Category: Visitors
Find the Right Clients
Computer consulting business owners need to latch on to the right clients in order to get their computer consulting business profitable. Make sure you are not running a charitable computer consulting business.
If you really want to make a decent living and want to have a good, successful, viable computer consulting business, sooner or later you have to narrow down your focus and develop a keen intuition. Additionally, you have to become good at spotting the best small businesses accounts.
The Small Business Myriad
There are millions of small businesses in the U.S. and there are millions of small businesses abroad. There’s a pretty good chance that there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of companies that would qualify as small businesses in your local area.
The sad fact is, if you latch onto the wrong ones, you’re not going to have a very good computer consulting business.
Finding the Best Accounts
You need to know where to find these best accounts. In the computer consulting business you also need to know how to say “no,” and when to say “no.”
It’s extremely important that you know where to look, and how to verify that a small business is going to be a gratifying client for your computer consulting business.
You obviously want to feel a certain sense of career satisfaction. That’s probably one of the reasons you’re looking at starting your own computer consulting business as opposed to sticking with a traditional corporate IT career.
Keep the Financial Aspects in Mind
Your computer consulting business also has to be lucrative financially because you need to have a profitable business. You want it to be a stable source of recurring revenue.
Remember, all small businesses are not created equal. Your job is not to be the Mother Teresa of PC support. You are not starting a computer consulting business as a charitable organization.
The Bottom Line about the Computer Consulting Business
Of course, you want to have empathy for the people you support and you want to do a great job for them. At the same time, you have to look out for your own interests to make sure you’re going to be there for them six months to a year down the road.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Computer Consultant 101: How to Build a Stable Business
Know How To Bill and What to Charge
Computer Consultant businesses need to implement good business practices. Make sure you implement the strategies in this article and you will become a successful computer consultant.
Without knowing how to bill and what to charge, youíre going to lose a lot of money thatís really yours. If you get your billing and pricing wrong as a computer consultant, you’ll send a bad message to people that youíre trying to quote for business.
You’ll be screaming that youíre a rank amateur rather than a skilled computer consultant. It could take you years to recover from this. A lot of times you would need to scrap existing clients and completely start over because certain clients you brought in at the wrong level.
Perform IT Audits
If you know how to do them right itís an incredibly powerful technique. You get paid to write proposals and do needs assessment work. If you donít know how to do this youíre going to wind up doing a lot of exploratory work for free. You can actually get paid for your initial consultation time for doing the technology assessments and the IT audits.
Build Local Partnerships
Youíll need partnerships as your computer consultant business evolves. These will get you some of your best clients along the way. If you donít have good local partnerships, you can almost guarantee that youíll lose clients along the way with this as well. You need to learn how to find these key players and how to negotiate with them.
Exceed Client Expectations
If you want to get paid the big bucks as a small business computer consultant, your clients will expect a lot from you. Your clients’ idea of perfection may be different from yours. You need to learn the magic words you need to know to avoid a lot of the stress and intense pressure. You want to come out smelling like a rose to exceed their expectations.
Maximize your Utilization Rate and Profitability
Making as much of your work-week billable as possible and eliminate a lot of the non billable, time-draining non revenue draining computer consultant activities. Itís all about delivering small business virtual IT services and how to build a stable business; how to get clients for life.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
8 Important Elements for Small Business Web Sites
Key visitors to your commercial pages include web robots that crawl the internet and catalog your content. Having proper HTML source code, plus the right combination of text and graphic presentation, is just one secret to success. Proper code may mean higher robot ratings, and the “look” is equally important. Once a new prospect finds your web site, you have 5 seconds to get them to stay.
As a small business web site owner, you may have asked “Why don’t we get any hits?”. Did you know web pages can load and appear correct with improper or deprecated HTML code? A browser may ignore your mistakes, and display what it thinks you meant, and it may look great. Web robots may not be as forgiving.
Following is a list of 8 basic elements for good search engine placement that need to be considered in your design and web site promotion. For details on code issues from the worldwide authority, visit the World Wide Web Consortium to view DOCTYPE and other quality standards.
