Computer Consulting Kit preview blog by Joshua Feinberg

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IT Service Contracts + SMB Virtual IT = a Stable, Profitable Business

• If you own or manage a small business IT company, you may be thinking about using IT service contracts to build better relationships with clients.
  
  The truth is, many small business IT consultants choose not to use IT service contracts as part of their business models … and many of them end up working way too hard for way too little money. They find themselves with no real business stability and unable to build solid relationships with steady, high-paying clients.
  
  If you want to achieve greater success in the small business world, you need to know how to incorporate the idea of Virtual IT into your IT service contracts. When you provide Virtual IT services to your clients, you need to offer a very wide range of IT services and solutions, that approximate what would be found in a large, enterprise corporate IT department.
  
  The following 3 tips can help you learn what you can do to build stable, profitable client relationships and grow your business.

1. Know Why Many IT Consulting Companies Get the Virtual IT Concept Wrong. Most IT business owners trying to develop a model for IT service contracts get the idea behind their businesses all wrong and make their jobs much harder than they need to be. These people fall in love with technology, trying to stay ahead of the latest and greatest new platforms instead of keeping an eye out for their small business clients’ best interests.
2. Learn from Others’ Virtual IT Mistakes and Omissions. If you fail to understand the definition of Virtual IT and don't incorporate it into your business model, you will be known as just another clueless geek. Keep in mind that as a true provider of comprehensive IT service contracts, recruiting and retaining small business clients is your #1 priority. Keeping up with the latest technology advances can never get in the way of building relationships and the mission of your computer consulting company. Therefore, don’t be seduced by hardware, operating systems or applications. Instead, fall in love with the business opportunities that go along with solving your clients’ biggest business problems with well-designed IT solutions.
3. Know How to Blend Computer Consulting IT Service Contracts and the Idea of Virtual IT. In order to sell profitable IT service contracts to clients, you need to fully understand and use the Virtual IT concept. Virtual IT allows your computer consulting company to function as an extension of your small business clients’ companies. When you follow this concept, your company becomes the outsourced Virtual IT department for your small business clients. You become the Virtual CIO (chief information officer), Virtual CTO (chief technology officer) or Virtual IT manager for all of your small business clients, a relationship solidified further by IT service contracts. You will need to take responsibility for providing or arranging for a complete soup-to-nuts solution that includes important services and benefits like help desk, desktop support, network administration, testing, security, training, procurement and asset management.
   
   In this brief article, we talked about 3 tips to help you incorporate the idea of Virtual IT into your model for IT service contracts. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients with well-crafted IT service contracts now at http://www.ITServiceContractSecrets.com
   
   Copyright (C), ITServiceContractSecrets.com, All Rights Reserved.

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Computer Maintenance Contract Subcontracting for National Service Organizations

• Many small business IT consultants wonder as they are starting their businesses whether or not they should do computer maintenance contract subcontracting for national service organizations. 
  
  The simple answer is, “NO!” Essentially, you will spend a lot of money and time getting certified and learning the latest platforms and technologies and best practices. And you will end up doing a lot of low-level, low-skilled hardware repair and work that puts you in the same category as a commodity. Why? Because every year, hardware components become more disposable and replaceable and less repairable.
  
  The following 4 tips can help you understand why you should stay away from doing computer maintenance contract subcontracting with a national service organization:

