT audit?

In this article, we'll look at starting a consulting business withyour best foot forward, essentially your right foot-in-the-door, so youdon't inadvertently sabotage yourself with your foot-in-your-mouth.

Now pricing is a very individualized decision.  Some sales experts say youshould scout around to find out what the competition is charging andthen set your price somewhere in the middle.  But the most importantthing to remember is that you have to think about pricing verycarefully before setting your final rates.  Changing your prices isgoing to be very difficult later on, so you have to make sure you setthem right in the beginning.

And it certainly is worth pointingout... When you're starting a consulting business, it's common to thinkthat prospects make their decisions largely based on price.  Thereality however is quite different.  The best qualified prospects areoften a lot more tuned into being value-conscious, rather thanprice-driven, and often pursue a vendor who has the lowest perceivedrisk, because of their underlying fear of failure.

So considerthese following 5 factors that should go into your pricing strategiesas you are starting a consulting business, regardless of how and whatyou decide to charge for your solutions.

  1. Geography. Generally, consultants within large cities can command higher billing rates than those in the suburbs.  Many of these geographic issues can be traced to monthly overhead or a more general cost of doing business.
  2. Scarcity of Skills. You might have a specialty … or be a generalist.  You need to think about how in-demand you are to your potential clients as you are starting a consulting business and setting rates.  In much the same way that a cardio-thoracic surgeon can charge more for an office visit than a general practice physician, a consulting firm specializing in firewalls, Virtual Private Networking (VPN) and penetration testing will be able to command higher billing rates than a firm that just installs PCs and LANs.
  3. Local Demand. How booked up are your competitors?  Just like the hotel industry, when consultants start approaching 80% - 85% utilization rates (about 32-34 billable hours per week), prices will get firm.  As you are starting a consulting business, make sure you know how busy those in your industry and specialty tend to be.  When consultants are sitting at their desks on a Monday morning twiddling their thumbs and hoping their phones will ring, they really need to think about being more aggressive about marketing and awareness-building, or tweaking their specialty to make them more marketable.
  4. Overhead. You need to consider how much it costs for you to get trained each year, the cost of lab/test equipment, how much time and money you need to invest in marketing to keep your calendar relatively full, insurance, taxes, professional services (accountants, attorneys, etc.), cell phones, electricity, and everything else as you are starting a consulting business.  All of these overhead items can factor into the prices you will charge your clients, so you can’t ignore them.
  5. Client Size. A home-based micro small business will generally have a much smaller IT budget than a 10-person downtown law office.  And the 10-person downtown law office will have nowhere near the IT budget as the 100-employee (50 PC) manufacturer.  Think about the size of the clients you will be serving and what they can reasonably afford to pay you for your services before setting your prices.  And if the size of business you are targeting can’t afford to pay you sustainable rates, it’s probably time to seek out a new target for your services.

Learn More Proven Secrets on Starting a Consulting Business Now at http://StartingAConsultingBusinessNow.com 

Topics:

Technology, Leadership, Management, Careers, computer consultants, computer consulting, computer repair businesses, computer resellers, IT solution providers, managed services providers, network integrators, small business IT, smb, systems integrators, VARs, Professional Services Sector, Consulting Services

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Cabling Jobs for Small Businesses that Crave End-to-End Virtual IT

If you're trying to run your entire business just on revenue from cabling jobs and finding yourself scrambling to make ends meet, this is your wake-up call.

Looking for Cabling Jobs? Not So Fast! Most Small Businesses Need a More Complete Solution. This Article Shows You How to Deliver Small Business Virtual IT Services that Complement Your Basic Cabling Jobs.

Think about how you can expand your business to get great, long-term clients that will bring you real ongoing service revenue, and not just one-shot deal projects.

The truth is, if you base your business around just cabling jobs or quick fixes, you will attract customers that aren’t really looking for long-term relationships. And you’re going to need a ton of these little one-shot-deal projects to bring in the kind of money that will keep your business afloat. While Fortune 1000 giants might be able to handle these high-volume logistically-complicated operations, a small business using just one, two or three technicians to provide services will never be able to serve the number of clients per year necessary to keep the company afloat on just one-shot-deal customers.

The solution is usually to combine traditional cabling jobs with more complete Virtual IT solutions, so you can attract steady, high-paying clients that will help bring you sustainable service revenue. Plus you and your staff will get the satisfaction that comes from working on complex business problems with the same businesses on a regular basis.

