5/6/09 at 10:19 AM by Tony Lael It happens all the time; the Owner of an IT services firm wonders if the struggle will ever pay off; the challenges seem unending and unsolvable. The business problems are obvious, but the answers are unclear:
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4/16/09 at 12:56 PM by Bob Taylor An uncertain economy and increasing competition for new business is driving the need for companies to move quickly in order to capitalize on opportunities. As a business owner today it is imperative that you be able to get the right information, at the right time to make adjustments to stay on course to hit your goals. Business Intelligence (BI) previously…
2/17/09 at 4:59 PM by Bob Taylor Everyone is told they need to set goals. Whether they are for personal or business reasons, the important thing (aside from having goals) is to have a way to track performance against those goals – measuring performance is the only true way to know if improvement has been made. To be meaningful, goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant…
2/17/09 at 4:58 PM by Jeanette Nyden, J.D. A discussion between two lawyers I recently listed in on reminded me that (usually) hidden motivations are what drive leverage in negotiations, not personality traits of the person you are negotiating with.
Let me elaborate; I put on my Negotiation Coach hat during the discussion I overheard and here is what I noticed – #1 Guy started by asking #2…
1/22/09 at 6:23 PM by Anna Bernstein They say the clothes maketh the man, but I believe that the voice is much more important in making a professional consultant.
Our voices carry our knowledge and expertise out into the world. How we speak sends nonverbal messages that impact our reputation, business and sales figures. We sound better if we use a reliable system that helps us sound…
12/31/08 at 12:37 PM by Frank Coker In the past 6 months, 71% of IT service companies (MSPs, VARs, and other IT service providers) surveyed by CoreConnex have continued to grow in spite of the global economic down turn. Of these growing companies 80% continue to show healthy profitability. All evidence shows that the economic down-turn is good for IT service businesses.
As we look closer, we…
10/17/08 at 2:20 PM by Frank Coker Overview
The term “client portfolio” gets used a lot, but the real power of the concept is usually lost. The portfolio concept is actually a very rich way to understand the value and opportunities in your existing list of clients. It takes time and effort to do a full portfolio evaluation but it can make a big difference in how…
8/26/08 at 12:55 PM by Tony Lael A question we are asked everyday is “what is CoreConnex seeing work well for other IT service companies?” While we do not share trade secrets, we can tell you that similar to the list of behaviors mentioned in Stephen Covey’s book 7 Habits of Highly Successful People that sold over 15 million copies, there are 10 habits that the most…
8/8/08 at 1:25 PM by David Cook “One Buyer is No Buyer.” It’s a tried and true saying in the M&A community. It’s also a cautionary tale: the sweetheart deal outlined in the term sheet when the “dating” began erodes, bearing little resemblance to the deal left standing at the end of due diligence. Unilateral negotiations favor buyers because they control the timetable, the terms, and the…
8/5/08 at 11:17 PM by Frank Coker Why do SLAs matter?
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are common with large companies and large IT providers. But only a few small IT service companies have figured out how to take advantage of SLAs for their small business clients. Yet, ifthese small service companies handle it right, SLAs can be a great tool for selling new business, converting existing clients…
