Saturday, October 23, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
How To Start A Computer Business on the Correct Managed Service Model
I've been doing a lot of forum participation lately where it seems every other post is from a tech asking how to start a computer business by running around town fixing all the neighbor's computers. And ultimately, they all seem to ask the same question... "How much should I charge per hour?"
I can tell you, from over 16 years of personal experience running my own computer consulting firm that the fastest way to guarantee failure as an independent computer consultant is to:
A) Charge hourly rates
and
B) Serve residential customers
If you want to run a successful computer consulting business, then you must serve the small business market. Residential customers will typically be one-shot-deals, they will be very price-conscious and they will have technology ranging from Windows 95 workstations to machines so infected with spyware and viruses that there's no way to do an effective cleanup in a timeframe the client will be willing to pay for.
Tech-savvy business owners however will budget properly to have their systems properly maintained, they will desire regular monthly maintenance to ensure reliability and maximum performance and they will have standardized, up-to-date technology that will be a pleasure to work on.
But just because you start a computer business supporting small businesses exclusively, doesn't guarantee automatic success. You will still need to follow the correct business model.
1. You NEED to charge Flat-Rates for a Managed Service Plan. You must not charge hourly rates for break/fix support.
Hourly rates:
* Will be feast-or-famine. Some months you'll be busy. Some months will be dead.
* Busy months mean your clients are having lots of problems. Lots of problems mean unhappy clients.
* If you get a big check, chances are your client is writing it after experiencing some significant problems. Think they'll feel happy about cutting that check?
* Every time you walk through the door, the client is getting billed. Think they want to see you often?
* Since they want to see you as little as possible, you're going to need more clients to keep yourself busy.
* If several of those clients have problems at the same time, it'll be hard to take care of them all. Again... you've got some unhappy clients.
* And if nothing is breaking, you'll be calling around to propose some projects to get the income flowing... and they'll be saying, "Not now... cash is tight. Can we hold off on the upgrade till next month?"
* It's a constant "You need to do more / They want to see you less" relationship. Very Win/Lose for both of you.
Flat-rates:
* You will get paid consistently and reliably.
* You'll know on the first of the month exactly how much money you're making.
* You will get paid to keep your client's systems running smoothly. The better they run, the better your income (less work / same money).
* The less your clients see you, the happier they are to write you your check ("Things are working great! Let's keep it that way! Pay the man.")
* You charge a fair, predictable rate, they get reliable, productive computing. Win/Win.
2. So if you're doing Maintenance Plans... how do you keep things running smoothly?
You monitor the systems around the clock using inexpensive utilities like GFI Max. For about $13/mo per server, you can get instant alerts for just about any problem that's occurring on the server.
Then, when a problem pops up, you log in remotely using a cheap or even free utility like LogMeIn to resolve the issue from your kitchen table.
When users have problems, you log in remotely the same way and help them instantly. They get instant support (much better than waiting for you to make an office visit) and again, you can work in your pajamas.
With constant monitoring and remote access, you can definitely keep the problems in a small office environment to a minimum.
3. What happens if a problem occurs where you MUST get down there? You go down there and charge an additional hourly rate for any calls that must be performed on-site. You want to keep these to a minimum (the bulk of your income comes from your flat rates. You don't rely on these extra hours to survive). They want you to keep these calls to a minimum too. The less they occur, the happier everyone is.
4. How many clients will you need? One of the most important considerations you'll need to work out when figuring out how to start a computer business that charges flat-fees is deciding exactly how to structure your pricing.
As an example of what works for me, if you offer a maintenance plan where you charge a flat-fee of $149 per server and $49 per workstation per month, plus $125/hr for on-site work (these are the rates I charge in NY - scale for your area and needs accordingly), you're looking at a monthly income of about $1389 for each 10-workstation client.
For each client of this size, you should expect to dedicate about 3 hours work per week. That's about 1.5 hours on-site and an average of 15 min. per day remote work.
Get yourself 4 clients, and you're looking at a salary of over $66K working around 10 hours a week.
If you learn how to start a computer business on the correct model of providing managed support to small businesses, you are setting yourself up for some very fast, enjoyable success! If you would like information on how to properly market your business to get these initial clients very quickly, I've put together a ton of excellent, free resources on my IT Marketing website.