Granted, some cabling firms eventually add-on router configuration, DSL installations, wireless networking, and Voice-over-IP phone systems. However those cabling firms with the greatest long-term vision grasp that small business owners want and need... even crave... end-to-end, soup-to-nuts outsourced Virtual IT solutions from a single point of contact.

Consider these 4 reasons why you and your small business clients need to work closely together on more than just plain-old cabling jobs.

  1. Small Businesses Want to Enjoy the Same Benefits as Fortune 1000 Companies.
    In a Fortune 1000 organization, the CIO or IT director is usually
    responsible for being the IT visionary.  This person will spot trends
    and keep projects on track.  This means that if you are providing
    merely cabling jobs to your small business clients, you need to rethink
    your strategy.  In the small business world, clients rely on their
    trusted technology provider to act as an IT visionary in the same way
    as an IT director, but on a much smaller budget.  This means you have
    to be a Virtual CIO providing all the oversight and maintenance
    services of a larger IT department but on an outsource basis. What's at
    stake if you don't choose this path? Your small business clients will
    find that single point of contact solution that inevitably already has
    a cabling firm partner.
  2. Small Businesses Crave a Single Point of Contact for Technology Support.
    Most small business owners won’t want to call multiple people to take
    care of their technology needs.  They don’t have the time or the
    budget.  Instead of someone to just do cabling jobs for them, another
    to purchase and provide hardware and software, and yet another to
    provide on-going maintenance for their networks and systems, they need
    a single point of contact for all their IT support.  This is why there
    is so much opportunity for you in the small business space if you
    choose to provide complete business solutions and not just quick
    installations.  Your clients want you to be the hardware provider,
    software reseller, network integrator, application developer, Web site
    designer and IT manager.  Your firm becomes the Virtual IT department
    for companies too small to hire their own full-time IT staff.  So what
    are you waiting for?  Start finding local specialists in your community
    with which to partner.
  3. Small Business Clients Are Non-Technical and Thus Naturally Inclined to Think of Price First.
    Most small business owners will think of technology as buying a bunch
    of PC’s and software at the lowest possible price.  Even the best
    clients might start out thinking this way, which is why you can’t be
    just a commodity broker providing cabling jobs to succeed in this
    space.  One of your basic responsibilities as a Virtual IT organization
    is educating clients on the real benefits of different solutions … in
    business terms.  Help them overcome price objections by showing them
    the value of planning, consistency, standardization, testing, training,
    on-going maintenance and regular re-evaluation of their needs.
  4. Make Your Clients See the Big Picture.
    Many small business owners will be inclined to make small impulse
    purchases for computer hardware, software and peripherals.  This
    piecemeal approach is usually very short-sighted.  Planning should be a
    normal part of their technology acquisition and implementation
    process.  Without proper planning, small business owners almost always
    make haphazard purchases that rarely work well together.

In this brief article, we looked at why simply providing cabling to small businesses isn't enough to satisfy clients' cravings for complete IT solutions.  Learn more about how you combine basic cabling jobs with high-margin outsourced small business Virtual IT services, so you can get great steady, high-paying clients now at - http://www.CablingJobsAdvice.com

Topics:

Technology, Leadership, Management, Careers, computer consultants, computer consulting, computer repair businesses, computer resellers, IT solution providers, managed services providers, network integrators, small business IT, smb, systems integrators, VARs, Business, Small Business, Consulting Services, Software and Services, Professional Services Sector

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How to Start a Computer Repair Shop

Many that are trying to learn how to start a computer repair shop wonder, “How can I do this when the economy has been so tough?”

Even before the recent economic downturn, the rules of computer repair and technology businesses have changed dramatically. It’s not enough to be a highly-talented repair person or technology expert anymore. You have to be on the lookout for new client business opportunities all the time.

Those starting computer repair shops face not only a tough economic client, but also a highly-challenging business environment. If you are trying to figure out how to start a computer repair shop, you do need to know that it’s going to be tougher for you to find new clients, but certainly not impossible. The flip side, the economic turmoil has also created a lot of new opportunities that didn't exist as recently as 12 months ago.

Finding new customers needs to be one of your top priorities, so you can not only survive, but thrive. You will need to stand apart from your local competition and constantly plant the seeds for future business development activities.

To help you organize your lead generation activities, use the following 5 field-tested, proven low-cost, high-impact tactics for starting a computer repair shop.

