Turning one consulting client into many
Tonight I posted this career-related story over on the Friends in Tech blog.
Turning one consulting client into manySometimes we plan deeply and then take concerted action to build a computer consulting career. At other times, good fortune just seems to fall into our laps. That said, it doesn't mean that you can't learn something from my good, if somewhat accidental, fortune.
It is a natural part of any consulting business that you often make clients of people who once worked for you. In my case, a contractor who remodeled part of our house has hired me several times over the last few years to maintain his office and home computers. When he launched a new endeavor, running a high-end photo studio, he called me in once again.
Continue reading at Friends in Tech
Labels: career, computer, consulting, friendsintech, job, jobs, work
posted by Douglas @ 9:56 PM
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1 Comments:
Hi Douglas,
You're DEFINITELY on the right track.
It's MUCH more profitable to spend a few hours to find a client that is a "natural" for introducing you to other small business owners, than to spend a few hours finding a client that can't lead anywhere else.
In any kind of networking situation, you always want to look both for
(a) potential clients that meet your target profile
(b) trusted business advisors who can introduce you to lots of their small business clients
We've seen a LOT of computer consulting business owners do VERY well with property management inroads... especially in office parks.
Also don't overlook CPA's. CPA's are typically in an awesome position to have very established relationships with small business owners that need your services.
In addition, CPA's also frequently know when there are tech problems. (i.e. I'd love to send you our QuickBooks file but my PC locked up again!)
Finally, be sure to connect up with non-competing niche technology providers, as they're also in a great position to cross-refer you and your company.
We deal a lot with these related subcontracting and partnering topics in Module 5 of the Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course. These are VERY underutilized techniques for growing a highly-profitable consulting business.
Best wishes,
Joshua Feinberg, author and editorial director
Computer Consulting Kit Home Study Course
http://www.computerconsultingkit.net/
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