Own a company that helps small businesses with their computers? Have you ever run into people who want to use your small business computer consulting services for free? This article tells you how to avoid freeloaders who offer computer consulting for small businesses.
If you've been doing computer consulting for small businesses for more than 10 minutes, you've probably already met a few people who don't pay for your services.
Whether you call them "moochers," "tightwads," "cheapskates," "tire-kickers," "cherry-pickers," or "time vampires," if you don't stop them, these "vultures" can ruin a small business computer consulting firm's finances and relationships.
In this article, we'll talk about what your small business computer consulting company can do to protect itself from people who take advantage of your time and money.
Where the trouble starts
So where does the real problem with people who don't work come from? How do you deal with clients who have unrealistic ideas about how much professional computer consulting should cost?
In the end, you need to be able to persuade potential clients that hiring your small business computer consulting firm is an investment in their business, not an expense.
In other words, the tangible, concrete, measurable, and undeniable benefits of what your computer consulting firm does must far outweigh their out-of-pocket costs.
Consider it... Would you put money into your computer consulting business if you didn't think the benefits outweighed the costs?
Small Business Computer Consulting "Back of the Napkin" Prediction Tool
Now, since you're selling a highly specialized computer consulting service, your sales pitch and value proposition will be different from that of your competitor down the street.
But if you pay attention to the one really universal way to avoid computer consulting moochers, you can make a big difference for your company.
Just look for small business decision-makers who are used to paying for other professional B2B (business-to-business) services, like accounting services, legal services, public relations (PR) services, or marketing consulting.
So, this kind of small business is already used to spending $100 or more per hour on highly skilled professional services. It's not unheard of to have a professional services provider on retainer for, say, $1,000 or more a month.
Hard work or smart work?
Remember that it's much easier and takes much less time for you or your sales staff to go after qualified leads and prospects than it is to try to convince an unqualified lead or prospect that they need something they don't think they need.
And don't forget that there are probably already a lot (at least hundreds, if not thousands) of leads and prospects in your area who have real computer consulting needs, are used to paying for professional computer consulting services, and have at least some idea of how much professional computer consulting services cost.
So don't waste your time on people who are shocked by the cost of small business computer consulting. Don't waste your time on lazy and cheap professional computer consultants.
Focus on small businesses that are used to paying for other professional B2B services, and your sales cycle and sales process will go much more smoothly.
