Those that get involved in IT consulting often wonder how to set their rates.  As an IT consulting professional, how do small businesses view you, and how can you gauge the market to appropriately set your rates?

Referrals

There are some non-technical small business owners that might like to procure IT consulting services in an auction/marketplace setting.  But most, because of the importance of IT would rather get their services through word-of-mouth referrals from colleagues, organizations they belong to and vendors and trusted professionals such as their accountants and attorneys.

How Low Are IT Consulting Rates?

There are definitely factors putting downward pressure on hourly billing rates in the very low-end SOHO part of the IT consulting market.  Retailers such as Best Buy, Office Depot and CompUSA have decided to get involved with providing IT consulting services to small businesses and are causing trouble for some.  

Small Business IT Consulting

The small business IT consulting marketplace will continue to be fragmented.  The needs of home-based businesses are very different from the needs of small businesses with 25 employees … and these businesses are very different from those small businesses with 100 employees and an in-house IT person or department.  Different elements of the small business market purchase their IT consulting services in different ways, for different reasons and with very different budgets.

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting Kit