1. DOCTYPE Statement
2. Page Title
3. Proper HTML Code
4. META Description
5. META Key Words
6. First Paragraph of the Home Page
7. An Extra Page of Just LINKS
8. Backlinks (Links to your pages)
These 8 key items are either missing or poorly designed in 85% of all web sites. Some search engines may only list the other 15% in their directories. In other words, as few as 15% of the 6 billion web pages online ever make it into some search engines. Even worse, there are mistakes that may result in your page being blacklisted, and the search engine web crawlers may never come back to see if it’s corrected. This could explain why you “never get any hits”.
Web sites can be simple and professional without using fancy software to create your pages. Veteran programmers hand code and many create the HTML in NotePad. Web authors who choose to use flash, frames, or the latest software may be losing a significant portion of new visitors (customers) because the visitor may lack the technology or newest version of browsers. If they are turned off and leave without giving your site a fair viewing, it could mean lost profits.
Most designers use prepackaged software to create web pages. If the software leaves out any of the key elements, the code is hidden, and you’ll never know your site was not optimized for search engines. The designer may not know, or care, about these items as long as the page looks attractive. Note: Search engine algorithms vary by company, so some elements such as “an extra page of links” may not be as important today with some search robots. Backlinks refer to marketing your site and getting other web sites to link to yours.
Finally, business visitors want information. They do not visit your home page to be entertained. Most have a need (problem) and want a fast answer (solution), so designs should be created to minimize the use of music or video unless that’s your core business. Anything that distracts from a positive first impression may violate my “5 Second Rule”.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
A Right Media Mix Can Make the Difference
Branding is no longer simply about visual appeal (or the cherry in the apple pie example, as given in my earlier article). Unfortunately, many graphic design firms who position themselves as advertising agencies believe that branding your corporate identity is all about developing great looking visual solutions.
However, there is much more to branding than just looking good. Particularly in this web 2.0 eras, where a powerful web presence has become a vital ingredient of your branding strategy, developing the right media mix holds the key to building powerful brand equity.
<b>In other words, a right media mix would mean: </b>
ï Creative design solutions (the design, color, and content of your ads, marketing collateral and website enhance your brand equity, attract customers, and generate sales)
ï Web development (every product/service worth its name has a web presence these days, some have truly interactive, animated sites encouraging customer involvement),
ï Viral marketing (vitally important in todayís age of social networking, tagging, podcasting, blogs, forums, wikis and what have you)
ï Television commercial production, print media advertising (traditional media cannot be overlooked)
ï Strategic films (have become necessary elements of roadshows, exibhitions and other promotional campaigns)
ï Corporate video production (a very important tool for branding your corporate identity)
ï Direct marketing (marketing collaterals need to be just as effective and resonant with the overall branding scheme as the communicate directly with the customer)
ï Outdoor advertising (hoardings, roadshows, participations in business fairs, exhibitions, etc)
There are some interactive advertising agencies that have recognized the need of the hour – developing creative design solutions that employ user-centric investigation and involve critical and systematic thinking. User-centric means understanding of needs and priorities of end user; the clients’ customers, their channel partners, users, and brand communities.
So if you want to register your brand as one that is synonymous with customer loyalty, you must develop a complete package, keeping the customer as the prime objective and organizing product stories around the way they prefer to learn about, compare, select and confirm purchases, connecting brands and their experiences.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
Don’t Ignore Legal Obligations of The CAN-SPAM Act
Most small business owners are not aware that they or an employee may be breaking the law regarding spam. The advice that follows is intended to help you avoid any financial or legal consequences.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 was signed into law and became effective January 1, 2004. As a small business owner, you need to be aware of your obligations under this law to avoid serious problems that could cost you time and money. The law is very specific about the content you must provide in any commercial email advertising piece. Not surprisingly, many of us are victims of daily assaults with unsolicited junk mail from very obscure sources. What these spammers are doing is illegal. Taking time to complain is impractical for many small entrepreneurs, so in most cases we just delete the junk, and go about our business.
On the other hand as a small business owner you are in a different position when sending email to customers. Your credibility is at risk because you are not obscure, and may be easily identified for criminal prosecution or law suits. Understand your obligations and what you can or cannot do. In the US, the FTC, Federal Trade Commission, is the government entity for establishing and monitoring compliance with this law. Their rules are very specific as follows:
Requirements for Commercial Emailers
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) establishes requirements for those who send commercial email, spells out penalties for spammers and companies whose products are advertised in spam if they violate the law, and gives consumers the right to ask emailers to stop spamming them. The law, which became effective January 1, 2004, covers email whose primary purpose is advertising or promoting a commercial product or service, including content on a Web site. A “transactional or relationship message” – email that facilitates an agreed-upon transaction or updates a customer in an existing business relationship – may not contain false or misleading routing information, but otherwise is exempt from most provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act.
FTC Facts for Business
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, is authorized to enforce the CAN-SPAM Act. CANSPAM also gives the Department of Justice (DOJ) the authority to enforce its criminal sanctions. Other federal and state agencies can enforce the law against organizations under their jurisdiction, and companies that provide Internet access may sue violators, as well. What the Law Requires Here’s a rundown of the law’s main provisions:
– It bans false or misleading header information. Your email’s “From,” “To,” and routing information – including the originating domain name and email address – must be accurate and identify the person who initiated the email.
– It prohibits deceptive subject lines. The subject line cannot mislead the recipient about the contents or subject matter of the message.
– It requires that your email give recipients an opt-out method. You must provide a return email address or another Internet based response mechanism that allows a recipient to ask you not to send future email messages to that email address, and you must honor the requests. You may create a “menu” of choices to allow a recipient to opt out of certain types of messages, but you must include the option to end any commercial messages from the sender. Any opt-out mechanism you offer must be able to process opt-out requests for at least 30 days after you send your commercial email. When you receive an opt-out request, the law gives you 10 business days to stop sending email to the requestor’s email address. You cannot help another entity send email to that address, or have another entity send email on your behalf to that address. Finally, it’s illegal for you to sell or transfer the email addresses of people who choose not to receive your email, even in the form of a mailing list, unless you transfer the addresses so another entity can comply with the law.
– It requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender’s valid physical postal address. Your message must contain clear and conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation and that the recipient can opt out of receiving more commercial email from you. It also must include your valid physical postal address.
Penalties May Be Severe
Each violation of the above provisions is subject to fines of up to $11,000. Deceptive commercial email also is subject to laws banning false or misleading advertising. Additional fines are provided for commercial emailers who not only violate the rules described above, but also:
– “harvest” email addresses from Web sites or Web services that have published a notice prohibiting the transfer of email addresses for the purpose of sending email
– generate email addresses using a “dictionary attack” – combining names, letters, or numbers into multiple permutations
– use scripts or other automated ways to register for multiple email or user accounts to send commercial email
– relay emails through a computer or network without permission – for example, by taking advantage of open relays or open proxies without authorization.
Department of Justice Facts for Business
The law allows the DOJ to seek criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for commercial emailers who do – or conspire to:
– use another computer without authorization and send commercial email from or through it
– use a computer to relay or retransmit multiple commercial email messages to deceive or mislead recipients or an Internet access service about the origin of the message
– falsify header information in multiple email messages and initiate the transmission of such messages
– register for multiple email accounts or domain names using information that falsifies the identity of the actual registrant
– falsely represent themselves as owners of multiple Internet Protocol addresses that are used to send commercial email messages.
Conclusion
Fines up to $11,000 per violation should get your attention. Review your commercial email policies, and revise as necessary to make sure you include the 3 most frequently omitted features: identify advertising, your physical address, and an opt-out provision. Continue your review to confirm compliance with all requirements. Finally, visit the official FTC web site for information on additional rules and press releases that may have occurred since this report was written.
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
AdsenseEmpire for you
Dear Friend,
Please pardon us if this letter doesnít sound all slick and hyped-upóweíre not professional marketers, like many of the so-called gurus you see on late-night TV, or on the internet. In fact, youíve probably never heard of us. Thatís because weíre just a couple of real guys, like you. Weíve played around on the internet, noodling with sites, for years.
Thereís just one out-of-the-ordinary thing about us: we’re real guys whoíve stumbled onto an amazingly simple system for making BIG money online. Our system is so simple, in fact, that ANYONE can do it and it only takes a few hours a week! This isnít rocket scienceóitís something even high-school drop-outs can do!
Our system is safe, it’s simple, and it’s remarkably powerful. And yes, YOU can easily learn it.Itís not complicated! Itís called Google Adsense. If you learn to leverage the power of Google Adsense You could be down at your bank cashing a check for Ä3,000 Ä5,000, Ä10,000 — or even more — in 28 DAYS or LESS! Picture yourself standing at the tellerís window, handing her the check, and getting all those Ä100 bills counted out right into your hand. Feels good, doesnít it?
Hey, we know itís hard to believe you could make this kind of money working only a few hours a week. But itís all true! Donít take our word for it, listen to Rick, a 27-year-old guy who got laid off from his tech job and put Google Adsense system to the test and used it to create his own wealth and freedom.
Exciting isnít it?
What could YOU do with Ä1,000, Ä2,000, Ä3,000 or MORE in extra money coming in like clockwork each and every month from using our system? Would youÖ
* Pay off that credit card balance thatís been hanging over your head?
* Buy that new sports car youíve been wanting? You know the one!
* Upgrade the kitchen in your house, or buy a new whole new home?
* Finally take a real vacationónot just to a nearby city, but to the Caribbean?
* Get rid of your student loans?
* Help your mom, dad, siblings, or friends out financially?
* Donate to your favorite charity?
* Maybe even quit that job you hate and never have to sit in a cubicle again?!
Totally Amazing But True:
Google Will Send You Checks In The Mail Just For Using Their Adsense Program! You Can Create Killer Content That Draws Thousands Of Hits A Day To Your Site Using Simple Tools! Users Click On The Ads, You Get Checks. Itís That Easy!
By now you might be wondering, Yeah, sure, it sounds good but if this system of yours is such a money-maker, why are you taking time out from it to teach this course? Why arenít you out there using your system to keep on making money?
Thatís a perfectly valid question!
For me, itís that I’ve always wanted to teach. The deep-down satisfaction I gets from mentoring others touches my heart in a truly special way. And, quite honestly, I’ve made enough money that I can easily afford to indulge this dream of teaching now. I don’t like people to know this, but I keep a little shoebox on internet marketing on my desk with letters from my successful students, like Jack, and every week I reads them because they keep him goingÖand they make me smile.
And now, itís time for you to stop dreaming and start forging your own reality of SUCCESS TODAY by using our brand new program:
Your Guide to Google Adsense Profits:
How You can Make a Fortune Online with Google Adsense!
This powerful training course contains everything you need to know and I do mean EVERYTHING so you can start making dramatic profits from Google Adsense FAST!
You’ll learn:
* How YOU can get Google to stream ads onto your website for free.
* How Google Adsense ads are specially selected to match your siteís topic.
* How YOU earn money every time a visitor to your site clicks on one of the ads.
* The difference between putting ads where theyíll be seen on your site and where theyíll be overlookedówould you believe it can make the difference in a click-through rate of 2.3% versus 40%???
* How YOU can get killer content for your site that you donít have to write yourself!
* How YOU can use a few simple tools to direct massive amounts of traffic to your site.
* How YOU can automate your content, yet avoid being blacklisted by the major search engines for doing so.
* The secrets of keyword-rich contentówhat it means, what it does, how to get it!
* How YOU can figure out which keywords will bring you the most money!
* Plus, much, much more!
Finally–your big chance to learn from real people just like you who have been using these systems to make a fortune with Google Adsense!
Downsizing and layoffs have left thousands of tech-savvy people just like you without incomes or jobs. Donít let it happen to you! Learn how a few simple, easy steps can help you
* Build your nest egg
* Get out of debt
* Give yourself the confidence to never worry about losing your job
* Become the captain of your own financial life!
Try and enjoy a new life
More info’s and free registrations (restricted to pros), please join our live seminar
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