The five dumbest things computer consultants consistently do to sabotage their success 24 January, 2007 By Robin Robins, President, Technology Marketing Tool Kit, Inc.

Today, as I coach hundreds of small computer consultants on selling, marketing, and making money, I have definitely seen a distinct difference between those who literally attract success and those who can't seem to make anything positive happen, and it has nothing to do with circumstance, client type, market area, finances, or any other external factor. Instead, it has everything to do with their everyday thoughts, habits and behaviors.

Below are the top 5 dumbest things I see computer consultants doing that consistently sabotages their success in marketing, attracting clients, and making money.

1. They don't consider marketing and selling a TOP business priority. The computer consultants that struggle to get ahead or simply tick over year after year making only mediocre headway always seem too busy to do any marketing. Sure, they give it a lot of lip service--they know it's important and they admit they should be getting it done, but that's where it ends. Truth be told, they view marketing as an annoying, necessary evil of running a business, and they constantly choose to put other less important activities and projects above it. And because they never spend time on truly mastering the marketing of their business or developing consistency in the delivery and implementation of their marketing plans, they're always starting over, making it a much more difficult and drawn-out process than it has to be.

2. They are terrible at managing where they spend their time and, therefore, waste countless hours on low-level, unimportant, trivial matters that get them nowhere fast. This goes hand-in-hand with #1 from above; if they eliminated even 50% of the time-wasting activities they indulge in on a daily basis, they would have plenty of time to work on the marketing of their business. You cannot manage time. Time is an intangible thing that cannot be touched or felt, much less managed. You can only manage YOURSELF. You get to choose where you spend every minute of your day, and most people consistently make bad choices. In most cases, this is because they are not clear on their personal, financial, and business goals, and therefore have no clear plan or way of knowing what they should be spending their time on.

3. They aren't absolutely crystal clear on what they want to get out of their business, or what they want their business to do. Most computer consultants operate their business today the exact same way they did the year before, and the year before that. Sure there are always going to be some changes, but no REAL progress is made because they are wandering through the growth of their business without a clear set of objectives. They don't have written financial goals. They have no idea what they want their business to produce in terms of revenue, profits, and clients. They've never thought about how they can extract themselves from the business to enjoy more time off by developing systems or hiring people. Naturally they also lack a marketing plan since they don't know what the end goal is anyway.

4. They don't hold themselves accountable. Do you know why most people never achieve their New Years resolutions? Because once they've made them, they stop there. They don't create plans, they don't think through the steps to achieving them, and they don't measure their progress until the next year! Top performers hold themselves accountable. They plan and organize every month, every week, every day, and every hour, and then they stick to those plans. If you talk to people who have achieved success in marketing their business -- or anything else for that matter -- you'll discover that they are consistent. They don't start-stop, start-stop, start-stop. They get going and see their plans through to the end. They are constantly building and refining their systems.

5. They don't become a serious student of marketing, developing opportunities, and attracting money. If you want to be great at anything, you have to study it. Not once in awhile, but ALWAYS. Vince Lombardi started every football training season by holding up a football and saying, "Gentlemen, this is a football." Mastering the basics of marketing and selling requires constant learning and constant practice. Not once in awhile when things get desperate or when you feel like it -- consistency is key.

Free CD Shows You How to Attract New Clients and Sell More Technology Products and Services On a Small Budget

If you want to learn how to attract more high-paying clients for your business, then go to my web site to request a free audio CD titled, "How To Guarantee A Predictable and Steady Flow of New Clients, Sales, and Profits For Your Technology Products and Services." Supplies are limited. To secure your copy, visit: www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com