Nonitage

Don’t do it. Why not? You’ll spend a lot of money and a lot of time getting certified and learning all the latest platforms and technologies. But the reality is that hardware repair is a commodity - a low margin business. And it’s becoming more and more of a commodity service every year as the components become more disposable and more replaceable than repairable. In this article, you’ll learn why consulting contracts with national service organizations are not the best choice.

Computers Are Now Replaceable

Let’s take a $600 consumer-grade PC for example. Who’s going to spend money on an out-of-warranty repair on a $600 PC? Who’s going to spend money on an out of warranty repair on a $400 laser printer? How much money are small businesses willing to spend on this kind of repair?

Low Labor Allowances for Consulting Contracts

Since national service organizations are going to primarily be dealing with warranty repairs on relatively inexpensive hardware, how much labor allowance do you think they’re really going to give up on a $1,200 notebook? Many big hardware vendors are so cash strapped that they’re always on the verge of going out of business constantly. Dell, HP, and IBM are pretty much the only major hardware players that are still in reasonably good financial shape (even if you consider IBM in the hardware business anymore).

The Profit Margin on Repairs in Consulting Contracts

So, what are you going to make on a repair? Fifty dollars? A hundred dollars? $150 or $200 at the absolute most? You’re going to do a lot better by finding small businesses in your area that need high-level professional services on a regular basis.

Consulting Contracts with National Service Providers Aren’t Profitable

Acting as a subcontractor for a national service provider is a really hard way to run a consulting business. Do you want to be in eight different offices every single day, or do you want to be in one or two? Do you want to be billing out at $100 or $150 an hour for high-end network support services and network integration services? Or do you want to be told that you’re going to be allowed a $65 labor allowance to replace a system board, no matter how long it takes you?

The Bottom Line about Consulting Contracts

Repairing and troubleshooting hardware is low-end commodity work. It’s work that can be done by people that are billing out at $20 or $30 an hour. It’s not the high-end consulting you could be doing with consulting contracts. Don’t ever confuse the two.

Copyright Notice:

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg, co-owner of Computer Consulting 101, gets computer consulting businesses more steady, high-paying consulting clients. Now you can too. Just sign-up now for your free access pass to these field-tested, proven computer consulting secrets at Computer Consulting 101.

How did you do this past year on your sales goals?

Did you write your goals down?

Did your review them frequently, and revise them as conditions changed? Or did you set them at the beginning of the year, and forget about them by February?

What do you most want this coming year?

The first and most basic step to getting what you want is to know what that is, and to constantly remind yourself of that. Goal setting is an important skill. One that you’ve may have read about and heard about many times before. It only works though if you do it.

Sales Goals & Reasons

Start with the end in mind. What is the result that you want? Give yourself the freedom to think big. Picture a big compelling goal that you really, really want. While envisioning this picture, how you make it happen is not important right now. The important thing is to get started, thinking big about what it is that you most want. Later we’ll deal with how you get it. Your focus should be on what you want.

Sales goals should be expressed in ways that compel us to achieve them. The human brain directs us to creating what we focus on, good or bad. Start by writing down your goal. The more specific you make your goal the better. Create the picture in your mind and write down specific quantities, dates or time periods, places, people, etc.

Now make the image of your goal really compelling. Make it in color, add sounds, feelings, movement and sensations to it. Find or make a picture of it and carry it around in your pocket, purse or daytimer or post it prominently on your office, bedroom, or bathroom wall. Carry a symbol or icon of your goal around with you, constantly reminding yourself of what you are going for.

Now that you know what you want, its time to get clear about *why* you want it. Your reasons for your desires are the drive that will cause you to get what you want. Get big enough reasons, and you can accomplish anything.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you want a big, fat six- figure income this year. That’s the sales goal - a big, fat six-figure income. But this is really not specific enough. So you refine this and say that you want to make $300,000.00 in income this year. Good, now your goal is specific and timed.

So what are your reasons for wanting this goal? Upon asking yourself this question, maybe you answer that this will make you feel more powerful, successful, and capable. Or you say that you will be able to afford a nice home for your family, an education for your kids, and financial independence at an early age.

Now these are reasons that motivate a person. Much more exciting than just stating a number.

Setting goals alone is more than most people do in life. If you write down your goals, AND review them frequently, you are well on your way to accomplishing what you want. But when the obstacles start coming and getting in your way, you will need real drive and determination to keep going and not give up. Determining and writing down your reasons for wanting your goals will give you the drive and the power necessary to make them happen.

Write down your sales goals, being timed and specific. Write down your reasons for why you want your goals. Get pictures, symbols or icons that you can post up or carry around with you to constantly remind you of what you want and why.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown’s sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

Here we are, at the final chapter so to speak. Today, lets talk
more on how you go about utilizing the potential for
“Relationship Selling”.

You know I’ve done this myself more times than I can count. When
people point out the obvious to me, a little alarm goes off in
the back of my head saying “You knew that”! Sometimes it’s the
most obvious things you overlook. So, when that little voice
says that to you, just think right back, “Well, why didn’t I use
it then”?

I started last week with a couple of tips which we’ll recap
quickly and then move on to some more Tips & Techniques for
Relationship Selling.

