Small Biz Tech Talk ™

Part of your computer consulting marketing plan should be to track and measure your strategies.  You need to track your responses and how many of them turned into sales.

What types of inquiries resulted from your different marketing vehicles?  For example, if you hold a seminar, track how many registrants came from your Chamber flyer, how many were from a small newspaper ad you had and how many were the result of outbound telemarketing you did yourself?

Measuring Your Computer Consulting Responses

1.    Send respondents to a specific URL so you can see how many went to your Web site.

2.    Ask clients where they heard of you when you talk to them on the phone.

3.    Have clients call a specific phone number to make requests.

4.    Use different response vehicles with each different marketing vehicle.  As an example, if you send out postcards, offer a reduced price on an IT audit and a free seminar with your newspaper ad.

Real Numbers with Computer Consulting Marketing

As an example, you might mail out 1,000 postcards to 1,000 law offices in your area attached to an offer for a seminar, a free report or a free needs analysis.  How many resulted in an inquiry?

You got almost a two percent response on inquiry (a fantastic response rate), at 1.7 percent and out of the 17 inquiries, one turned into a nicely-sized account and one turned into a one-shot deal.  Your results for that mailing would be 17 inquiries of the 1,000 mailed that turned into $19,500 in the first year.  Even if you have it printed and professionally-designed and copy-written with postage you made a $500-$700 investment that turned into a one-shot deal that mostly covered the cost of the mailing and one huge account that paid for the mailing … and then some!  

The main idea is to put time and effort into tracking and measuring your computer consulting marketing results.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Computer business Apple has come out with a lot of innovative products in the past few years, most notably its Time Machine application.  But the company now seems to be thinking about going virtual.

Computer business experts got word of this potential move when the US Patent & Trademark Office published the fact that Apple recently filed a patent called “Enhancing Online Shopping Atmosphere.  The outline suggested a 3-D retail space that would provide many of Apple’s many offerings, including books, music and electronics.  

While some feel this is a sign that computer business Apple WILL go virtual, others are stating that this would not make sense given the company’s success with its retail stores offline and online.  Many experts feel that a move to the virtual would have happened years ago when other companies such as IBM and Reuters went virtual.  

The computer business’ patent outline also revealed an image depicting some segments of the virtual shop that showed all departments in separate areas, which does not seem consistent with Apple’s past reputation.

This is not computer business Apple’s first attempt to go virtual.  eWorld provided Mac users with a way to perform many tasks, such as reading news and managing e-mail.  However, the idea didn’t stick.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Leading company Enterprise Solution Providers, Inc. (ESP) recently announced a new partnership.  The leading solution providers in the financial services industry will team with Business Control Solutions Group plc , a consultancy services and operational control software firm.   

This partnership will mean that ESP will offer the Business Control Solutions financial control software “BCS Integrity” to financial services organizations in the United States.

According to the solution providers, BCS Integrity helps with financial control and cost reduction because it manages and standardizes account processes.  It has enhanced security features that will help keep accounts secure and can help with audits and month-end reporting.  ESP is taking advantage of this opportunity to bring this much needed solution for the first time to the U.S.

Spokespeople for ESP Solution Providers state that this new partnership will help them gain a greater client base and provide more solutions to new clients.  Because financial operations continue to get more complicated, this very secure solution is in high demand.  

BCS Integrity was released in February of this year and is in the process of being sent to many different financial institutions.

For more information on this story about solution providers, see the attached link.

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

The truth is, most small business prospects, customers and clients in computer consulting will not understand the meaning of IT certifications or the difference between different levels of certification.

The Meaning of IT Certifications to Clients

If you introduce a prospect or client to someone that has an entry-level certification and then send someone in the next week that has an advanced certification like an MCSE, your client will most likely not appreciate the difference.  Your clients also won’t want to pay really high rates for senior levels of IT certification.

In the eyes of most sweet spot small businesses, senior-level IT certifications won’t matter; most of their projects will not be incredibly technical, and those that are can typically be subcontracted to other specialists.    

What Is the Technology Curve?

Sweet spot small businesses don’t usually keep up with the latest in technology, so you don’t have to keep up with cutting-edge IT certifications and skills.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit