If you own or manage your own computer consulting company, you may be finding the process of growing your computer consulting company’s profits challenging.  How can you focus your computer consulting firm’s profit and bottom line?  There are 7 profit secrets that can really jump start your business.

Where the Problem Starts

As you focus on your computer consulting profits, you may think the process will be easy.  However, it is a challenging business-focused discipline that escapes a lot of computer consulting firms.  

The problem is that many in the field get caught up in gadgets and great reseller channel programs at the expense of their business profits.  However, your computer consulting company is a BUSINESS, not a hobby or a charity, and you have to run it as such.  The following 7 tips can help you get more out of your business.

Profit Secret 1

You need to be motivated with your small business computer consulting clients and position your services as those in line with what a virtual CIO would do.  Look for ways to bring out the best in your clients’ businesses.  

Profit Secret 2

Dedicate yourself to improving the status quo.  It takes a lot to get great computer consulting clients, so you need to think about the lifetime value of your customers, not just one-shot deals.  Think about long-term planning and vision and persevere with the most complete solutions.  

Profit Secret 3

Get creative with your client relationships.  Small business technology solutions need to be modestly budgeted and work without an in-house IT staff.  Think creatively!

Profit Secret 4

Evaluate your clients’ systems – both the ones on paper and those that are computer based.  Part of your virtual CIO job will be looking at how clients’ systems are meeting or not meeting present and future needs.  This work will mostly be done during IT audits but can set you apart from other computer consulting firms.

Profit Secret 5

Think like your clients think.  What will THEIR clients need from them?  As a computer consulting business owner, you need to have good people skills and empathy for business problems.  But you also need to understand THEIR clients’ business problems to really bring them complete solutions.   

Profit Secret 6

You should keep up with advances and new versions.  When you are a virtual CIO for your computer consulting clients, they will rely on you to tell them which tools can better help your business grow.  Don’t let this training and R&D work take over all your time, but stay a few steps ahead of your clients’ needs all the time.  

Profit Secret 7

Summarize and communicate information to clients.  You need to figure out whether a new platform or tool can add value to your clients’ existing or future installations.  And you need to be able to summarize this information in language your computer consulting clients can understand.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg