I make it a point to do a formal sit-down with major clients at
least twice a year to discuss their strategic planning, how I integrate with that, and how what I’m doing with their infrastructure
is going to be influenced by any change in their plans. I may find
out about a physical relocation, changes in personnel, or downsiz-ing, for example, long before the CEO makes it public, which
enables me to do a better job of planning for any changes in their information infrastructure. It also locks me in to
Profile:
the trusted adviser role.
In addition to the twice-yearly meetings, another part of establishing yourself as a trusted adviser is to develop a
relationship with whoever controls the
decision making—the CEO, the COO, or
maybe the controller. Keep them informed about what you’re doing without
tech-talking them to death. You might
approach it by saying, “I just want you
to know we upgraded your anti-virus
software this week because of some
new threats, so you’re protected.” Then
when they read in the paper about a
new virus or worm problem, they already
know they’re covered.
various contractors they need. And being a trusted adviser makes
you referable—your clients feel good enough about you to voluntarily refer you. The key is finding clients that are part of larger
circles in which they do, in fact, propagate information. Third-party referrals are going to drive your business forward.
Particularly in the not-for-profit sector, personnel changes more
often than in the for-profit sector. And if you work with only the
accounting manager, for example, and he or she leaves the organ-
ization, you’ve lost your relationship. But if
you have established a relationship with
the key decision maker and the accounting
manager leaves, you can call on that deci-
sion maker, who will more than likely walk
you into the new manager’s office and in-
troduce you. And with that kind of intro-
duction, the new manager isn’t going to
call the SMB consultant he or she worked
with at a previous job. The manager gets
the implied message right away—here’s
your IT guy; he’s the one you work with.
Location: Chicago
Established: August 1995
Web site: www.hoodconsulting.com
Company focus: Design, install, and sup-
port local area networks for Chicago-area
not-for-profit organizations
Key personality traut: I talk too much.
Favorite part of my job: Hearing a client
say things like, “Wow! I didn’t realize we
could do that.”
Least favorite part: Rebuilding work-
stations after recent malware infections
Words of wisdom: Stay lean, watch your
own bottom line religiously, watch your
spending like your clients should, and find
ways to deliver maximum value.
THE “WE” FACTOR
I also use what I call the “we” factor.
That is, when I sit down with clients, I
talk in terms of what we are going to do
with the network, what I need to know
so we can make the right decisions. It’s about us, not you and
me. It’s very basic, but it’s something people forget.
My clients are not-for-profit organizations that rely heavily on
the personal relationships they have with their peers to find the
BUSINESS SKILLS A MUST
Just as important as your technical
skills are the business skills you’ve developed over the years. Being well rounded
enables you to say to a client, “Does it
make more sense to lease this or just buy
it outright? I’ve done a little checking, and
the best lease prices we can get are now in
the 12 to 14 percent interest rate range.
But you may have a line of credit at the
bank and can do better.” Broadening your
knowledge enables you to help them be-
yond making recommendations about their information infrastructure. You’ll already know they have to think about costs, capacity,
and planning for the future. And as a trusted adviser, you can be
there to guide them.
Big Savings for Clients
IAM A REAL EVANGELIST FOR AN ORGANIZATION
CALLED TECHSOUP.ORG, one of the oldest and largest
not-for-profit technology assistance agencies in the
United States. There’s a service on the site called TechSoup Stock that enables not-for-profit organizations to access
donated and deeply discounted technology products if they
qualify under the program, which all of my clients do.
When you visit TechSoup Stock you will go into shock because, for example, Small Business Server 2008 Premium
Edition can be purchased for an administrative fee of only
$62. The client five-pack is $31, which is normally a $500
purchase at regular retail—a significant savings. Likewise,
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 is just $20 per license, as opposed to $300 or $400.
When I go to meetings with other Microsoft partners, I’m
amazed at the number of people who don’t know about this
site and how much value they can provide to their clients by
using it. Working with clients, we’ve been able to buy software for virtually a song. We then take the money we saved
and buy really good hardware. That’s pretty hard to beat.
