Running a computer consulting business is quite a bit different from running a computer repair or maintenance business. The total thought process is a lot different and with the already existing and increasing competition there is the need to think ahead of your competition to stay ahead.
The most important factor that needs to be paid special attention to is determining your market. When you are running a computer consulting firm it should generally be a business to business approach more than a business to consumer approach so your primary focus should be on the business to business side of things. In this respect it should be kept in mind that a business to consumer approach or providing your services for home and small business can provide you with a lot of customers but it will not be as profitable as a business to business approach is for large businesses. For computer consulting service better profitability can be achieved when you focus on increasing your client base in a business to business strategy.
Next comes your sales approach and how fast can you reach your prospective clients. You need to prioritize your client base and try to reach them as soon as possible. In fact you might even want to reach your clients and get in touch with them even before they realize the need of your services. This is a process of planting the seed. You may not get instant results on sales by reaching your clients before they have the need but this is still crucial as when you reach them you plant your seed so when they have an actual need your name will come up first. Stay in touch with your prospective clients so that when they start looking for the services you provide they can already recall you. This will help secure a business relationship.
Putting your services into bidding situations and offering the cheapest rates is not always the brightest idea. Although clients often tend to move towards cheaper rates they don’t always look for the cheapest ones. The basic factor is when you are dealing with business to business operation, offering the cheapest rates do not help in securing the deal. What customers prefer most is a reasonable rate and quality of service. If you can ensure the quality of your services you do not need to bother about your rates as long as it is within reasonable range. Offering the cheapest rates might even make your clients question the quality of your services. Therefore, to ensure the profitability it is always the best idea to stay within a reasonable rate and focus on the services that you provide.
It is essential to understand your customer needs. In most non-technical businesses the owners and managers often do not have the proper knowledge and experience in hiring IT consultants. They would prefer to get help from within their known circle. Therefore, it is essential to plant your seeds early and maintain a follow up relationship so that when they need to hire an IT consultant they would give you certain preference. This is always a better idea than getting involved in a price competition war which is likely to happen if you haven’t already planted your seed.
Another important factor about achieving success in your computer consulting business is to build up relationships with trusted business advisers and non-competing technology providers. This has multiple advantages. Making friends and building relationships or even partnering with non-competing technology providers and trusted business advisers allows you to make use of their services and also to get and provide referral sales. These sources can offer you a good deal of assistance in referring your name to their clients as well as if any of your clients need assistance with the services they provide. It’s always good to have someone refer you when it comes to maintaining a good reputation with your customer.
