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Small Business Computer Consulting Freeloaders? and How to Avoid Them
If you've been in the small business computer consulting industry for more than 10 minutes, you've probably already encountered a fair amount of freeloaders. Regardless of whether you call these folks moochers, tightwads, cheapskates, tire-kickers, cherry-pickers, or time vampires, left unchecked these vultures can wreak financial and emotional havoc on virtually any small business computer consulting firm. In this article, we'll look at what your small business computer consulting company can do to protect itself against freeloaders and other time and financial leaches. The Root of the Problem So where does the problem with freeloaders really originate? And how can you handle prospects that have unrealistic expectations of what professional computer consulting services should cost? What it boils down to is this: You need to be able to convince prospects that hiring your small business computer consulting firm is an investment (not an expense) in their business. In other words, the tangible, concrete, measurable and irrefutable benefits of what your computer consulting firm delivers must far outweigh their out-of-pocket costs. Think about it? Would you make an investment in your computer consulting company if you did not see how the benefits were greater than the costs? Back-of-the-Napkin Prediction Tool for Small Business Computer Consulting Now because you are selling a highly specialized computer consulting service, your sales message and value proposition will be different than your competitor down the street. However, you can dramatically tip the scales in your firm's favor by paying attention to one really universal way to avoid the computer consulting moochers. Simply, look for small business decision makers that are used to paying for other professional B2B (business-to-business) services, such as accounting services, legal services, public relations (PR) services, or marketing consulting. That means this kind of small business is already used to investing in highly skilled $100+/hour professional services. The notion of having a professional services provider on a retainer arrangement, say $1,000/month or more, is not a foreign concept. Work Hard or Work Smart? Remember, it's much, much easier and much more time-effective for you or your sales staff to go after qualified leads and prospects than it is to try to talk an unqualified lead or prospect into needing something that the lead or prospect doesn't perceive to need. And don't forget, that right in your local area, there are probably already be tons (at least hundreds, if not thousands) of leads and prospects for you that have real computer consulting needs, are used to paying for professional computer consulting-related services, and have at least semi-realistic expectations about the price-tag on professional computer consulting services. So don't waste your time on those suffering from small business computer consulting sticker shock. Don't waste your time on professional computer consulting moochers and tightwads. Focus on those small businesses that are accustomed to paying for other professional B2B services and your sales cycle and sales process will go much, much smoother. The Bottom Line Want to learn how you can most effectively reach those small businesses that have realistic expectations, and desperately need your firm's small business computer consulting services? To learn how you can develop an effective computer consulting marketing plan for reaching these small businesses, how to take these small businesses through the sales cycle, and how to move these small businesses from one-time-customer to long-term steady, high-paying client, be sure to take advantage of the free one hour computer consulting business training at http://www.computerconsultingblog.com Joshua Feinberg is a 15-year veteran of small business computer consulting and an internationally recognized expert on small business computer consulting. He has appeared in dozens of business and IT trade publications including CRN, VARBusiness, Microsoft Direct Access, TechRepublic, American Express OPEN Platinum Ventures, Entrepreneur, Inc, SCORE, Small Business Computing, and USA Today. To learn more about Joshua's proven sales and marketing strategies for smart small business computer consulting firms, visit his Web site and sign up for the free one-hour computer consulting training recording at http://www.computerconsultingblog.com
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Coaching The Top 7 Sales Blunders We all make mistakes when selling our product or service. Here are the most common mistakes people make. I have to admit I have made many of mistakes listed in this article even though I have been teaching this stuff for almost a decade. I hope you can learn from them. If You Respect Them, They Will Buy -- Closing the Sale We've all had the unfortunate experience of being convinced by a pushy salesperson to buy something we weren't sure we wanted. You may have really wanted the product, but after being pushed into buying it, you don't want it anymore. You either return it or you never patronize the store again. Peak Performance One of the best books I have ever read is a 1986 classic written by Charles Garfield; Peak Performers: The New Heroes of American Business. Garfield spent nearly