March 14, 2008

Where Will the Good Technology Consultants Be in March?

They'll be in Montclair, New Jersey at the SMB Nation East 2008 workshop.

I usually don't write solely about events, but I think SMB Nation East (which is an outgrowth of the much larger SMB Nation - taking place in Seattle, Washington) is one of the most important events for small business focused tech consultants.

Harry Brelsford, Founder of SMB Nation has dedicated the last few years to building a community of small business consultants, who are primarily focused on selling Microsoft Small Business Server and other Microsoft technologies (CRM, telephony and more) to small businesses.

Two key measures of how dedicated and good your local consultant is, compared to others is:

• How much training do they have
• How many events, like SMB Nation, do they attend

Of course their client referrals and overall experience are very important too.

Serious consultants, who are hungry to learn and make their skills better, who network with other experts to swap ideas and best practices, and who invest the time in developing relationships with their partner vendors, will be able to best service your business.

At a recent conference, I asked the gathered small businesses, how many had lawyers (many hands went up). I asked how many had accounts (many hands went up). When I asked how many had a technology consultant they worked with on a regular basis or knew - a lot less hands went up.

A smart, resourceful, honest and listening consultant is what small businesses need. Do you have one?

You can find Microsoft Small Business Specialist consultants here.

Other resources for local tech help is:

• Best Buy's GeekSquad,
• CMIT Solutions,
• PC vendors (Dell, HP, Lenovo all have partner consultants or consult directly)

tags: best buy , cmit solutions , consultant , dell , geek squad , hp , lenovo , microsoft , smb nation | 0 comments