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Sunday, July 29, 2007

IT Consulting: How Can You Identify a Sweet Spot Client?

There are no absolutes when it comes to figuring out whether or not a business will work well with your IT consulting firm, but there are some signs you can look for to help your search for sweet spot clients.

Is the Company Growing?

If you notice a business is opening another office and it needs PCs, servers and telecommunications lines, you have a real IT consulting opportunity, especially if they have no provider in place.

Look at a Company’s Communications Technology

If the company has a PBX system or other type of phone system, you can help establish relationships with local phone retailers that could lead to referrals and partnering in IT consulting.

If the company has an e-mail domain and is looking to implement spam blockers, filtering and firewalls, you also will have a big IT consulting opportunity. Also look to see if the company has a dedicated server and dedicated internet, as these are signs of someone operating within the sweet spot.

Are Online Sales Important?

When a company gets beyond micro small business status and has a real server, they will have much more advanced IT needs than before and will be a good sweet spot IT consulting clients. See if the company has to do things online with vendors, customers or regulators.

If online sales are important and a company’s system goes down, it’s going to lose money. You want clients that depend on IT in this way and can’t afford to lose a second of uptime. These type of people will know how important IT consulting is and follow what you recommend.

Which Industries?

Good industries for IT consulting are healthcare, financial services and natural services. By no means exclude other industries, but these are just some that will have a good pool of sweet spot candidates.

Multiple Locations

If a company has a branch office or remote locations, it will need very sophisticated IT setups, such as VPNs or remote access. This gives your IT consulting firm a great chance to jump in and provide solutions.

Is the Company Used to Paying for IT?

If the company has used tech providers or professional IT consulting firms previously or worked with Bars, solution providers or integrators, the company will probably be more receptive to paying for your services.

The Bottom Line About Sweet Spot IT Consulting

If you check for signs that a company will be a good match for IT consulting services, you will have an easier time finding great clients for your business.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit