Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are you having trouble growing your computer consulting company’s profits?If so, then you must learn how to focus on your computer consulting firm’s profit and bottom line.
In this article, we’ll look at 7 profit secrets and strategies you can use in your computer consulting business, to ensure that you are able to balance your clients’ small business IT needs against your own computer consulting company’s profitability challenges.
Origins of
Problem
While focusing on your computer consulting profits may sound simple enough at first glance, this business-focused discipline often eludes many a computer consulting firm.
This usually happens because many computer consulting business owners fall in love technology gadgetry, and get seduced by seemingly attractive reseller channel programs, at expense of their business’ profit.
At end of day however, your computer consulting company is a business... not a charity and not a hobby. And your computer consulting company must be run like a business.
Profit Secret #1: Show motivation with your small business computer consulting clients. To avoid being labeled as just another clueless geek, you need to position your computer consulting services to be more in line with those of a virtual CIO for hire. So always be on look out for new ways to enhance your clients' businesses... not just fix broken desktops and servers.
Profit Secret #2: Be dedicated to task and relentless in your pursuit to improve status quo. Because it takes a lot of work to land best computer consulting clients, you need to focus on lifetime customer value... not just one-shot-deal sales. So always remember that your proposed or recently implemented computer consulting technology solution isn't a one-shot deal. This kind of long-term vision and planning requires tremendous staying power and perseverance... which often escapes many computer consulting business owners.
Profit Secret #3: Don't be afraid to be creative with your client engagements. Small business technology solutions often need to stay within relatively modest budgets. And your computer consulting solutions must work without need for in-house IT staff. To satisfy these challenges, don't be afraid to think outside of box when appropriate.
Profit Secret #4: Evaluate how your clients' systems, both paper- and computer-based, function today. As part of your virtual CIO role, look at how these existing clients systems are meeting or not meeting present and future needs. Most of this work will be done during IT audits... another key computer consulting profit secret that can really help to separate you from pack of mediocrity.
Profit Secret #5: Put yourself in your clients' shoes and think about what THEIR clients need from them. Yes, as a computer consulting business owner, you need to have good people skills and a certain degree of empathy for your clients’ business problems. But an even more advanced computer consulting business owner doesn’t just stop at understanding their clients’ business problems. The virtual CIO really digs in and learns about their clients’ customers’ business problems... one layer down on value chain.
