Small Biz Tech Talk ™

A lot of people involved in information technology consulting truly believe they can’t really get started until they’ve managed to get 20 certifications or more.  They seem to think they won’t be considered legitimate in the world of information technology consulting unless they are highly decorated.  This couldn’t be further than the truth for the following reasons:

1.     Small businesses are typically not using the latest technology.  Most businesses are not even going to know what your certifications mean let alone care if you have that many because they will be pretty behind – often about two years – when it comes to technology.  

2.    A lot of technology for small businesses is pretty outdated.  When you work in information technology consulting with small businesses, you’ll usually be working with a lot of things that need updating … but chances are, you won’t be able to update it all because they just don’t make small business technology that is cutting edge.  

3.    There are other skills that are much more important to information technology consulting than technology savvy.  If other people come to you for computer advice, if people ask you to help them with their gadgets and you generally are known for knowing your stuff and being a real resource, your certifications aren’t going to mean a thing.  

4.    Information technology consulting skills are very variable.  Even if you have very junior (or very senior!) skills when it comes to computer skills, there will be a place for you in small business information technology consulting.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

VARBusiness Magazine, a leading resource for solution providers released its list of the top 500 solution providers in mid-July.  Once again, solution provider IPLogic – delivering voice, data and audio/visual communications systems to help medium-to-large-sized businesses in the eastern U.S. – made the list as one of North America’s top integrators.  This is the second year in a row the solution provider has been recognized, moving up to #393 this year from #416 in 2006.

The list recognizes the 500 companies that are leading revenue producers among solution provider organizations in North America.  This list represents $344 billion in IT sales and products.

Solution provider IPLogic credits its growth to its customers and also an expansion of service offerings and its geographical reach within the U.S.

In order to rank solution providers, VARBusiness Magazine created a survey given on its web site between February and April of this year.  Data analysis was done by an independent company, and the finalists were ranked according to FY2006 revenue, only based on their reseller services business.

For more information on this solution provider story, visit the attached link.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

If you don’t plot out time carefully in computer consulting, you will waste not only time but money.  

Time Journaling

You can figure out a lot about computer consulting time spent by journaling.  You should write down everything you do for a few weeks to get a good sample of how you use your time. Where are you wasting it?  How can you improve time management?  Use your journal to evaluate and combine it with an Excel spreadsheet or calendar.  Do you have enough time to do the business development for larger accounts?

Evaluation

Time is at a premium when you are working in the computer consulting business.  You may need to make decisions about where you can and can’t afford to spend as little as ten hours per week.

Make Time for Training

Training can be expensive.  But a lot of computer consulting firms do training that is more costly time-wise than financially.  Don’t send people out for five-day $2,500 Exchange Server courses.  Instead get the action pack subscription and buy some resale copies.  You can load it up on spare machines and whenever your techs have downtime, make them go through the tutorials.  Have them look at the read-me files, resource kits and have them do the CBT training.

Computer Consulting Plans Are Critical

If you are billing out computer consulting techs at 65 or 70 percent capacity and they spend six or eight hours per week just sitting there or doing some work around the store, structure their downtime more wisely.

Give them a plan during the month to concentrate all their time on learning how to do Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 or get stronger on troubleshooting Exchange Sever.       

The Main Point about Computer Consulting

Track where your time is spent and have technical staff spend some time each week keeping skills up to speed.  Identify your computer consulting skills gaps to get to the next level.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Website services provider LeapFrog recently announced it would partner with several VARs, including InsightBusiness among others.  Its plan is to add a self-service business website and some new online marketing strategies to its current list of offerings.  LeapFrog offers website services to small- and medium-sized businesses and has partnered also in the past with some VARs to help them further sophisticate services.   

New VARs that will be working with LeapFrog include those in the commercial printing, graphic design and computer networking industries.  These VARs will use additional website services and online marketing to improve their services to clients and customers.  The InsightBusiness agreement will help the company add a website-building service along with pay-per-click advertising and email newsletters to their current offerings of business connectivity, video and hosting services.