1. Many Computers are Dirt-Cheap and Basically Disposable. As an example, think about a standard $400 consumer-grade PC. Can you imagine one of your clients spending money on an out-of-warranty repair for this type of computer? And who would spend money out of warranty as part of an on-going computer maintenance contract to have a $400 laser printer repaired? You can’t focus your consulting business on these minor computer repairs. Rather, you should target small businesses that need your help on more complex IT business problems and can afford your sophisticated expertise.
2. Labor Allowances for Computer Maintenance Contract Work are Low with National Service Organizations. National service organizations are going to be dealing with warranty repairs on pretty inexpensive hardware. That being said, how big will the labor allowance be for a $1,200 notebook? Many big hardware vendors are so hard-up for cash that they are always on the verge of going out of business. There are only a handful of major hardware players that are still in good financial shape. So you have to think about what your chances of getting paid well in this situation will be.
3. Think About Your Profit Margins on Computer Maintenance Contract Repairs for National Service Organizations. Consider what you will make on a repair. You will probably only make somewhere between $50 and $200 (at the absolute most). You will do a lot better when you find small businesses in your area that need high-level professional IT services on a regular basis and not just your help un-jamming a printer or rebooting a computer.
4. Computer Maintenance Contract Subcontracting for National Service Organizations is Barely Profitable. When you act as a subcontractor for a national service provider, you will be working against yourself and your business constantly. You will most likely be in eight different offices every day as opposed to one or two. And you will be given a $65 labor allowance to replace a system board, no matter how long it takes you, instead of billing out $100-$150 per hour for high-end network support services and network integration services. 
   
   Repairing and troubleshooting hardware is low-end commodity work and should be left to those that can afford to bill out at $20-$30 per hour. You need to focus on high-end consulting and establishing a strong computer maintenance contract program with steady, high-paying clients if you want to really succeed in the small business IT world.
   
   In this article, we talked about 4 reasons to steer clear of doing computer maintenance contract subcontracting for national service organizations. Learn more about how you can build your computer maintenance contract business around great, steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.ComputerMaintenanceContract.com  
   
   Copyright (C), ComputerMaintenanceContract.com, All Rights Reserved.

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IT Contract Work vs. Starting Your Own IT Company

Have you been considering IT contract work, but you don't know where to start? Before you start working piecemeal, contract-by-contract, consider opening your own IT contract business. 

 

Many interested in IT contract work aren't sure they have what it takes to start an independent business. But basically, if you have a good understanding of computer systems, strong problem-solving skills and a desire to help other people, you probably already have what it takes to consider going out on your own.

 

The following 5 points can help you build your own IT contract company and avoid the frustration of trying to constantly find revolving-door, thankless IT contract work.

 

1. Open Your Own IT Contract Business to Maximize Your Income. When you have a regular corporate IT job or even act as an IT contract worker in a corporate environment, your career opportunities, advancement possibilities and the chance to earn a higher salary are restricted sometimes significantly by elements outside of your control. You are at the mercy of lazy or incompetent peers, ineffective management or a seniority system that rewards employees that don't pull their weight and punishes new, aggressive, competent employees. When you start your own IT contract business, these career issues all but disappear, because you have control over your peers. If you don't like your partners or subcontractors, you go find better ones. And if you don't like your "bosses," your major clients, you can look for new clients for your business. When you run your own business, you can also forget about being under-appreciated or unappreciated. No client will pay you or your consulting firm $100 per hour (or even more!) for your services if they don't value your expertise. Even if your clients don't constantly express gratitude, your bank account will reflect your hard work.
2. Enjoy Great Business Opportunities. The market for those that want to start their own IT contract businesses is diverse and steadily growing. Every company and organization needs some type of IT help and will get it from a variety of sources: internal employees, outsourced consultants or some combination of the two. The choice to start your own IT business can be the start of a successful, highly-profitable business. While there will be a lot of competition, competition is good for your IT contract business. If there were no other consultants succeeding, you'd have to wonder, "Is the industry even viable?"  You wouldn't want to be in an industry where no one else had been able to succeed. Many IT contract businesses are very poorly run and have big problems with customer service. These problems become your opportunity as you develop cost-effective solutions to exactly what small businesses need. Also as technology changes, the changes create huge opportunities. New small business technology problems crop up every day that you can help solve. The industry is constantly producing more prospective clients.
3. Know Which Skills You Need to Start Your Own IT Contract Business. As you  think about how to launch your IT contract business, think about your skills. Start by listing your computer-related skills. If you are the person that everyone turns to when they have problems with their computers, you are probably off to a good start. You don't need to be an expert in every detail and aspect of IT. Because the industry is so diverse and huge, you could never possibly know everything there is to know. You can bridge skills and service gaps by finding excellent partners and subcontractors to help you.
4. Think About the Transition from Employee to Business Owner. If you are already doing IT contract work, or you're working as an employee of a company in the IT industry, making the transition from employee to business owner will be a big decision. You may want to start out by moonlighting to get a feel for the experience of finding your own clients and owning your own IT contract business. You can also use moonlighting to make sure you know what to expect once you go out on your own, or to try out working independently before committing full time. Moonlighting is also a great way to build a client list and reference accounts that can give you a head start building your business.
5. Evaluate Your Non-Technical Skills. Remember, you need a lot of non-technical skills to be successful at starting your own IT contract business. There are some personality traits that will make working for yourself much easier: the ability to be self motivated; the drive to work independently when you have no employer looking over your shoulder; the ability to multi-task and wear many hats in order to run the accounting, marketing, sales, operations and other aspects of your business; good delegation skills. If you are weak in any of these areas, don't be discouraged or overwhelmed. They are important to your business, but there are many ways to develop these soft skills and build relationships with people to whom you can delegate.

