You need to be ready for challenges before you start your IT consulting business. The following steps can help get you started.
Make A Database Of Contacts That Includes Everyone You Meet
When making an IT consulting prospect/contact database, use a preexisting package like ACT of Goldmine to simplify the process. You should contact each person and tell him about your IT consulting company. Make sure all contacts know you would appreciate any referrals they can send your way, or to keep you apprised of any computer problems about which they hear.
You should balance personal visits with professional visits. In-person visits to contacts have the most strength, followed by phone calls, then emails and postcards. Give each person you meet some IT consulting business cards with your mobile number on them and also some tech support stickers so they can place them on computers and give them out to others.
Decide When To Charge And How To Set Up Billing
You should think carefully about your hourly billing rate and make sure not to undercharge. Think about whether you want to charge for travel or the trip, or if you want a call fee or a flat fee on top of an hourly billing rate. You should also establish minimum onsite hours, of which 2-3 is typically the standard. You need to go to quite a few places per day in order to make a living, so efficiency is important.
Also think about methods for billing in regards to telephone support and remote support. With a new IT consulting business or any IT consulting business, you don't want to give anything away for free. You should also think about how you will charge for an off-site project.
Getting The First Paying Client
The most important thing to focus on in IT consulting is to do an excellent job with your first client. You should go above and beyond the call of duty and deliver more than they expect. When you get paid, and while your customer is extremely happy with your work, get a testimonial that can help you gain future clients.
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Author Bio:
Joshua Feinberg, co-owner of Computer Consulting 101, gets computer consulting businesses more steady high-paying clients. Now you can too with your free access pass to proven computer consulting secrets at www.Computer-Consulting-101.com
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