Do you want to make sure you launch it the right way, the first time around?

Then make sure you're aware of your new company's sales cycle.

If
you are like a lot of other new computer business owners, maybe you
don't quite know how to sell your services or get long-term clients and
predictable revenue.  One of the first steps to building a successful
computer business is knowing the sequence of the sales cycle and
following it consistently every time you come into contact with a
potential client.

There are six steps in the sales cycle, and
often new or naive computer professionals think these are just the
ideal of what they ought to be doing in a perfect world.

The
reality is, the sales cycle is not just a hypothetical best case
scenario.  Following its steps is the only way for most to consistently
sell the high-margin services you need to get steady, high-paying
clients.  Methods that are limited to selling products, canned
solutions, and even managed services that are pretty much just
commodities put lots of downward pressure on your profit margins and
won't help you build your business.

To keep you away from
profit-destroying methods as you are starting your own computer
business, follow the 6 steps of the sales cycle below.

1. Targeted Marketing Activities that Generate High-Quality Leads. 
   As you are beginning the process of finding the best clients for your
   computer business, you need to plan and implement a whole bunch of
   targeted marketing activities that will find those most likely to
   benefit from your unique services and the solutions you provide.
2. Careful Lead Qualification. 
   As you are starting your own computer business and building your
   potential client roster, you need to qualify leads to make sure they
   fit your criteria for what makes a good client.  For example, are they
   geographically desirable?  big enough to need steady weekly or monthly
   sophisticated technology services?  small enough to not have a big
   in-house IT department?  and invested in, or planning to invest in, a
   platform supported by your particular computer business?
3. Sales Calls as Mutual Interviews. 
   Once you've qualified your prospects, you need to go on initial sales
   calls.  You need to have a written-down, plotted-out agenda for these
   meetings, but also treat them as mutual interviews.  They are checking
   you out as a potential service provider.  But when you're prepared,
   calm, cool, and collected, you are also able to more proactively figure
   out whether or not they have the potential to become good clients for
   your company.
4. Proving Ground Projects Build Credibility and Trust with New Customers. 
   This step in the sales sequence is often overlooked, especially when
   you are just starting your own computer business.  If you did
   everything right up to this point, your next step will be selling a
   small billable project - an emergency service visit or a technology
   assessment.  This project will act as a proving ground of sorts, during
   which your company will prove its value to new customers.  And
   conversely, your new customers are proving themselves to your business
   as being able to work well with you and your staff.
5. Remediation Projects, Major Upgrades, Installations, and Rollouts. 
   The fifth step in the sequence of the sales cycle only happens if the
   proving ground project works well.  This step involves talking about
   fixing a larger problem... often a major upgrade of systems, a big
   installation, or some sort of rollout project.  Naive computer business
   owners might try to sell this type of project right out of the gate,
   before the process of lead qualification or a smaller project have been
   completed.  However getting impatient can be a big mistake if you want
   to build long-term relationships.
6. Annual Service Agreements for On-Going Maintenance. 
   As you present the major project or installation, talk about how
   on-going maintenance will be handled and present an annual service
   agreement program of some sort.  You really need to have this service
   agreement program in place as you are starting your own computer
   business, so you can create the framework for creating long-term
   relationships.  This final step of the sales cycle will take some time
   to reach as you let relationships evolve naturally.  If you start
   talking about this major commitment in the first sales call with your
   potential client, before you have even built trust or proven yourself,
   you will in nearly all cases sabotage that relationship.  Make sure you
   don't propose marriage on your first date.  Take time to let new
   customer and client relationships evolve naturally.