Before starting your IT consulting business, be prepared. In this article, learn some of the steps you should take before beginning your IT consulting practice.
Step Ten: Start a Simple Contact Database of Everyone You Meet.
Use a package like ACT of Goldmine - don't reinvent the wheel. Start contacting each person and let them know you are opening your IT consulting business and you would appreciate them keeping their ears open for any referrals. Or tell them if there is any complaining or whine about computers, you want to know about it.
Use A Combination of Personal and Professional Visits
In person visits are the most powerful, then phone calls, then emails and postcards. Make sure you give each person couple of your IT consulting business cards with your mobile number on it. Also, give them some tech support stickers so they can put one on their computer and give them to others.
Step Eleven. Decide What To Charge and How To Bill
Think about your hourly billing rate and be very careful not to undercharge. Think about whether you want to assess a travel charge or a trip charge a call fee or flat fee on top of your hourly billing rate. Also consider your minimum onsite hours, 2-3 is generally the standard. You are going to have to go a lot of different places on any given day to make a living. So schedule efficiently.
Consider how you are going to bill for telephone support and remote support. Do not give it away for free. Figure out how you are going to charge for an off-site project.
Step Twelve: Get Your First Paying Customer
Do an awesome job with your first IT consulting customer. Go out of your way to over-deliver. Get paid and while that client is saying what a great job you did, get a testimonial. You are going to need a lot of those as time goes on.
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