I invite you to discover the massive rewards that await you when you start your own highly successful computer consulting business. Give yourself the ultimate advantage by arming yourself with the exact same tools, IT marketing materials, IT templates and personalized training that have helped hundreds of Independent Computer Consultants to fire their bosses and create a life of personal and financial freedom.
Get FREE instant access to 9 of our most powerful training videos... and for a very limited time, receive a massively effective Sales Prospecting Letter written by one of the industry's top copywriters, valued at $597... just for visiting http://SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com.
I can tell you, from over 16 years of personal experience running my own computer consulting firm that the fastest way to guarantee failure as an independent computer consultant is to:
A) Charge hourly rates
and
B) Serve residential customers
If you want to run a successful computer consulting business, then you must serve the small business market. Residential customers will typically be one-shot-deals, they will be very price-conscious and they will have technology ranging from Windows 95 workstations to machines so infected with spyware and viruses that there's no way to do an effective cleanup in a timeframe the client will be willing to pay for.
Tech-savvy business owners however will budget properly to have their systems properly maintained, they will desire regular monthly maintenance to ensure reliability and maximum performance and they will have standardized, up-to-date technology that will be a pleasure to work on.
But just because you start a computer business supporting small businesses exclusively, doesn't guarantee automatic success. You will still need to follow the correct business model.
1. You NEED to charge Flat-Rates for a Managed Service Plan. You must not charge hourly rates for break/fix support.
Hourly rates:
* Will be feast-or-famine. Some months you'll be busy. Some months will be dead.
* Busy months mean your clients are having lots of problems. Lots of problems mean unhappy clients.
* If you get a big check, chances are your client is writing it after experiencing some significant problems. Think they'll feel happy about cutting that check?
* Every time you walk through the door, the client is getting billed. Think they want to see you often?
* Since they want to see you as little as possible, you're going to need more clients to keep yourself busy.
* If several of those clients have problems at the same time, it'll be hard to take care of them all. Again... you've got some unhappy clients.
* And if nothing is breaking, you'll be calling around to propose some projects to get the income flowing... and they'll be saying, "Not now... cash is tight. Can we hold off on the upgrade till next month?"
* It's a constant "You need to do more / They want to see you less" relationship. Very Win/Lose for both of you.
Flat-rates:
* You will get paid consistently and reliably.
* You'll know on the first of the month exactly how much money you're making.
* You will get paid to keep your client's systems running smoothly. The better they run, the better your income (less work / same money).
* The less your clients see you, the happier they are to write you your check ("Things are working great! Let's keep it that way! Pay the man.")
* You charge a fair, predictable rate, they get reliable, productive computing. Win/Win.
2. So if you're doing Maintenance Plans... how do you keep things running smoothly?
You monitor the systems around the clock using inexpensive utilities like GFI Max. For about $13/mo per server, you can get instant alerts for just about any problem that's occurring on the server.
Then, when a problem pops up, you log in remotely using a cheap or even free utility like LogMeIn to resolve the issue from your kitchen table.
When users have problems, you log in remotely the same way and help them instantly. They get instant support (much better than waiting for you to make an office visit) and again, you can work in your pajamas.
With constant monitoring and remote access, you can definitely keep the problems in a small office environment to a minimum.
3. What happens if a problem occurs where you MUST get down there? You go down there and charge an additional hourly rate for any calls that must be performed on-site. You want to keep these to a minimum (the bulk of your income comes from your flat rates. You don't rely on these extra hours to survive). They want you to keep these calls to a minimum too. The less they occur, the happier everyone is.
4. How many clients will you need? One of the most important considerations you'll need to work out when figuring out how to start a computer business that charges flat-fees is deciding exactly how to structure your pricing.
As an example of what works for me, if you offer a maintenance plan where you charge a flat-fee of $149 per server and $49 per workstation per month, plus $125/hr for on-site work (these are the rates I charge in NY - scale for your area and needs accordingly), you're looking at a monthly income of about $1389 for each 10-workstation client.
For each client of this size, you should expect to dedicate about 3 hours work per week. That's about 1.5 hours on-site and an average of 15 min. per day remote work.
Get yourself 4 clients, and you're looking at a salary of over $66K working around 10 hours a week.
If you learn how to start a computer business on the correct model of providing managed support to small businesses, you are setting yourself up for some very fast, enjoyable success! If you would like information on how to properly market your business to get these initial clients very quickly, I've put together a ton of excellent, free resources on my IT Marketing website.