In this article, we talked about 5 reasons you should stay away from IT contract work and move towards starting your own IT contract business. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients for your IT contract business now at http://www.ITContractWorkStinks.com   
 
Copyright (C), ITContractWorkStinks.com, All Rights Reserved

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Computer Consulting Business Credibility-Building Secrets

As you are growing or starting your computer consulting business and trying to get great clients, you might wonder, “How do I establish credibility if I only have a couple of references and am just starting out?”

References are incredibly important to effectively marketing your computer consulting business and establishing credibility, so you need to seize all opportunities to build relationships with those in your network that can help introduce you to qualified prospects. There are many ways to maximize and magnify the effect of any references you have and get new ones, even if your business is relatively new.

The following 4 secrets can help you make the most of your references as you build your computer consulting business.  

1. Make Sure You Have References in Writing. In order to make your references as strong as possible, you need to get them in writing on your client’s letterhead. You need to make sure your references look professional, so that others know they come from legitimate small business owners. Prospects will be much more inclined to believe the recommendations of small business owners just like themselves with similar IT problems, so you need to make sure that your references look legitimate. Part of the power of a strong reference is that it comes from a third-party, that is unbiased. So you need to make sure that the sources of your references are as clear as possible.
   
   
2. Computer Consulting Business References Should Talk About Benefits. Your references should speak about the specific benefits you provide to your clients: how you save them money; how your technology solution generates more revenue; how you enable clients to close out the month faster; how you improve overall productivity; how your solutions help clients communicate with remote workers, suppliers and vendors more seamlessly. Strong, irrefutable benefits can be an incredibly important part of great references and will make your client references more powerful, even if you only have a few client references.
   
   
3. Be Creative About Getting Your First References. If you have no references for your computer consulting business, volunteering can be a great way to get references. Choose a non-profit organization about which you feel passionate and set up a deal with very set parameters. The key is to give a volunteer project a clear beginning and end, as you can’t afford to give free services forever. As part of the deal you strike, ask the non-profit entity to write a testimonial for you. Because non-profits are usually well-known and also well-respected, their recommendations can be very powerful to your marketing campaign.
   
   
4. Know When to Ask for References. Many computer consulting business owners are shy about asking for referrals. After all, you don’t want to push your clients too hard or look needy. But, you must ask for referrals, so when is the best time? First of all, ask for a referral when someone gives you a compliment. Pay attention when you walk into an office and are finishing a project and your client says, “This new system is great! I can’t believe I can do all this now!” or “I can’t believe how much money we cut out of our expenses in the last few months because of this great new system ugprade!” This is your time to act. When you hear glowing compliments, ask for an updated testimonial, or a new one if you don’t have one from that client yet. Also, be sure to ask if the ecstatic client knows anyone that might benefit from your services.

 

In this article, we talked about 4 secrets for your computer consulting business that can help you build credibility and get great references that can lead to even greater clients. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients for your computer consulting business now at http://www.ComputerConsultingBusiness.com  

Copyright (C), ComputerConsultingBusiness.com, All Rights Reserved

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Computer Business Opportunity in the B2B Small Business Space

• If you are a small business computer consulting company owner who has been delivering services to customers in the B2C (Business-to-Consumer) space, you may be looking for another computer business opportunity to help you grow your profits and your client base.
  
