Since 1997, I've been consulting - IT or Business consulting, typically acting as a project leader or program manager but with such diverse assignments as Senior Financial Analyst, SAS Data Analyst, Business InfraStructure Manager and Data Base Administrator. Early on, organizations were requesting 60 to 70 hours or so a week of my time and willing to pay well for that time. In more recent years, as the economy changed, that demand greatly diminished. During slow consulting periods, I have taken what was once somewhat of a hobby and turned it into a profitable venture.
What I am doing now is Telecommunications consulting and sales. Although I still do some IT and business consulting - PC support, database work and analyses, I mainly assist businesses throughout the USA in finding cost effective solutions to their telecommunications requirements. I market basically two ways: on-line and off-line. On-line, that is, on the internet, my approaches are SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay per click). By off-line, I mean by initially contacting prospects by phone or in-person. Most recently I have been specializing as a "Closer" where others send me leads with whom I use my technical and sales training to determine the most cost-effective solutions.
Originally, I helped residential and small businesses find the best options. Although I now concentrate on medium to large businesses, I still make myself available to assist in personal requirements. I mainly work on such services as T1 and DS3 voice and data, high speed internet access and VoIP phone service.
Technically, I’m an agent for somewhere around 50+ companies. Each of these companies offers numerous plans. So what I do is offer customers a complimentary analysis and then determine the best plan to satisfy their need. Everyone’s requirements are different. About 90% of the time when I do an analysis, I find that, by going to a more appropriate plan, a savings of typically 10 to 80% can be obtained.
Last I checked, I had at least one on-line client in Hawaii. Except for possibly Alaska, I have clients in most states. My off-line clients are generally in NJ but there are a few in NY, MD, VA, PA and FL. NY, FL and PA because they are either associates I had worked with or referrals of associates. In MD and VA cause I have family there and I shared some options with them so that they could participate in the savings.
I like the significant flexibility in when and how I work. I can choose to do all on-line marketing; mainly just working as a closer; or to approach the business from other points of view. I can choose the time and days that I work. Although, during my recent vacation to the Yucatan, a prospect, whom I had been in touch with for some time, finally decided it was time to move on a T1. So I made time during my vacation to handle it. That was a challenge since there were significant periods of time when I was outside communications range, for example, in the jungle or in the water.
