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I am tech consulting for a few small businesses generally not exceeding 9 employees in my area. I like being involved in the success of a fellow business by helping them with technology. I'm at a stage now where I need to find more clients. My ideal client would be any business who is growing, has more than 7 computers and relies on technology to the extent that when systems are down it's costing them money because I want to focus on providing high availability. My support methods are quite unique in a field where I find that some if not most companies are not happy with their existing I.T. provider (either because the support is lacking or the prices are too high). My question is, how can I find that ideal customer who wants more than "geek squad" service for their business?

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your title and most of your "question" look suspiciously like you are trying to get business from here. – TimJ♦ Jul 21 '11 at 19:21
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Tim,That is certainly not the case. If it were, I would have talked more about my services and extended the invitation. Furthermore if my intention really was to get business from a forum post, I wouldn't have made the edit to remove my location after seeing your boorish comment, in an effort to obtain a more constructive reply. – KP01 Jul 21 '11 at 20:22
Thank you for all of the detail about your business in your question. – Joseph Barisonzi Jul 21 '11 at 21:57
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I am sorry you think it boorish. Actually, the location might help with useful replies. My comment did what it was supposed to do - weed out the people who try to use this forum to promote their business from the folks who are legitimately trying to get answers. It was not meant as an affront. To be fair - the original title of the question was very much like an attempt to promote a business. – TimJ♦ Jul 22 '11 at 5:13
Flagged for the title alone which is vague and spammy. – theonlylos Aug 21 '11 at 0:56

closed as off topic by TimJ♦, Elie, Filippo Diotalevi, Jesper Mortensen♦, jimg Aug 29 '12 at 14:15

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1 Answer

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You need a sales and marketing plan. And then you need to execute them. They will take you time and money.

Some of the components of your sales and marketing plan could be:

  • Ask your current clients for leads and referrals and provide them some time of incentive to do so.

  • Purchase from a list provider the company's that fit your profile. You can then communicate your value proposition to them. Way to communicate with them may include mail, email, phone and visiting them.

  • Network with the business owners at Rotary club, Chambers of Commerce, Civic Groups . . . .

  • Develop cleaver advertising campaign on local media outlets that your target business owner might be listening to.

  • Developing a network of evangelists that love you and your service and will recommend you when they hear from someone who is ready for something more than the Geek Squad.

  • Find partners who sell services to the same market (web developers, designers, . . .) and offer a reciprocal referral opportunity.

  • Volunteer to do IT for a local not-for-profit that has a board of directors or member base that overlaps your target customer base.

Good luck in the development and execution of your plan!

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This is a lot of great information, and certainly gets the wheels turning. When you say list provider, would you say something like NAICS would do, or do you know of any better ones who can also narrow down prospects by business size, income etc? Thank you again for your reply, very helpful! – KP01 Jul 21 '11 at 23:16
@KP01 There are lots of data companies which sell lists of businesses. You can purchase based on numerous variables including business size, employees, market space, geographic location. Based on how the information is collect you will be able to send email, mail, or get a call list. This google search will get you started: goo.gl/8KNgv. You may need to work through an approved vendor (like my firm) in order to ensure compliant use. But try to go direct first. – Joseph Barisonzi Jul 22 '11 at 15:01

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