|
Home / Business
IT Specialists: Are Non-Profits a Viable Market?
By:Joshua Feinberg
Yes, non-profits are viable. But there are certainly more financially rewarding sectors for IT specialists. Let's first take a look at the pros of non-profits.
o It's easy to reach non-profits because they belong to trade groups and you can get your hands on the publicly available directories.
o You can get a lot of tremendous emotional satisfaction and gratification knowing you're helping a particular cause.
The two biggest downsides of non-profit:
o Thin profit margins
o Bidding wars
Bid situations reduce your firm to a commodity. Additionally, when you bid against someone else's specs, your competitor may be shortcutting. Thus lowering the bid price and keeping you from quoting a more realistic solution.
Non Profits and Government Bids Are Tricky for IT Specialists
For most IT specialists, selling to private sector small businesses is going to be a lot easier than trying to navigate the waters of non-profit and government bids. The unfortunate part is, in most cases, non-profits and government agencies are legally bound to take the quoted price.
The Downside of Bidding Wars for IT Specialists
When you're getting into a bidding situation, you really don't have the luxury of the trust, personality, and credibility factors helping you all that much. It really usually boils down to who can post the bond, who can follow the rules, and who can get the bid in on time.
Then, on top of everything else, bidding requires you to do a ton of non-billable upfront work that you can normally bill for in the private sector. This non-billable work consists of researching, developing configurations, and bringing it all together. And the reality is this: getting the contract may be a real long shot.
Bidding Wisely
If you are going to try a competitive bid, don't bet your whole company on it. Make sure that your bid chasing time is no more than 20% of your business development efforts. Unless your company is 100% focused on selling to non-profits or government agencies, you're usually better off concentrating on the traditional private sector small businesses.
If a government agency is looking to outsource support services, and it's a well thought out request for proposal (RFP), it becomes a more interesting proposition. If the agency however is just looking to buy hardware and some one-shot deal installation services, you're going to run into a lot of profitability challenges.
The Bottom Line on Non Profits for IT Specialists
Non-profit and government are still better niche options for IT specialists than just going down the retail path. But non-profit and government are anywhere near as attractive as the sweet spot of small business computer consulting.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: IT-specialist, IT specialist, Computer consulting, IT specialists, IT-specialists
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training at www.ComputerConsultantsSecrets.com/blog/
|
|
| Top Business Articles |
- 1). A plus C Systems and Affirmative Insight, Inc. announced an exclusive partnership. By : Bartosz Lewandowicz
Affirmative Insight Inc. provides information technology solutions in the areas of IT security, networking, service and support, e-business, web design, web hosting and software development. By partnering with A plus C Systems, Affirmative Insight, Inc. expands its offer with a comprehensive suite of software products – Uplook, Statlook and Anasil – tool kit for IT asset management and network monitoring.
|
|
|
- 3). The Thick Line Between Buddy And Boss By : Tim Knox
Q: One of my key employees is giving me trouble. He has started showing up late for work and has developed a bad attitude in general. The rest of my employees are complaining since they are having to take up his slack. I've tried talking to him, but he doesn't seem to listen. To make matters worse, he has become one of my best friends since I hired him five years ago, so firing him is out of the question.
|
- 4). The Man Who Makes $1 Million in Affiliate Commissions By : David Kamau
His success is phenomenal. Well, not many can claim to make $1 Million a year in affiliate marketing. And at only 27 years of age!
His name is Jeremy Palmer. Until recently, he was virtually unknown in the marketing circles, simply because he preferred to make his money silently.
Now this Jeremy guy has written an ebook about his affiliate marketing techniques.
|
- 5). Overcoming Obstacles By : Debbie Milam
Discover how a young woman overcame serious life challenges through connecting with her inner spirit.
My story begins 38 years ago in Queens
|
- 6). International Investment In Bulgaria Still Strong By : Tim Wright
The strong growth in the Bulgarian economy is continuing and this is emphasised by the confidence in the market shown by companies such as GE for example.
GE Commercial Finance Real Estate recently announced it will be acquiring a 50% stake of the Mall of Sofia. The Mall is an enormous trade, business and entertainment centre currently under construction in the heart of the capital city.
|
|
|
- 8). Should we believe the experts? (Part III) By : Mike T. Davis
Why do we use experts? To predict the future. Consider a patient who is asking a physician about the future effects of a certain drug, or the investor who is asking a stock analyst about the future prices of a certain stock, or the manager who is asking a human resource manager about the future performance of a certain candidate, or the brand manager who is asking a market researcher about the future sales of a certain new product.
|
|
|
|
|
| New Business Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 6). How To Find Low Cost Items That You Can Resell For Profit By : Gregg Hall
The key factor in the success or failure in a business that specializes in closeouts, liquidations, or selling products on eBay is finding items at good prices that you can make a profit on when you resell them. Contrary to popular belief it is when you buy the item that you make your profit as what you pay for something is what determines how much your end profit will eventually be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