I invite you to discover the massive rewards that await you when you start your own highly successful computer consulting business. Give yourself the ultimate advantage by arming yourself with the exact same tools, IT marketing materials, IT templates and personalized training that have helped hundreds of Independent Computer Consultants to fire their bosses and create a life of personal and financial freedom.
Get FREE instant access to 9 of our most powerful training videos... and for a very limited time, receive a massively effective Sales Prospecting Letter written by one of the industry's top copywriters, valued at $597... just for visiting http://SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
What You Need Before You Start Your Own Computer Business
You’ve got the skills necessary to maintain a small business network. And you've even got a little bit of start-up cash. But you’re wondering if it’s enough. What exactly do you need to Start Your Own Computer Business?
Are certifications absolutely necessary? Will you have to invest in expensive equipment or software? Will you need to borrow some capital to get started?
My answer to these question is you really don’t need very much at all. In fact, the new technology available today makes it incredibly easy to offer extremely reliable, very profitable maintenance services using inexpensive, or even completely free software.
The days of jumping from one crisis to the next, relying on enough problems to occur during the month so you can pay the bills are long gone… The profitable model of providing IT Support is to offer on-going managed solutions to small businesses at a flat-rate. This basically means you prevent problems from affecting your small business clients... before disaster strikes.
So, the short answer is if you can maintain a small business computer network, then you’ve got what it takes to start your own computer business, easily one of the best IT Employment career choices you can make.
With this said, of course, more certifications and training means you can offer more solutions to your clients. So, while certifications aren't absolutely necessary to get your business running, continued training can only serve to improve the level of service you can provide.
On of the best parts of running your own business is you get to choose exactly what you want to become an expert in. Rather than being forced into a role as an employee or as part of larger team, when you're the boss, you call the shots.
On top this, another bit of advice for when you’re just starting out is to partner with an established IT firm or another experienced computer consultant. This way, if you find yourself faced with a problem that seems to be beyond your abilities to resolve, or if you just find yourself with a temporary work-overload, you have another professional you can bring in to assist. You can then arrange a referral fee or even just pass along your fee to your partner. This way, the client remains happy and you’re still perceived as the professional support provider that your client knows they can count on, no matter what the issue.
The point is that you do need to be competent… but you DON’T need to be the world’s most qualified expert. There are always ways to make up for where your expertise might be lacking.
Now, what about funding? What do you need to buy to start your business?
Sure, you do need some money. You’re running a business after all. There are basic expenses you will need to cover.
First, you'll need to consider your basic living expenses. Depending on your prospecting strategy and your plan for getting your clients, it might take some time before you have the client base you need to generate the basic income you need to pay your bills.
On top of your regular living expenses, the largest investment you'll need to make (other than a car if that's one of your requirements for getting to your customers) would be a laptop computer with broadband Internet access. You need this so that you can support any of your clients remotely, regardless of whether you're home, on the road or at another client site.
Aside from these basic expenses, the remainder of your startup investment requirements can be kept extremely low when you start your own computer business as an independent consultant.
In fact, sometimes it can be counter-productive to have too much capital because you end up buying a lot purchases you don’t really need before you have the clientele to justify the investments.
You see, what’s great about this business is you’re not providing the equipment, your merely maintaining or repairing what others have already bought.
This means that by choosing your initial services wisely and using new technology, you don’t need a fortune or a massive loan to get started. Your office might even be your kitchen table.
Put simply, this is as good as gets when it comes to a low-cost, low-risk business. When you make the decision to become your own boss and start your own computer business, you can finally get paid what you know you're worth for your expertise.
The biggest challenge you'll likely face is finding your initial client base quickly. Fortunately, this too is a challenge easily overcome with a solid, proven marketing strategy... and luckily, this too can be done for very little cost. I can show you the exact IT Marketing strategies I use every day to continuously build my own successful computer consulting business when you sign up to my newsletter at: http://SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com
Are certifications absolutely necessary? Will you have to invest in expensive equipment or software? Will you need to borrow some capital to get started?
My answer to these question is you really don’t need very much at all. In fact, the new technology available today makes it incredibly easy to offer extremely reliable, very profitable maintenance services using inexpensive, or even completely free software.
The days of jumping from one crisis to the next, relying on enough problems to occur during the month so you can pay the bills are long gone… The profitable model of providing IT Support is to offer on-going managed solutions to small businesses at a flat-rate. This basically means you prevent problems from affecting your small business clients... before disaster strikes.