  Many small business computer consultants find great opportunities in the B2B (Business-to-Business) space, and specifically within Sweet Spot Clients(tm). Sweet Spot Clients are defined as small businesses with anywhere from 10 to 75 computers. This computer business opportunity can help consultants find steady, long-term clients that are willing and able to pay for ongoing services.
  
  The following 3 tips introduce you to the B2B small business space and help you seize your best computer business opportunity to help build your company.

1. Don’t Focus on Micro- and Home-Based Small Businesses. Many consultants moving from home users into the small business space make the mistake of thinking that they can just run out and get some small business clients. They don’t stop to think about where the true computer business opportunity is, and that it’s not in very small clients. If you focus on home-based businesses and micro small businesses, you will run into many of the same problems as in the home users market. You will not be able to retain long-term clients or sell a lot of services, even when focusing on micro small businesses that are technically considered small businesses.  Why? Because it's very difficult in most cases to sell ongoing services agreements and profitably service those companies with fewer than 10 computers.
2. Know the Main Reasons Micro and Home-Based Small Business Clients Are Not Profitable. As you are looking for the best computer business opportunity, you need to know exactly why working with micro- and home-based small businesses is not profitable. First of all, you will find a lot of consumer-grade PC’s and pirated software. Also, you will find that micro- and home-based small businesses will be reluctant to pay for services, because they are used to getting computer support for free from a friend, family member or other types of volunteers. And how can you possibly compete with free? Because IT is usually not as important to very small businesses, micro small businesses will also not usually need great response time and won’t be willing to pay for it. Most importantly, very small businesses will be too small to afford a real dedicated server or a real network, leaving you very little computer business opportunity to build complex solutions and grow long-term relationships.
3. Focus on Sweet Spot Clients. Again, Sweet Spot Clients are defined as small businesses with anywhere from 10 to 75 computers. At this stage, you will find prospects, customers, and clients willing to get serious about putting in a real client/server network, a reliable back-up solution, a dependable UPS, and a truly secure firewall. Small business decision makers in this space understand that the systems need to be designed by a very sophisticated IT services or network integrator firm, which is where your computer business opportunity will be strongest. As a small business starts growing, the stakes go up. These owners recognize the need to use IT more strategically. Among Sweet Spot Clients, small businesses have made the decision that IT is important to the company and that they can’t afford a lot of downtime. They need someone to coordinate everything related to computers and take ownership of the whole problem for many years into the future. 
   
   
   In this short article, we discussed 3 tips that can help you find the best computer business opportunity for you as you start looking into the small business market. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients and your own best computer business opportunity now at http://www.ComputerBusinessOpportunityNow.com 
   
   
   Copyright (C), ComputerBusinessOpportunityNow.com, All Rights Reserved

 

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Software Reseller Tips for Growing a Stable Business

• Are you a computer consultant that breaks out in hives when you think about being a software reseller?
  
  You might be confusing the low-margin sales of desktop PC’s, notebooks, or servers with actually integrating software and other products into comprehensive business solutions for small businesses. If you plan carefully, you can profit from your clients’ need for full-service support from their software reseller. 
  
  The following 3 tips can help you learn how to incorporate being a software reseller into your more profitable IT services business and attract great clients.

