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06.26.06
IT Support: Setting Rates
 By
Joshua Feinberg
With setting your IT support rates, there is no ethical dilemmas. You need to
charge what is going to make you have a successful, viable business.
You are not going to make a living at $50 an hour. It's that simple.
Many Micro Small Businesses Need Qualified IT Support
A lot of micro small businesses may have more than 10 employees and they may even have a dedicated server. While they recognize that a lot of the sources that are cheap, they also know you get what you pay for with IT support.
Focus on the micro small businesses that have the willingness and the ability to pay considerably more. You need to select based on people's ability to pay.
Its kind of like an auction where you are saying "Ok raise your hand if you are willing to pay this." Ok I'm not interested in you. "Now, the next increment up, raise your hand if you are willing to pay this."
Let The Client Decide
It is a very simple process if you charge the same amount for small businesses as you do for your sweet spot small businesses. Let the micro small businesses that need sophisticated support decide whether they need you and can afford you.
If they think they can get by with someone who is just a screwdriver technician, then fine, let them do that. If they think they can get by waiting for a volunteer to get there or relying on the $6 an hour store clerk, let them do that.
More Complicated Needs Equal a Higher Level of IT Support
But when firewalls and Y-5 and dedicated internet access and real servers enter the equation, then most of those low part sources fall apart at the seams. And they need a more sophisticated solution.
There's absolutely no reason why you cannot be charging micro small businesses $100 or more per hour for IT support. It all depends on your business model and how aggressive you want to be. You need to decide whether you want to get a ton of volume versus getting very profitable volume.
About
the Author:
Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting business owners get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too with free proven computer consulting secrets at http://www.ComputerConsulting101.com
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