So, the short answer is if you can maintain a small business computer network, then you’ve got what it takes to start your own computer business, easily one of the best IT Employment career choices you can make.
With this said, of course, more certifications and training means you can offer more solutions to your clients. So, while certifications aren't absolutely necessary to get your business running, continued training can only serve to improve the level of service you can provide.
On of the best parts of running your own business is you get to choose exactly what you want to become an expert in. Rather than being forced into a role as an employee or as part of larger team, when you're the boss, you call the shots.
On top this, another bit of advice for when you’re just starting out is to partner with an established IT firm or another experienced computer consultant. This way, if you find yourself faced with a problem that seems to be beyond your abilities to resolve, or if you just find yourself with a temporary work-overload, you have another professional you can bring in to assist. You can then arrange a referral fee or even just pass along your fee to your partner. This way, the client remains happy and you’re still perceived as the professional support provider that your client knows they can count on, no matter what the issue.
The point is that you do need to be competent… but you DON’T need to be the world’s most qualified expert. There are always ways to make up for where your expertise might be lacking.
Now, what about funding? What do you need to buy to start your business?
Sure, you do need some money. You’re running a business after all. There are basic expenses you will need to cover.
First, you'll need to consider your basic living expenses. Depending on your prospecting strategy and your plan for getting your clients, it might take some time before you have the client base you need to generate the basic income you need to pay your bills.
On top of your regular living expenses, the largest investment you'll need to make (other than a car if that's one of your requirements for getting to your customers) would be a laptop computer with broadband Internet access. You need this so that you can support any of your clients remotely, regardless of whether you're home, on the road or at another client site.
Aside from these basic expenses, the remainder of your startup investment requirements can be kept extremely low when you start your own computer business as an independent consultant.
In fact, sometimes it can be counter-productive to have too much capital because you end up buying a lot purchases you don’t really need before you have the clientele to justify the investments.
You see, what’s great about this business is you’re not providing the equipment, your merely maintaining or repairing what others have already bought.
This means that by choosing your initial services wisely and using new technology, you don’t need a fortune or a massive loan to get started. Your office might even be your kitchen table.
Put simply, this is as good as gets when it comes to a low-cost, low-risk business. When you make the decision to become your own boss and start your own computer business, you can finally get paid what you know you're worth for your expertise.
The biggest challenge you'll likely face is finding your initial client base quickly. Fortunately, this too is a challenge easily overcome with a solid, proven marketing strategy... and luckily, this too can be done for very little cost. I can show you the exact IT Marketing strategies I use every day to continuously build my own successful computer consulting business when you sign up to my newsletter at: http://SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com
The Best IT Technician Jobs to Have During a Recession
Times are tough. And for computer support professionals, finding IT Technician jobs has only gotten tougher.
It's no wonder though, is it? After all, companies that are in need of IT support for their computer networks are on the hunt for more affordable ways to maintain their systems than ever before. And outsourcing the management of the network, particularly for small businesses, is a more affordable and attractive option than any other.
That's why I say... If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and become the outsourced IT solution that so many small businesses are searching for now. If you're out there investigating the IT Technician Jobs that are available to you, I'd say the best one you can land is to become your own boss and start your own computer consulting business.
I know plenty of IT Technicians that would love to jump at the opportunity to become their own boss and support their own base of small business clients. Why wouldn't they? You set your own hours, you have no boss looking over your shoulder, you can't get fired or laid off, you have no limits on your growth potential (as you can install and learn any new technologies that you want to install for your clients) and you get to work with a variety of companies, keeping the work day varied and interesting.
But I also know that the main fear that keeps computer techs from taking a shot at fulfilling the dream of starting a consulting business of their own is not knowing how to go about finding the clients needed to ensure a steady, recurring income.
Well, to ensure an income you can count on, it's important that when you start your own computer business, that you support your clients on a managed service model. This way, you're able to charge clients a flat, monthly fee for the majority of the services you provide, which would include round-the-clock network monitoring and remote support of the users.
The utilities available today that allow a computer consultant to provide these services are incredibly affordable, and in some cases, even free!
So, once you're set up on the proper managed service model of support, you can charge small businesses a fair, competitive rate for your services that you can count on receiving on a set date each and every month.