1. Embrace Your Role as a Technology Influencer. An IT consultant that also acts as a software reseller knows that smart selection of products can make installation, support, troubleshooting and upgrading work a breeze. Choosing the right software for systems can dramatically boost system reliability, which helps keep your valued clients happy. If you rely on someone else to choose software, you increase the chances of your solutions being less effective. When software acts up or is incompatible with existing hardware, clients get really frustrated and might actually end up blaming you for problems. As a software reseller, you can enhance the overall solution you bring to clients and give them a single point of contact. This in turn eliminates frustration and nurtures trusting, long-term relationships.
2. Pay Attention to New Advances in Technology … But Be Wary! There will always be new software and hardware on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean you have to jump to incorporate all of it into your small business clients’ solutions just because you want to stay up to date. A successful small business software reseller keeps an eye on new products for clients, but is always mindful of overall solutions and what will work best and most cost effectively. You can’t let your love for new gadgets and bleeding-edge technology get in the way of responding to client needs. 
3. Know Where the Real Profit Opportunities Are for a Software Reseller. IT consultants do have a big opportunity for profit from software sales, but often not in the actual profit margins of the software applications themselves. Software resellers are successful when they act as their clients’ primary technology influencers. If you are going to add software sales to your repertoire, you need to not think of yourself as a purveyor of products, but rather as a professional that will recommend what to buy based on end-to-end small business solutions. 
   
   
   In this short article, we looked at 3 tips to help you profit from being a software reseller and build a steady client base. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients as a software reseller now at http://www.SoftwareResellerSecrets.com  
   
   
   Copyright (C), SoftwareResellerSecrets.com, All Rights Reserved

 

 

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IT Consultants: 7 Business-Building Secrets for 2009 (and Beyond)

• IT consultants that own or manage their own consulting companies often face challenges when growing their profits and client base. 
  
  If you are like many IT consultants, you may have trouble with the key ingredient of successful consulting firms -- being able to focus on your company’s profit and bottom line. Many in the IT services industry fall in love with technology gadgetry, or get seduced by attractive channel programs, often at the expense of their businesses’ profits. If you have fallen into this trap, you need to remember that your computer consulting company is a business, not charity and not a hobby, so you need to run it like a business. 
  
  The following 7 profit secrets can help IT consultants trying to build their client lists and grow their businesses exponentially.

1. IT Consultants Need to Be Proactive with Their Clients. You can’t afford to be labeled as another clueless geek. So you need to make sure you act as a Virtual CIO for hire. Be vigilant about finding new ways to enhance your clients’ businesses rather than just fixing broken desktops or servers.
2. IT Consultants Are Dedicated to Their Task and Relentless about Improving the Status Quo. Getting and keeping great computer consulting clients takes a lot of work. You need to stay away from one-shot deal sales and focus on the value to your business of lifetime clients. Remember that you are offering total, complex business solutions. You are a long-term visionary that needs to plan ahead and have tremendous staying power and perseverance.
3. IT Consultants Are Creative with Client Relationships. Small business technology solutions need to be low cost, but incredibly effective. These IT solutions also need to work without the need for an in-house IT staff. In order to meet these challenges, you will often need to think outside the box and be incredibly resourceful.
4. IT Consultants Evaluate How Their Clients’ Paper-Based Systems and Computer-Based Systems Work. Part of your role as a Virtual CIO is to see how existing client systems are meeting or not meeting present and future needs. Most of this work will be done during initial technology assessments, which will need to also be a point of focus as you are growing relationships with small businesses and setting you apart from the competition. 
5. IT Consultants Think About What Their Clients Need from Them. As a computer consulting business owner, you must have good people skills and empathy for your clients’ business problems. But true Virtual CIO’s dig in and learn about their clients’ customers’ business problems when designing solutions.
6. IT Consultants Keep Up with Technology Advances and New Versions. If you are going to be a real Virtual CIO, you need to advise clients on which tools can best help their businesses grow. While you can’t let this R & D and training eat up your entire weekly schedule, you need to stay a few steps ahead of your clients’ needs.
7. IT Consultants Summarize and Share New Advances with Clients. Your R & D and training on new technology has to have one objective: finding out how a new platform or tool can add value to your clients’ existing or future installations. You need to be able to describe how new products or services can benefit non-technical small business owners in language they can understand. 
   
   
   In this article, we introduced 7 business-building secrets that can help IT consultants grow their businesses. Learn more about how IT consultants can get great, steady, high-paying clients now at http://www.ITConsultantsSecrets.com 
   
   
   Copyright (C), ITConsultantsSecrets.com, All Rights Reserved

 

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Computer Business for Sale? Look Before You Leap!

• Are you looking at a computer business for sale and wondering if you should buy it? 
  
