What’s involved in selling a small business owner on the benefits of hiring your computer consulting firm to install and support their network?  At the most basic level, you need to analyze your client’s requirements and propose a cost-effective solution. This is what your initial consultation, IT audit and site survey meetings are for.

IT Sales Calls

For help structuring and profiting from your IT sales calls, initial consultations and IT audits, see Sales Call or Initial Consultation (How to Avoid Giving Away the Store While Prospecting for New Clients), available for immediate download from http://www.computerconsulting101.com/initial-consultations.htm.

Know Who Makes the Decision When It Comes to IT Sales

You should be aware, however, that the small business owner might not be your primary decision-maker.  The small business owner might hold the ultimate check-signing or veto power, but in many small businesses the primary decision-maker for IT sales is the "internal guru", such as an office manager, a controller, a vice president, or an owner’s spouse.

Don’t miss out on this very subtle, but extremely important nuance. Learning who’s interested in the "bits and bytes" discussion and who’s purely interested in how much it’ll cost, is as crucial as finding out what the small business does and what it needs.

Don’t Get Too Bogged Down With the Details

When proposing the installation of a client/server network, many times the small business decision-makers won’t be interested in the nitty-gritty details of what kind of server suite you’ll be installing.

They’re just looking for concrete features such as centralized file storage and security, printer sharing, universal Web browsing, e-mail, and the ability to send and receive faxes over the network.

The Bottom Line about IT Sales

In this article, you’ve learned about IT sales. To learn more about IT sales click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business