4 Mistakes Professional Computer Consultants Make

Professional computer consultants need both technical skills and business acumen to succeed in the IT world.

While it is correct and natural for new consultants to enthusiastically jump into new projects, it is crucial for them to carefully consider each assignment. This allows them to avoid making simple mistakes that can be both expensive and time-consuming.

Watch out for these four mistakes that professional computer consultants often make:

1. Under-quoting: Undercutting the competition is a tempting strategy to speed up the acquisition of new clients, but it is a poor long-term strategy. Finding one client willing to pay a fair-market rate can take longer than finding three that want bargain-basement pricing, but it is worth the wait. The clients who always look for the lowest price can often be the most demanding. Serious businesses do not make decisions on cost alone.

2. “Winging It”: Professional computer consultants know when to leave well enough alone. During the early days, the tantalizing glimpse of a potential new contract can tempt consultants to promise to support systems without sufficient knowledge. This never ends well.

3. Over-Promising: Effective expectation management is a key part of computer consulting. Promising something can be achieved in two days without certainty it is possible is a surefire way to lose the confidence of clients. The best IT consultants will under-promise and over-deliver.

4. Going Against Instinct: Some systems have been so badly put together that supporting them can be dangerous and time-consuming.  Similarly, some clients have unrealistic expectations that will never be met. When instinct suggests avoiding a client, it is usually right, and it’s best to say no rather than take the job for the sake of the income.

Have you been in the IT business for a while and made one or more of these mistakes? Most new consultants do, but avoiding them is what separates out beginners from successful, professional computer consultants. Please share your war stories in the comments section below here. 

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