  Before you invest a large amount of capital to buy an existing computer business, you should consider the many benefits of starting your own computer business from scratch. Not only will the initial start-up costs be much lower, but you may also find a great deal more freedom in managing the growth and direction of your computer business. 
  
  The following 4 pieces of advice can help you decide whether to buy a computer business for sale, or go in your own direction.

1. Running a Computer Business Requires a Lot of Time. Whether you buy an existing computer business for sale, or start your own company, you will have to invest significant time and energy into building it up. You will have to go to a lot of meetings and shake a lot of hands in networking situations. You will have to make follow-up phone calls. You will have to plan display ads, direct mailings and targeted marketing campaigns. But more importantly, you need to be prepared to call on potential clients and establish real relationships. Because of the amount of time required to start any computer business, you need to be realistic about what it will take to get yours going.
2. Buying a Computer Business for Sale Requires a Lot of Start-Up Capital. Buying an existing business can be very capital intensive. To buy even a small, thriving computer business, you could spend anywhere from a few hundred thousand dollars to a few million dollars. Expect to invest some multiple of past annual sales. The capital investment of buying a computer business for sale is one of the biggest reasons you need to be very careful and take your time before jumping into it.
3. There Are No Guarantees with Buying a Computer Business for Sale. Just because you are buying an existing computer business that already has clients does not mean you don’t have to do any work on networking, marketing and building relationships. You will need to maintain trust among existing clients and build your own relationships with them as the new owner. You will also have to continue to keep your sales funnel full with targeted marketing campaigns, valuable networking opportunities and other relationship-building efforts.
4. Know What it Costs to Start Your Own Computer Business. Before you buy a computer business for sale, you should know the start-up costs involved in starting your own computer business from scratch. You can start your own computer business for generally as little as a few thousand dollars. What will you need? You need a business phone number, voice mail, a cell phone, business cards, legal licensing registrations, and insurance. And you will want to meet with an attorney and an accountant, so you be prepared to invest in professional services to get your company started. A major benefit of starting your own computer business is that in most cases, you can get started working out of your home office. While the time investment will be similar,  you will have far fewer start-up costs when building a computer business from scratch than if you buy a computer business for sale. 
   
   
   In this short article, we discussed 4 tips to help you decide whether or not to buy a computer business for sale, so you know your options and exactly what is in store for you. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients for your computer business now at http://www.DontBuyAComputerBusinessForSale.com 
   
   
   Copyright (C), DontBuyAComputerBusinessForSale.com, All Rights Reserved

 

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PC Repair Prices: What to Charge New Customers

• If you are like many other technology professionals trying to set the right PC repair prices, you probably don’t know where to start.
  
  Your PC repair prices should be consistent among your entire client base and high enough so your prices are competitive with other PR repair businesses in your area. But you also have to make sure you give discounts to get your foot in the door with new customers, so you can lead them towards signing contracts with you for long-term, on-going services. When you set your prices for initial projects with new customers right, you pave the way for strong relationships that can sustain your business long term.
  
  The following 3 tips can help you set your PC repair prices for initial projects so you can build relationships with new customers.

1. Use Your Hourly Rate as a Guide to Setting PC Repair Prices. For initial work you do with new customers, you will probably spend about two or three hours on site and another hour or so back at your PC repair shop writing up a report summarizing work done and suggested next steps. Determine your PC repair prices for initial projects based on your average hourly billing rate. As an example, if for basic on-site service you are charging $95 per hour and you anticipate that for an initial project you will spend about five hours on-site, your first paid project should be worth a little under $500.
2. Don’t Bill the Full Amount for Initial Projects. While you may have discovered that based on your hourly rate, that initial project will be worth just under $500, you want to round down and offer discounts to new customers on PC repair prices to get your foot in the door. You don’t need to bill your very first paid work with new customers at your full rate. You want to give new prospective customers with whom you hope to have a long-term agreement some comfort. You want new prospective customers to know they can afford your services, and you’re not just trying to run up a huge bill. You want new prospective customers to know that you care about solving their IT problems. Your initial project may take a few hours, and you will likely spend another hour or so coming up with a coherent recommendations report on what your new customers need. Don’t give away expertise for free, but also don’t try to recover your typical PC repair prices on your first project.
3. New Customer Discounting Can Really Pay Off Long Term. Your goal with setting PC repair prices at the beginning is to get prospects to prove they will spend money on your services. The important goal of your initial project is to make the sale and start a real relationship. If you establish that an initial project is worth a little under $500, for example, think about discounting that to $250-$350. The key thing is to do initial work at fixed PC repair prices, and start to build trust and a relationship with new customers. 
   