By following this model, it's very easy to achieve a full time income supporting a client base as tiny as four small business clients, which can be maintained in as little as two hours a day. Hard to dispute that this is one of the most desirable IT Technician jobs any computer tech with network administration skills could ask for.
I've put together a series of videos that describes in exact detail how to start a computer business on the correct managed service model and how to acquire the entire client base needed to ensure a steady, permanent income in just 60 days or less. You can access the entire video series for free, right here at http://SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com
It's no wonder though, is it? After all, companies that are in need of IT support for their computer networks are on the hunt for more affordable ways to maintain their systems than ever before. And outsourcing the management of the network, particularly for small businesses, is a more affordable and attractive option than any other.
That's why I say... If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and become the outsourced IT solution that so many small businesses are searching for now. If you're out there investigating the IT Technician Jobs that are available to you, I'd say the best one you can land is to become your own boss and start your own computer consulting business.
I know plenty of IT Technicians that would love to jump at the opportunity to become their own boss and support their own base of small business clients. Why wouldn't they? You set your own hours, you have no boss looking over your shoulder, you can't get fired or laid off, you have no limits on your growth potential (as you can install and learn any new technologies that you want to install for your clients) and you get to work with a variety of companies, keeping the work day varied and interesting.
But I also know that the main fear that keeps computer techs from taking a shot at fulfilling the dream of starting a consulting business of their own is not knowing how to go about finding the clients needed to ensure a steady, recurring income.
Well, to ensure an income you can count on, it's important that when you start your own computer business, that you support your clients on a managed service model. This way, you're able to charge clients a flat, monthly fee for the majority of the services you provide, which would include round-the-clock network monitoring and remote support of the users.
The utilities available today that allow a computer consultant to provide these services are incredibly affordable, and in some cases, even free!
So, once you're set up on the proper managed service model of support, you can charge small businesses a fair, competitive rate for your services that you can count on receiving on a set date each and every month.
By following this model, it's very easy to achieve a full time income supporting a client base as tiny as four small business clients, which can be maintained in as little as two hours a day. Hard to dispute that this is one of the most desirable IT Technician jobs any computer tech with network administration skills could ask for.
I've put together a series of videos that describes in exact detail how to start a computer business on the correct managed service model and how to acquire the entire client base needed to ensure a steady, permanent income in just 60 days or less. You can access the entire video series for free, right here at http://SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Number One IT Employment Option for A Network Administrator
The Number One IT Employment Option for A Network Administrator
If you're a computer professional with the skills to maintain a small business network... and you're considering the IT employment options available to you, I urge you to consider the following...
An Independent Computer Consultant who supports small businesses will have greater income potential, stronger job security, greater options for technical and professional growth and much more freedom with your time than with just about any other IT Job available.
The key to success in building a successful Independent computer consulting practice is to operate on the managed support model, where you provide flat-rate service for proactive monitoring and remote support.
Supporting small businesses affords a computer consultant with a steady, regularly recurring stream of revenue.
Small businesses rely heavily on their computer systems for the daily operations of their company and therefore are more than willing to pay a fair price to have the systems properly maintained.
With the monitoring technologies available today, you will be able to monitor your clients systems around the clock, with instant alerts sent to you via email or SMS messaging for literally pennies a day.
By receiving early alerts to any problems that arise, such as failed backups, failed software updates, faulty hardware, etc., you will be able to prevent problems from escalating to the point of disaster... keeping your clients functioning more reliably and keeping you from spending countless hours doing reactive repair work.
The remote support utilities available to you today are also extremely affordable, allowing you to address most of the daily occurring issues instantly, from just about anywhere you have access to the Internet. This instant level of support keeps your clients functioning with minimal downtime and keeps their satisfaction levels at maximum.
If you're starting a consulting business and operating on the correct, flat-fee billing model, your monthly revenue will be generated for keeping things running smoothly, rather than the old hourly-rate model where you only made money if things were breaking (and your clients were suffering). And you no longer have to worry about having a "slow month". On a flat-rate model, the slower, the better... for both you and your clients.
If you're properly monitoring your clients and supporting them remotely, the amount of actual weekly support work will be minimal, allowing you to generate a reliable, full-time income while working part-time hours. Because the work-load is easily managed, you can scale up at your own pace, essentially making your maximum income level limitless.
And let's not forget about the fact that you'll be making the recommendations to your clients as to what technology would best benefit them. Therefore, you have unlimited options as to the systems, peripherals and software you will be able to gain exposure to, continuously increasing your own personal technical knowledge-base.
When considering the IT employment options available to you, it's hard to imagine any other job where you could have the freedom, growth and financial potential that you could have by becoming your own boss and starting a computer consulting business of your own.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Ideal Computer Careers for a Computer Consultant with Network Administration Skills
If you are a computer consultant with the skills to support a small business network, then you have several computer careers open to you.
You can become an in-house network administrator for a mid to large size company, where you support either a portion of or even the entire IT infrastructure...
You can work of a larger IT support firm or Managed Service Provider, where you support the company's clients, earning a small fraction of what your boss is charging his clients for the work you do...
You can work on a help desk, fielding phone support calls from a large corporation's end-users all day long...
But in my opinion, none of the computer careers available to you come anywhere close to providing you with the income potential, growth opportunities, job security or general freedom than you will get when you become your own boss and start your own computer business as a computer consultant serving local small businesses.
Just think of all the benefits you'll get when you become your own boss running your own computer consulting business...
You'll have excellent income potential - Small business owners are glad to pay a fair rate to have a reliable computer consultant maintain the systems that they rely on so heavily to operate their companies. If you set up your billing structure properly, you can generate a full-time income supporting just a handful of clients that will take only a couple of hours a day to maintain. Expand your client base and you can easily make a generous six-figure income while still working less than the standard 40-hour work-week.
You'll have an unmatched level of job security - When you're the boss, there's no danger of getting laid off or terminated. Sure, you can potentially lose a client, but if you structure your business properly by having a diverse number of clients, where no single customer represents a significant portion of your income, then losing a client can be fairly painless and relatively easy to replace.
You'll have flexible work hours - If your business is modeled on providing managed support and remote service, then the actual number of hours you'll need to dedicate on-site to your clients will be minimal. Monitor your clients properly and you'll know in advance what problems you need to address. Use remote access technologies and the typical day-to-day issues can be fixed quickly from your kitchen table. Do these things right and you'll be able to support your entire client base on just a few hours a day. Plus, if a client needs you after-hours for a specific issue, you have the flexibility of charging overtime rates to compensate you fairly for your time.
You'll have unlimited opportunities for technical growth - Unlike when you work for a company that dictates what technologies you will be installing and supporting, when you run your computer consulting business, you make the decisions on what technologies you want to recommend for your clients. You'll get to learn the new systems that interest you most and that will best contribute to your personal growth and interest.
You'll have excellent opportunities for professional growth - When you're the boss, your clients will interact with you differently than if you're just an "employee". You'll have networking and referral opportunities open to you that you just wouldn't have otherwise. Plus, working with a diverse number of small business clients, you have an excellent opportunity to expand your social circle with smart, successful, professional peers.
Plus, you'll have many other opportunities as a business owner, such as tax and investment benefits that are only available to self-employed individuals. You'll get to make your own decisions as to what kind of heath benefits you'll select for you and your family (as opposed to just accepting whatever your employer offers you). You'll also be able to choose exactly who you want to work with. If you prefer working with a particular industry, you can target them as your customers... or if you decide a client isn't what you would consider a "healthy" environment, you can choose to eliminate them from your client base.
When deciding on the computer careers that are available to someone with your skill set, it's hard to dispute that becoming your own boss would be the best choice you could make.
The challenge that prevents most computer professionals from pursuing this IT career choice is the fear of not knowing how to obtain the clients they'd need to generate a reliable, sustainable income.
This is a fear that can easily be put to rest when you have a tested and proven IT Marketing plan in your hands that can essentially guarantee you'll be able to pull in all the clients you need within 60 days or less.
You can become an in-house network administrator for a mid to large size company, where you support either a portion of or even the entire IT infrastructure...
You can work of a larger IT support firm or Managed Service Provider, where you support the company's clients, earning a small fraction of what your boss is charging his clients for the work you do...
You can work on a help desk, fielding phone support calls from a large corporation's end-users all day long...
But in my opinion, none of the computer careers available to you come anywhere close to providing you with the income potential, growth opportunities, job security or general freedom than you will get when you become your own boss and start your own computer business as a computer consultant serving local small businesses.
Just think of all the benefits you'll get when you become your own boss running your own computer consulting business...