 

  1. Think about Word-of-Mouth Referrals.
    In order to help you as you learn how to start a computer repair shop,
    you need to know how to get more word-of-mouth referrals.  Think about
    how you will stay in touch with your existing contacts and get back in
    touch with those that have lapsed over months and even years.  For a
    retail store-front computer repair shop, this almost screams for the
    idea of planning a super-cool, high-excitement launch reception or
    open-house event.
  2. Uncover All Service Revenue Opportunities.
    Chances to grow service revenue for your computer repair shop surround
    you every day.  You have to learn to look for networking opportunities
    and methods to help you provide better and better solutions to your
    valued clients everywhere you go.  You should always be on the lookout
    for new clients and partners, and be proactive about building
    relationships... especially with those small businesses that need IT
    service on a regular, scheduled basis.
  3. Make Your Marketing Materials More Response-Driven.
    As you're figuring out how to start a computer repair shop in difficult
    economic times, you need to prepare marketing materials that can
    dramatically boost the number of prospects you convert into lucrative
    clients.  Focus on low-cost opportunities to attract ideal clients that
    will build long-term relationships with your firm.  Work on creating a
    very strong brand and logo that communicates your unique solutions and
    for whom you provide these solutions.  Then put together a Web site and
    business card that supports your overall business plan. Remember it's
    the problem-solving that clients pay the big bucks for, not the
    break-fix repairs, technical features, or IT buzzwords.
  4. Learn How to Make Great Sales Calls.
    You need to make sure you avoid making common mistakes in sales calls
    as you think about how to start a computer repair shop.  Avoid dwelling
    on the price of your services when you are talking about your solutions
    to clients and always outline the unique benefits you provide.  This
    will put you on the right path to presenting yourself professionally
    and truly communicating the strength of your complete business
    solutions.
  5. Always Remember Customer Service.
    You can really leave your competitors in the dust if you are mindful of
    providing great customer service.  When you really show you care about
    your clients and helping them grow their businesses, you will gain
    their trust and loyalty and build the lifetime relationships that will
    bring you steady, on-going revenue for your new computer repair shop.

In this article, we talked about 5 concepts you need to grasp as you build your new computer repair shop. Learn more about how to start a computer repair shop with the best steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.HowToStartAComputerRepairShop.com

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Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course Preview Webinar - Wednesday June 10th

Want to attend a complimentary preview Webinar for the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course?
Need More Great Clients? Discover 5 Proven Best Practices for Getting More Steady, High-Paying Clients during this free preview Webinar for the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course.

You're invited to attend a complimentary preview Webinar for the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course that's being held tomorrow... Wednesday evening, June 10th at 8pm Eastern at https://www.gotowebinar.com/register/541378873

 (GoToWebinar, a Citrix Online company, is our Webinar platform provider for this event.)

 Now featuring VoIP service -- so you can listen online from your computer, no matter where you're located.

And if you're located outside of the United States or Canada, simply click the Show Time in My Time Zone link toward the top of the registration page.
During this live preview Webinar, you'll learn 5 Proven Best Practices for Getting More Steady, High-Paying Clients

  • Discover how you can generate more consulting business and attract more of the RIGHT kinds of REPEAT clients.
  • Find out quick, right-to-the-point best practices for surviving AND thriving in this challenging IT spending environment.
  • Uncover simple, inexpensive, fast strategies for generating better leads AND closing more deals.
  • Get more long-term clients onto your client roster, so you can have that critical business predictability AND recurring revenue each and EVERY month.
  • And much, much more!

Plus you'll learn all about how you can save yourself a TON of time with easy-to-customize, field-tested, proven
templates, on-demand audio training programs, and easy-to-follow course workbooks... that walk you step-by-step through the entire field-tested, PROVEN sales process for getting more of the best, steady, high-paying small business clients.

Because this is a complimentary preview Webinar, tere are a few restrictions:

  1. This live preview Webinar is exclusively for those who are NOT currently owners of the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course.
  2. As no recording will be made available, this event is only available live.
  3. Registration is limited to the first 100, first-come, first-served.

So go sign-up now, so you don't miss out at https://www.gotowebinar.com/register/541378873

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening on the Webinar!

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Technology, Leadership, Management, Careers, Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course, preview webinar, 5 Proven Best Practices for Getting More Steady High-Paying Clients, Citrix Systems Inc., United States, Canada

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