twenty years trying to figure out what causes some people to excel to amazing successes, while others bask in the glow of mediocrity. The Most Underused and Powerful Method of Lead Generation Are you worried about whom you'll sell today so you can feed your family tomorrow? Are you jealous of the top producers who are getting phone calls from new prospects every day? Wouldn't you love to come to the office and find your mail box full of messages from potential clients? The Reason Why They Buy If you are a business person you want to sell your product or service. If it's been a struggle, then you probably aren't giving your potential customers a good "Reason Why" they should buy from you. Dont Close Your Eyes Or Let Deaf Ears Fall Upon You To listen to your customer is important, and to hear your customer is critical. But, to see what actions they take is the lifeline to your business. 10 Power-Packed Ways To Spark Your Sales 1. Spend money on targeted advertising instead of mass media advertising. You don't want to waste your ad dollars on people who aren't interested. Better Listening Skills = More Sales Today's business environment is intrinsically tied together by ongoing information exchanges between two people. This personal communication is most often facilitated by the spoken word. Understanding this information, as it flows within a dialogue between two people is fundamental to improving one's selling effectiveness. Psychology of Converting a Prospect to Money If you want a truly successful business, you need to take a close look at how Psychology can set you apart from the rest of your competition. 7 Sales Skills to Improve On The following 7 sales skills are what I have found to be the most important skills for professional salespeople. Get good at these, and you'll be able to make a lot of money no matter how the economy is doing. Sales Skill #1: Qualifying Fast to Avoid Wasting Sales Time Achieving Sales Goals Requires Drive & Motivation How did you do this past year on your sales goals? You CAN Be a Great Salesperson! When you are in sales, you have the choice to be successful or unsuccessful. The only one to set limits on your income and success is you! A career in sales is a challenge. Use that challenge to motivate and excite you. Meet and beat that challenge! How Salespeople Can Create Immediate Believability And Credibility It pays to be specific. I believe that statement is true. If it is true, why do so many salespeople pepper their sales presentations with phrases of generalities? There are two primary reasons. One is habit and the other is instinct. 9 TIPS: Dont Sell Me - Persuade Me We all have something in our past we believe someone "sold" us. It might have been a lemon yellow car, a skimpy skirt or a purple tie. We bought it because -despite our gut feeling - we thought we were doing the right thing. We wanted to please the salesman - and we believed that person knew more than we did. Until we got home. Method to the Madness of Training Seminars I arrive with about 350 other guys. We smile at each other but really don't talk much. I guess we all feel that we are too good and too proud to be at a sales-training seminar. Be Yourself Here's the thing... you still have to make every marketing and sales message all about the WIIFM* for your target audience. But it's how you do this the words you choose and your behavior that makes the connection with the marketplace all about you. What You Can Learn From The Movie Business Maybe everything you need to know you can learn from the movies. A friend of mine is a screenwriter in Los Angeles. Over a glass of wine, we were discussing his business and the nature of the beast in Hollywood. He's a boy from Canada who gave up his much-loved Honda, his life savings, and his broadcasting career to move to Los Angeles to attend the American Film Institute. Not an easy feat in your mid-30s. After 8 years of hard work he is now becoming the new discovery of LA. He said the most difficult thing to adjust to was all the talking. How to Spellbind Your Prospects in 10 Seconds! You've got yourself 10 seconds to HOOK your prospects or LOSE them! Get Over Your Resistance to Sales I have found that there are two best ways to eliminate your fear or resistance to sales. First, become so familiar with your product/service and any objections that might surface, that you simply can't be flustered during a sales call. Second, you need to truly believe that your product or service will be of value to your customers that you are really helping them by sharing your product with them. Pressure Washer Business; Cleaning Composite Decks There is a new trend in the way wood decks are constructed; composite decks and railings. Recently had the opportunity to go on a bidding job with a deck cleaning contractor to bid on cleaning and treating a large deck. When we got there we found out the deck was not made of wood at all; it was made of composite. There was nothing to treat unless of course you want a spray with armor all. It did clean rather nicely kind of like washing a plastic fence. The new trend in composite railings has come about because the final railings do a better job facing down the elements and therefore owners and contractors often decide to put in the composite railings even though there are slightly more expensive because they look great for much longer.
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