You'll have excellent income potential - Small business owners are glad to pay a fair rate to have a reliable computer consultant maintain the systems that they rely on so heavily to operate their companies. If you set up your billing structure properly, you can generate a full-time income supporting just a handful of clients that will take only a couple of hours a day to maintain. Expand your client base and you can easily make a generous six-figure income while still working less than the standard 40-hour work-week.
You'll have an unmatched level of job security - When you're the boss, there's no danger of getting laid off or terminated. Sure, you can potentially lose a client, but if you structure your business properly by having a diverse number of clients, where no single customer represents a significant portion of your income, then losing a client can be fairly painless and relatively easy to replace.
You'll have flexible work hours - If your business is modeled on providing managed support and remote service, then the actual number of hours you'll need to dedicate on-site to your clients will be minimal. Monitor your clients properly and you'll know in advance what problems you need to address. Use remote access technologies and the typical day-to-day issues can be fixed quickly from your kitchen table. Do these things right and you'll be able to support your entire client base on just a few hours a day. Plus, if a client needs you after-hours for a specific issue, you have the flexibility of charging overtime rates to compensate you fairly for your time.
You'll have unlimited opportunities for technical growth - Unlike when you work for a company that dictates what technologies you will be installing and supporting, when you run your computer consulting business, you make the decisions on what technologies you want to recommend for your clients. You'll get to learn the new systems that interest you most and that will best contribute to your personal growth and interest.
You'll have excellent opportunities for professional growth - When you're the boss, your clients will interact with you differently than if you're just an "employee". You'll have networking and referral opportunities open to you that you just wouldn't have otherwise. Plus, working with a diverse number of small business clients, you have an excellent opportunity to expand your social circle with smart, successful, professional peers.
Plus, you'll have many other opportunities as a business owner, such as tax and investment benefits that are only available to self-employed individuals. You'll get to make your own decisions as to what kind of heath benefits you'll select for you and your family (as opposed to just accepting whatever your employer offers you). You'll also be able to choose exactly who you want to work with. If you prefer working with a particular industry, you can target them as your customers... or if you decide a client isn't what you would consider a "healthy" environment, you can choose to eliminate them from your client base.
When deciding on the computer careers that are available to someone with your skill set, it's hard to dispute that becoming your own boss would be the best choice you could make.
The challenge that prevents most computer professionals from pursuing this IT career choice is the fear of not knowing how to obtain the clients they'd need to generate a reliable, sustainable income.
This is a fear that can easily be put to rest when you have a tested and proven IT Marketing plan in your hands that can essentially guarantee you'll be able to pull in all the clients you need within 60 days or less.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Independent Computer Consultant - Using Flyers to Market your Business
Using a flyer can be a very effective sales-support tool – if it’s used properly for your specific business.
Businesses that are looking for dozens, or even hundreds of new customers (like a cleaning service or a copier repair center) can invest heavily in printing and mailing tens of thousands of flyers in the hopes of getting a return of just a small percentage of interested customers.
But for you as an Independent Computer Consultant, the cost to embark on a large campaign where you’ll print and blindly mail hundreds of flyers (especially if you're just starting a computer consulting business) would not generate the sales quickly enough to justify the large expense.
Your flyer WILL be effective however if used to support your other sales efforts.
Primarily as either:
- A leave-behind (along with your business card and a note) when making a door-to-door cold call.
- An attachment to an email following an initial phone conversation with a prospective new client.
- As A follow-up mailer to a prospective client who's requesting “more information”.
- or even as an offer for something like a free on-site evaluation of their computer support needs.
(A great way to sell them exactly what they might need - which isn't always the same as what they THINK they need)
Because you will be handing or mailing your flyer to a limited number of recipients, your production costs can be kept very low. You can print your flyers inexpensively on your own inkjet printer (assuming you have a decent printer and use quality, heavyweight paper),or you can have small production runs produced by a web-based printing service.
The purpose of your flyer is to get your prospective customer to take a specific, desired action.
Just as with your other sales and marketing efforts, your intention is to help your target recognize that they have a problem in need of a solution and Show them how your service will solve their problem.
The components of an effective flyer are:
1. A Compelling Headline - This is where you’ll either capture their attention, or have your flyer deposited in the trash bin.
Your headline should contain a benefit or it should generate interest. How about...
"5 Reasons why John Smith Should be Your computer consultant!"
“Here’s How You Can Have a Full-Time IT Department for Less Than a Part-Timers Salary!"
