Tips to Build an IT Consulting Business

If you formed an IT consulting startup, you probably have expertise in your area and some strong contacts. Inc.com has an article with tips on taking the next step—to build a consulting business.

In “5 Tips to Build a Killer Consulting Business,” author Scott Steinberg addresses that issue. Here are three tips especially helpful for IT support companies:

Price By the Project

This is smart advice. Avoid pricing by the hour wherever you can.

Steinberg’s advice is to emphasize the value you are offering over being an hourly worker.

He also suggests offering a couple of cost ranges or value add-ons that build from your minimum base.

Mine the Gaps

We see this advice a lot for IT consulting companies, so it’s worth taking another look at.

What can you do that a company’s regular IT staff can’t?

Do you offer expertise in an area that their permanent staff doesn’t specialize in?

Steinberg positioned his company, TechSavvy, to help companies adapt to new tech trends—but the company doesn’t research raw data.

Focus on Relationships

This is also advice we see often, because it’s proven true again and again.

You need to contact many people, and keep a system of following up and staying in contact.

Finding steady consulting work doesn’t come from one-time encounters. Develop personal relationships—if they don’t hire you later, they may know someone who will.

Keep these tips in mind so you can build a strong IT consulting business.

If you have business-building tips that have worked for you, share them in the Comments section below.  

And to follow-through on the tips introduced in this short article, be sure to download your free copy of the special report on the Top 10 IT Marketing Strategies For Consistently Attracting New Business Clients to Your Small IT Business. 

Creative Commons Image Source: flickr mikecogh