Small Business Consulting: Overcoming Unrealistic Expectations

If you're new to small business consulting, you may think there is no such thing as a prospect or client being too enthusiastic about jumping headfirst into a major IT project. Enthusiasm is a good thing when it comes to signing your firm's small business consulting contract, right? Well, not always.



Manage Clients' Optimism



Although hype isn't exactly a sales obstacle, you need to manage client expectations regarding "unjustified" optimism at your earliest opportunity. During small business consulting projects, there is often a need to combat hype with vertical industry software solutions.



Keeping Client's Expectations Realistic



The small business owner or manager may return from a trade show with a gorgeous glossy brochure (and mouse pad) for an industry-specific application. Since your small business consulting client thinks the application is the best software since Lotus 1-2-3, he is ready to open up his firm's checkbook -- but wants to run the application by the internal guru and your small business consulting firm, first.



Although the ISV's marketing literature and Web site seem quite professional, upon further investigation you learn this $5,000 per seat package is built on an MS-DOS-based Clipper database engine (circa 1991).



The Bottom Line about Small Business Consulting



While your client might have been impressed initially with the demo at the trade show, you need to overcome the hype surrounding the application and save your client from making a sizable investment in an application that should've been retired or supplanted years ago. Otherwise, your prospect or client may end up squandering scarce IT budgetary resources that could be better invested in the network solution that you're recommending.



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Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting business owners get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for your free access to field-tested, proven computer consulting secrets at Computer Consulting 101.