   
   
   In this short article we discussed 3 tips to help you set PC repair prices for initial projects with new customers. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients with appropriate PC repair prices now at http://www.PCRepairPriceSecrets.com
    
   Copyright (C), PCRepairPriceSecrets.com, All Rights Reserved

 

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IT Maintenance Contract Tips Increase Your Profitability

• Are you offering an IT maintenance contract package as part of your computer consulting business?
  
  Many small business computer consultants fail to understand how important a solid IT maintenance contract can be to building relationships with clients and developing a profitable, stable business. Therefore, many don’t choose to offer IT maintenance contracts right off the bat, instead settling for one-shot deal customers or low-paying, fly-by-night customers that leave them working way too hard for way too little money.
  
  The following 4 tips can help you learn how to incorporate a strong IT maintenance contract into your business, so you can establish great relationships with your clients, increase your profits and provide a solid foundation for your computer consulting company.

1. Start Offering and Selling Your IT Maintenance Contract Services. Even if you are afraid or unsure of how you will package on-going services, you need to start offering them right away. Go slowly until you build up your confidence level. Confidence is not going to come through training, reading a report or preparing a template for a standard IT maintenance contract. You will only build confidence when you actually start selling on-going maintenance services and going out to clients to deliver them. This will in turn build stable, trusting and mutually-beneficial relationships with your long-term clients.
2. Start Small. As you are building your small business computer consulting firm on strong IT maintenance contract packages, start with relatively small accounts and ease into larger accounts. This doesn’t mean you should dismiss the idea of taking on a large account at the beginning if it happens to fall in your lap. But remember that accounts that are on the small side can be good for getting your feet wet and building your business responsibly, in a way that helps you manage growth.
3. An IT Maintenance Contract Package Requires Advance Preparation. In order to get anyone to sign up for an IT maintenance contract with you, you need to manage the sales process and let relationships with clients evolve naturally. But you also need to have a very strong plan for on-going services and a compelling contract offering ready to go as you move through the sales cycle. If you don’t have a strong IT maintenance contract ready to offer, you will stay in a perpetual state of reactive fire extinguisher mode. Your customers will call you when there’s a problem, but you will not have any recurring relationships. The IT maintenance contract connects you to a client in a way that gives you a relationship that is the business equivalent of a marriage.
4. Your IT Maintenance Contract Package is What Makes Your Business Profitable. You can’t build a stable computer consulting business when you are just waiting for the phone to ring or doing a couple of billable hours here and a couple of billable hours there. Your business will be easier to run and more profitable when you find the right kinds of clients that need the long-term hand holding, long-term oversight and long-term assurances. An outsourced Virtual IT department provides this all through well-crafted IT maintenance contract agreements. When you have a strong IT maintenance contract plan, your clients will know you are going to take care of long-term projects and upgrades, be the intermediary with phone companies, ISPs and Web hosts, as well as with specialty application developers. Clients want the peace of mind that you will be there to bail them out of IT emergencies, which comes naturally from the relationships built on the IT maintenance contract packages you offer to your loyal clients. 
   
   
   
   
   Without a strong IT maintenance contract, you will be keeping your fingers crossed that customers will keep calling you and that you will have a regular relationship with them. A contract for on-going services is what facilitates a long-term relationship. 
   
   
   In this short article, we discussed 4 tips to help you make your business more profitable with a solid IT maintenance contract plan. Learn more about how you can get great, steady, high-paying clients on your IT maintenance contract offering now at http://www.ITMaintenanceContract.com

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