Spokespeople for InsightBusiness say their customers are greatly anticipating being able to use the new system, which officially went live in August.  

Absolute Networking Systems is one of the other VARs set to work with LeapFrog.  Members of the company are excited to finally be able to offer more complete solutions to clients and customers without having to hire more staff members or train existing staff members.

Other VARs partners for LeapFrog include Allegra Print & Imaging (a direct marketing company), Baach Creative Services (a communications firm and design studio) and Concept Media, Digital Design & Advertising and Prather Design.

LeapFrog Small Business is planning for more partnerships to emerge as it continues to grow in 2007.  The company’s unique system allows users to build and implement a professional site and then promote the site over the web using pay-per-click advertising, e-mail newsletters and e-marketing services.

For more information on this partnership opportunity for VARs, please visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Part of your job as a consultant is to be involved in clients’ IT spending strategies.  How can you help plan your clients’ IT spending habits?

Machine Upgrades

Your clients can use budget surpluses to upgrade and replace PCs on a more regular basis.  Entry-leve PCs are typically one-half or even two-thirds less expensive than top-of-the-line models, so clients will still come out on top.

You will need to set aside a few hours for configuration of each PC.

Teach Your Clients that IT Spending is about Investments

When you talk to clients about IT spending, talk in terms of investments instead of “purchases” or “expenses.”  Your clients need to be reminded that PC hardware purchases that are planned offer a positive ROI.

Clients should not be thinking about PCs as just more office equipment.  Technology assets greatly affect the success or failure of a business way more than a fax machine, photocopier or a filing cabinet.

ROI and IT Spending

You need to show clients how important technology investments are in terms of IT spending.  Before they contemplate major investments, talk about the expected cost and benefits and how to measure both in terms of clients’ businesses.  

Created By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

If you are involved in the technology industry, you will come across some challenges when dealing with IT sales.  You might need help overcoming sales objections among prospects and customers if you sell computer networks or other IT-related products and services within your chosen small business niche. 

Can You Overcome IT Sales Objections?

There are some pretty concrete tips you can follow when handling IT sales objections to help you overcome them and sell more networks and services to your small business prospects, customers and clients.  No matter what stage your business is in, you can get to IT sales successfully that will lead to on-going, long-term relationships and more high-paying clients. 

The Source of the Problem

The problem typically starts during the part of the IT sales process when you are talking about a network upgrade.  This is the point at which most customers and clients will start getting very concerned about cost. 

IT Sales Objections and Cost

Small business prospects that complain about cost during IT sales calls typically are not taking into account the soft costs of not investing in networking solutions at the beginning.  They don’t think about lost productivity that results from cutting corners, downtime when fault tolerance is not part of the plan and service costs from computer consultants when they continue to use products and systems that are hard to support.

The Bottom Line about IT Sales Objections

For more helpful tips about how you can overcome IT sales objections with your prospects, customers and clients, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Three stories in news for those working with the healthcare industry have captured the attention of computer resellers and other technology providers.

The San Francisco-based company Quantros and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) have decided to partner to provide better solutions for computer resellers.  The two entities will enhance their standards for quality measurement and environmental management, making their products easier to use.  The standards under the new partnership are now a part of Quantros’ Accreditation and Compliance Excellence (ACE) application.  Further details will be announced to computer resellers as the partnership develops. 

Misys Healthcare Systems, based in Raleigh, North Carolina has established a relationship with iMedica to help improve products.  Misys is set to license IMedica’s products electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM).  This will create the foundation for new physician offerings that will be geared towards those working in small practices. 

The First Consulting Group signed a new contract with NYCLIX. NYCLIX is a New York City-based healthcare information group.  The partnership will employ FCG’s FirstGateways technology in order to provide a better system for health information exchange.

For more information about these stories for solution providers and computer resellers, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg