Top 5 Small Business IT Lead Qualification Tips

Small business IT providers often waste a ton of time and resources chasing after the wrong leads. Because an on-site sales appointment, even for a local small business lead, can easily cost your company $250 to $500+ (or your local currency equivalent), make sure that you're spending your firm's marketing time and budget in the right places.

 

1. Is the lead geographically desirable? Because most non-technical small business owners and managers are paying a premium for face-time and hand-holding, you'd better make sure that it's going to be cost-effective for you, and your staff, if applicable, to deliver face-time and hand-holding. Most computer consulting firms, VARs, network integrators, IT solution providers, and computer repair businesses target small businesses that are within a 30- to 60-minute drive.
2. What's the industry or niche? The best potential clients for you are those that are similar to your existing clients. Why? You don't have to invest lots of non-billable hours getting up to speed on the idiosyncrasies of their line-of-business apps. And on the flip side, these leads know that you won't be using them as guinea pigs or learning while the meter's running. How do they know that? Because your industry-focused marketing campaigns tell them.
3. Is there a platform match? If your expertise is primarily in the Microsoft Windows world, but a potential client is 95% standardized on the Mac OS, you should refer the lead to a trusted partner who's better qualified.
4. What's the size? Size matters a heck of a lot. If the small business IT lead is too small, such as just a handful of workstations, it's generally not going to be a profitable account for you. If the lead is too large, such as 100+ workstations, there's almost always going to be in-house IT staff. And accordingly, the in-house IT staff will have lots of pressure to only outsource very selectively, rather than a soup-to-nuts outsourcing arrangement. So think about a Goldilocks-style happy-medium: not too big, not too small, at 10-50 workstations... or what we call Sweet Spot Clients ^TM. 
5. Who supports this company today? If a tiny small business is used to "paying" for IT support from the owner's brother-in-law through the "currency" of pizza and beer, that's awfully tough to compete with. If, on the other hand, the small business used to work with a professional network integrator that recently had some staff turnover, that's a good sign that the lead is used to paying for professional services.

 

It can take a significant amount of time and marketing budget to acquire new small business clients... especially those clients that need to see you on a regular basis.

• how you've been doing with qualifying your small business IT leads, and
• if there should be a Tip #6 based on your experience in the field

 

And to follow through on the sales tips introduced in this article, especially if you also work with small business SaaS and IaaS, enroll now in our free 7-day eCourse: Go-to-Market Strategy 101 for B2B SaaS Startups and Scaleups.