I have some interesting ideas for your company. Specifically, and to the point, help the client realize the pain. Scare tactics are legitimate in my book as long as the services you provide are truly going to solve their pain.

Feel free to drop me an e-mail if you want to discuss further, I would be happy to help.

Zachary C. Ferres
Owner
Bouncehost IT Solutions

Congratulations on your new start-up, it is great to see and hear stories like that during these rough times.

I started my IT company (Bouncehost IT Soutions, or soon to be BounceIT) in a small rural Ohio town in 2007. We had very similar questions. The catch is, I started it while a full-time college student and it was on a complete bootstrap. No venture capital, no loans, and no hand-me-downs. Quite frankly, I couldn’t afford to hire people to effectively cold call, and I couldn’t afford expensive advertising campaigns to get our name out.

We are still in the process of branding our company but I do have some advice that I would like to pass along to you. It has truly redefined our entire business model, not just sales.

The trick? Make it rain. Since we are in the B2B business, there are some easy ways to put yourself around people that are your potential customers. Here are some tips:
-Get involved in every chamber of commerce you plan to do business around
–We are involved in numerous chamber of commerce’s, many of them are even our clients now
-Join referral networks, or even start one in your area
–We joined a group called Positive Connections in Columbus
-Get publicity by pro-bono work and getting involved in the community
–We are in the process of starting BounceGreen, an initiative for a computer recycling and donating program
-Provide your services to an elementary school for free
–Network, network, network!
Just remember, there are two ways to get sales. To find buyers, or to have them find you. Usually the latter is cheaper and really shows that the client has a “pain”.

Finally, I would point you to the direction of the award winning Guy Kawasaki. His book “The Art of the Start” has a section about “Rain Making” which could really help you in this process. I would highly recommend his book, it’s a quick read.
I would be more than happy to speak with you if you would like any more advice, feel free to e-mail me or visit our website.

Zachary C. Ferres
Owner
Bouncehost IT Solutions
Mobile: (419)271-3939
Home: (419)483-2436
Toll-Free: (800)732-0179
http://www.bouncehost.com
zcferres@bouncehost.com

First and foremost, look at what you want to do with your company. Do you want to build a break/fix company? Do you want to build a project management based company? Do you want Managed Services/Hosted Services?

I started Net-Flow Solutions going after the consulting business – building large scale infrastructures, working with brand name clients, and found that even though I was extremely successful with my first contract (Valued at in the six digits continuously each year)… getting the next client was always hard.

I have a large network base both in the professional world (doctors, lawyers, small business owners) and in my field… in discussing the obstacles of finding new clients with collegues in the later, I found a common thread… when you are on a contract, you are to busy with that client to work on new leads, that you have to wait until you find yourself on the shelf (to speak) before you get on the phone and start networking for the next big contract.

So what did I do to grow our company from a $100,000 a year company to over a million in two years with continued growth of 80%+ for 2008 and at least $500K growth in new sales projected for 2009? We went with recurring revenue model of sales. We focused on the small businesses medium sized businesses that are at the point of needing a full time IT person….

Our sales model is the same as everyone else, we target certain verticals, certain geographical locations, then we use mailers, cold calls follow-ups, we attend networking events, and push our business cards everywhere. Plus we have set our services up to be rebrandable – we have created our own channel program… If you are interested in how to get into selling Managed Services, Hosted Exchange, Hosted SharePoint, Online Databackup – shoot me a email or give me a call… or if you want to just talk about some of the obsticles you face, I don't mind sharing my experiences.

Regards
Mike Holland
Managing Partner
Net-Flow Solutions
http://www.net-flowsolutions.com

-Question-
" How do I build my professional network?"

-Answer-
According to Vincent Gravenberch from Dutchmarshalls….
Find people or companies who can and want to add value to your chosen professional pursuit. Connect with them and be connected by them. Your network should be made of people whose value is measured by the amount and quality of knowledge and resources available within your network.

Remember Dutchmarshalls leads with "quality, not quantity". Generally it's not about the number of connections you may have or connecting for connecting's sake. Your network should be about quality of knowledge, resources, skills and advocacy that Dutchmarshalls can help unlock".

I can tell you this is working fine for me because it is an extension of my sales department and all of my sales staff are using it daily to see who is connected and who is new on the website so we can directly connect to them. So you see whit little you still can get so many customers you like. I wish you good business.

You can also set up a referral program with businesses that cater to them but do not compete with you. Also, since you are a consultant like I am, your biggest value is in your advice. Send them a postcard with a tip that addresses a common mistake their business makes. Prove your value and then make yourself available.

Consider consulting for a company that has some clout free of charge to establish credibility and then advertise your accomplishments.

I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes.

http://www.blueskyonline.wordpress.com

Consider segmenting quite narrowly (tech firms, insurance companies, etc) so that you can create a simple product offering that'll appeal to that entire segment, then look into buying direct mail and email lists to reach out just to them. Make your message as personal and relevant to their specific needs as possible.

I'd also look into a geo-targeted paid search campaign, so that anyone googling things like "IT Support Flower Mound" would see you at the top of the list. make sure that when folks are looking for someone like you, they can find you.

And always give them a clear call to action (800 number, website), measure the response, and adjust the campaign from there.

Good luck!

http://www.anonymousadguy.com