Profit Secret #6: Keep up with advances and new versions. As virtual CIO for your computer consulting clients, your clients depend on your firm to advise them on what tools can better help their businesses grow. So while you can’t allow this R&D and training to consume and devour all of your scarce weekly schedule, you do need to stay a few steps ahead of your clients’ IT needs at all times.

Profit Secret #7: Summarize and share that information with your clients. The essence of your R&D and training should focus on one major objective: will this new platform or tool add value to your computer consulting clients’ existing or future installations? And how you can best summarize this information, in layperson language that non-technical clients can understand?

The Bottom Line Your computer consulting firm’s needs to be your client’s virtual IT department can often be at odds with your computer consulting firm’s need to be profitable. A big part of this problem happens because computer consulting business owners fall in love with technology, at expense of their marketing and sales activities.

To make sure you don’t fall into this same strap, which can kill your computer consulting profits, don't go overboard with your training and R&D activities. Be sure to keep business development activities in your weekly schedule... EVERY week. If you want to keep your computer consulting profits as healthy as possible, make sure that you’re proactive in your marketing and sales activities... dig well for computer consulting profits BEFORE you’re thirsty. And a great way to start is by listening to profit-generating secrets at http://www.computer-consulting-101.com

About Author

Joshua Feinberg is a 15-year veteran of small business computer consulting and has appeared in CRN, VARBusiness, Microsoft Direct Access, TechRepublic, American Express OPEN, Entrepreneur, Inc, SCORE, Small Business Computing, and USA Today. To get immediate online access to Joshua’s free proven strategies for growing your company’s profits, sign up now for free training at http://www.computer-consulting-101.com

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7. First Meeting: Your objective here is to LISTEN to your prospective client. What does she/he think are their most immediate problems and pressing needs? (From research you've done, you should already have a general idea of what they're looking for, and what their needs are. Now is your opportunity to get "inside scoop.") Ask intelligent questions, and give basic information about your company, your abilities and your products or services. Just remember - this meeting isn't about You, it's about THEM! Make sure you ask any questions you've still got about application process, and what you need to do in order to put in a bid. Leave information with your prospective client, and tell them what you will do next. If you set a time to follow up, DO It. If not, you're going to follow up anyway, but more about that in a minute. 8. Follow-up. After meeting, put together a plan of action. Create at least three solutions to your prospective client's problems, but make it something unique that can only be done by your company. If you sell a product, perhaps you could provide a free training workshop, to get users up to speed more quickly and efficiently. If you provide a service, offer an additional incentive, or extra component that either solves another problem or provides added value and benefit to client. Then get it to person you saw. For example, you could send a simple letter…"Dear Fred, Thanks for meeting with me last Friday. After we talked, I started thinking about what you said about …, and came up with …" Don't be afraid of giving him your best ideas. You want him to understand that you can solve his problems. You don't need to go into details about "how" you'll accomplish it. Just let him know that you can. Make sure that you follow application process completely, and turn it in before deadline. 9. Network, network, network. Don't stop now. Who else do you know who can help champion your cause? Who is your local city council person? Other elected representatives? You don't have to be a major contributor to ask your representative for assistance. Most politicians are more than happy to help local businesses succeed. Getting word out about who you are and what you can do is just good business. Talk to your local chamber of commerce, or small business development center. 10. Be professional. Above all else, you want to project an attitude of competence and professionalism. Go extra mile. Make sure that your client is more than satisfied by doing business with you. And once you've got one government client, it will be easier to convince other agencies to do business with you.

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