8/25/09 at 4:15 PM by Tony Lael Over the last several months I have met a few owners of IT service firms that have told me, in confidence, that they would like to sell their companies because they have concerns in their ability to keep earning revenues to support the growth of the business.
7/17/09 at 1:35 PM by Derek Brown One of the most effective ways you can get yourself (and your business) noticed on the web without getting drown out by the sheer size of the medium. Don’t kid yourself – you may be one of the best in your industry, but if potential clients can’t find you, being the best does you no good.
Here are seven simple tips…
7/6/09 at 6:31 PM by Tony Lael There are a lot of IT service firms charging clients a monthly rate based on the number of machines they are managing for their clients, usually because this is easier to price and explain to the client. Presenting pricing this way may be easier, but ultimately positions the IT service firm as a commodity that can be replaced at a…
3/25/09 at 9:11 AM by Tony Lael IT service companies who are getting the best results during these challenging times are the ones who have built the strongest business relationships with their clients over time. These relationships are based on the IT service firm understanding what really matters to their clients:
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 Guy…
2/4/09 at 9:39 PM by Derek Brown In my last blog (What Should Marketing be Doing Anyway?) I introduced the concept of a Client Creation Factory and discussed the three stages of building that factory – understanding the first stage (your Prospect Pipeline) is key to building a productive and healthy factory that yields increased revenues.
Your pipeline is your identified opportunities for future revenue. It’s a valuable…
12/11/08 at 4:30 PM by Tony Lael Everyone can sell services if they can develop a technique that they can get comfortable with.
There is not a day that goes by that I do not hear a VAR using PSA software in the IT service world tell me they do not like to sell, how uncomfortable it makes them, and how they just can’t seem to muster the…
11/3/08 at 11:05 AM by Derek Brown Many VARs, MSPs and IT service firms know at some point they need to market their services, but often ask themselves, “What should marketing be doing for our business?” While the common thought might be something nebulous like “building awareness” or perhaps “generating leads”, the truth is many companies like yours struggle to get this right.
I’ve always liked Peter Drucker’s…
10/19/08 at 12:56 PM by Tony Lael Why should I analyze my client list?
Part 1 in this series, Portfolio Basics: The Client Portfolio Concept, introduced the concept of managing your clients as a portfolio. This is a way to understand the value and opportunities in the list of clients you currently serve. The goal of managing your clients as a portfolio has several benefits, but this blog…
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 you…