Steer clear of the “I’m here to sell you something” approach.
Since the beginning of the Television era, people have been
trampled with Sales and Advertising. Most will shut you down
before you can get ever get started.

See yourself as a guide if you will. You’re there to assist and
lead them to their final destination, your product or service.
You are there to help them, not sell them!

Don’t vocally paint yourself into a “What’s it gonna be?”
corner. If you use direct sales or hard persuasion techniques
that’s exactly what it comes down to, and you better be prepared!

Remember, “Relationship Selling” is not something you turn off
and on like a light switch. It’s a way of life. Although we are
focusing on your business here, the theories behind Relationship
Selling can apply to all facets of your life.

Go in with the client, not after a client. If you enter the
relationship assuming that they are already a client, you’ll be
less apt to try and sell them, and more apt to building a
relationship.

Moving onward and upward….

Often “Relationship Selling” starts in social settings. People
used to ask me what I did, an I would answer abruptly “I do
freelance Perl Programming and Web Design on the Internet”. So
what’s wrong with this picture? The easiest way to show you, is
to answer it again the right way. “We provide small businesses
with low cost alternatives to expensive Internet development”.
Ok, which sounds better? I hope you said number two. If not you
have a lot of work in front of you. Rule of thumb: Never tell
that what you are, tell them how you can help. In this case, I
have aligned myself with the small business person, who is my
target market, but at the same time, I have expressed that I am
helping, not selling.

Did you notice that I didn’t use any technical terms or words
that are difficult to understand. Dump all the techno-garbage
and those terms that nobody really gets. If you’re using them
because you think you are impressing them, welcome to the real
world. It’s called “Frustration”. How would you enjoy spending
lunch listening to somebody and not understanding half of what
they say. Oh yea, I’m buying your thingamajigger…

Listen to your prospect. The more they say, the better you can
anticipate their needs and wants. Most often their needs and
wants are two different things. Their needs are their bottom
line, while their wants are top of the line. Don’t try to sell
them what they need, make it clear that you can give them what
they want, how they need it.

When using Relationship Selling stay away from “Power Words”.
You have phrases like “productivity”, “competitive advantage”,
“your bottom line” and on down to the hard sale oldies like
“MAKE MONEY NOW”, “Revolutionary Product” or even “Sensational
New Offer”. These power words have their place in advertising
headlines, but not here.

A sure fire way to know if their is something wrong with your
relationship selling approach is to examine the relationship you
have with current clients. Was the relationship the same before
they became your client as it was after? Did you then lack
confidence that you now exhibit (afterwards), while showing them
you really are as good as you said your were? You are probably
losing customers from exhibiting that lack of confidence going
in. Perhaps you’re the opposite, you’re actually more confident
with the sell, than you are with the service or product. In that
case, I would have to say it’s time to change products.
Nevertheless, confidence is the key note here. Your listener
must know you are confident enough to introduce it, for them to
be confident enough to buy it.

I’m one of those rare breed who sometimes enjoy listening to
telemarketers and insurance agents (to a point). Not for any
sales tips I can use, but for any bad habits I may still
unwittingly be using. When it comes to Hard Sales, these guys
are like dinosaurs. If any part of their sales pitch starts to
sound familiar, stop and re-examine your Relationship Selling.
Point being; Be sure that those annoying little sales pitches
don’t ring a bell with your own approach. Sometimes it can be
downright hard not to come off sounding like a salesman.

All kinds of things can build or destroy a good relationship.
This is where the word “Alignment” comes in. You must align
yourself with your prospective client. If your prospective
client is a frat house and you’re in the DJ business, you would
hardly show up in a suit and tie, unless of course you want
these boys to eat you alive. On the other hand you don’t want to
meet the president of an accounting firm wearing sandals and a
tie-dye tee shirt either. But it goes much farther than
appearance. It’s in your language, your mannerisms and the way
you move. Everything about you should align with what your
client needs to see and hear.

Most relationships in your life are built without a second
thought. It’s simple action-reaction. Two strangers meet. One
says “good morning” (action), the other responds “good morning
to you” (reaction). Soon you’re talking about what you do for a
living and so on. A simple, subconscious event. Action-Reaction
starts a relationship, but planned action-response relationships
often require research and planning. You want to lead the
conversation in a certain direction, so you know the response to
their reaction to cue the next reaction-response. Remember,
you’re a guide. Lead the conversation in the direction you want,
without using sales pitches, buzz words or mentioning products
or services. The trick is to lead them to the point of asking
you what you want to tell them.

There is only so much I can get across in this article, but
throughout this series of three articles I have been
recommending a book by Rick Beneteau. If you would like to learn
more on “Relationship Selling” & “Personal Branding”, I strongly
urge you to read his Powerful new book that puts YOU on the fast
track to becoming an Internet Celebrity. Not only does Rick
teach you step- by-step how he did it; he also asked many of the
top Internet personalities to share their success secrets with
you. If you’re at all serious about achieving success on the
Internet, you need to start Branding YOU and Breaking the Bank!
Do yourself a favor. Check It Out at:
<http://www.roibot.com/bybb.cgi?IM4069_iz>