"If You're Tired of Worrying About Unexpected Computer Problems Hurting Your Business… Then One Simple Phone Call Can Prevent Them From Ever Occurring in the First Place!"
"The Secret To Having A Trouble-Free Computer Network In Your Office…"
2. YOUR MESSAGE
This is your list of services, which can be presented in comparison to other types of service solutions.
Your job is to show what your Unique Selling Proposition is. What makes you the best option available?
3. A PROMOTIONAL OFFER
This is where your flyer becomes an effective marketing tool.
Direct your reader to take action by giving a specific instruction and providing a compelling offer, such as one of the following examples:
“Call before Oct. 31st and receive 30 days of server monitoring absolutely free!”
“Call now for a FREE 27-Point Network Evaluation”
“Until Oct. 31, get 5 free hours of on-site support when signing up with our Daily Monitoring Plan”
While the content is key when creating your flyer, design is equally as important. A photocopied flyer with black courier text and some clipart isn’t going to cut it. A very professional flyer can be designed inexpensively and easily in any of today's standard desktop publishing or word processing applications. But if graphic design isn't your strong point, there are many options available for outsourcing the work to a freelancer (check elance.com) or a web-based printing and design service.
And fortunately, these outsourcing options are generally priced within the budget of the Independent Computer Consultant who's just starting a computer consulting business of his or her own.
Businesses that are looking for dozens, or even hundreds of new customers (like a cleaning service or a copier repair center) can invest heavily in printing and mailing tens of thousands of flyers in the hopes of getting a return of just a small percentage of interested customers.
But for you as an Independent Computer Consultant, the cost to embark on a large campaign where you’ll print and blindly mail hundreds of flyers (especially if you're just starting a computer consulting business) would not generate the sales quickly enough to justify the large expense.
Your flyer WILL be effective however if used to support your other sales efforts.
Primarily as either:
- A leave-behind (along with your business card and a note) when making a door-to-door cold call.
- An attachment to an email following an initial phone conversation with a prospective new client.
- As A follow-up mailer to a prospective client who's requesting “more information”.
- or even as an offer for something like a free on-site evaluation of their computer support needs.
(A great way to sell them exactly what they might need - which isn't always the same as what they THINK they need)
Because you will be handing or mailing your flyer to a limited number of recipients, your production costs can be kept very low. You can print your flyers inexpensively on your own inkjet printer (assuming you have a decent printer and use quality, heavyweight paper),or you can have small production runs produced by a web-based printing service.
The purpose of your flyer is to get your prospective customer to take a specific, desired action.
Just as with your other sales and marketing efforts, your intention is to help your target recognize that they have a problem in need of a solution and Show them how your service will solve their problem.
The components of an effective flyer are:
1. A Compelling Headline - This is where you’ll either capture their attention, or have your flyer deposited in the trash bin.
Your headline should contain a benefit or it should generate interest. How about...
"5 Reasons why John Smith Should be Your computer consultant!"
“Here’s How You Can Have a Full-Time IT Department for Less Than a Part-Timers Salary!"
"If You're Tired of Worrying About Unexpected Computer Problems Hurting Your Business… Then One Simple Phone Call Can Prevent Them From Ever Occurring in the First Place!"
"The Secret To Having A Trouble-Free Computer Network In Your Office…"
2. YOUR MESSAGE
This is your list of services, which can be presented in comparison to other types of service solutions.
Your job is to show what your Unique Selling Proposition is. What makes you the best option available?
3. A PROMOTIONAL OFFER
This is where your flyer becomes an effective marketing tool.
Direct your reader to take action by giving a specific instruction and providing a compelling offer, such as one of the following examples:
“Call before Oct. 31st and receive 30 days of server monitoring absolutely free!”
“Call now for a FREE 27-Point Network Evaluation”
“Until Oct. 31, get 5 free hours of on-site support when signing up with our Daily Monitoring Plan”
While the content is key when creating your flyer, design is equally as important. A photocopied flyer with black courier text and some clipart isn’t going to cut it. A very professional flyer can be designed inexpensively and easily in any of today's standard desktop publishing or word processing applications. But if graphic design isn't your strong point, there are many options available for outsourcing the work to a freelancer (check elance.com) or a web-based printing and design service.
And fortunately, these outsourcing options are generally priced within the budget of the Independent Computer Consultant who's just starting a computer consulting business of his or her own.
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