Here you are: either a great fan of Apple, or someone that wants to do more, and you've decided that you want to be an Apple consultant. Wouldn't it be great to make a living supporting users, small to medium sized business, and more. How would you go about doing that? We reached out to Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief of MacTech Magazine to ask the question.
Ticktin outlined several areas that a new consultant should think about:
Your clients are real people with real issues. Your job is part technical, but it's also part being a good listener. You need to be ready to work with people.
You need to think about how you will get clients. What identity or brand do you want to have? What will you do to increase your exposure and network?
As an expert serving the needs of others, you need to establish a series of best practices that you want to employ. That means reading up on documentation, articles, and regular sustained learning. Once you've found a methodology, think about whether you want to implement that across all your clients.
Do you know how to break a problem down and troubleshoot? Take the time to learn the tools of the trade and break down any problem.
Whether virtualization, productivity products, or mobility -- you need to know what products to recommend to business clients. And for consumers, you need a handle on the products look for most. And, it's always useful to have some fun products that really show off technology and engage people. And, of course, MacLife is there to help you with lifestyle technologies.
Do you have a plan for how you will communicate with clients? What kind of agreement will you have in place? What is your rate structure? How do you keep your clients on track on a project? Do you need to be face to face for all interactions? Or can you handle some of the client requests over the phone?
If you don't get your clients on a backup strategy, then you are not serving them. You need to have a way to not only protect them, but protect yourself from that irate phone call "Why didn't you tell me?" What is your suggestions? What are the options that people should have?
By no means is this list exhaustive! But that's why there are professional organizations to help you get Apple Certified, form a support network (you can't know everything), and at the same time find ways to give back to the community.
If you are serious about becoming a consultant, this is just a starter list of what you need to think about, in addition to knowing your stuff technically. You need to know your limits, and what to do when you need to bring in help.
MacTech, if you don't know, has been serving the tech market since 1984 and today not only continues to publish the magazine, has a sizable web site, live events all around the country, and more.
Mac|Life is a sponsor of MacTech's live events. As such, Mac|Life readers get a special deal on registration for all 2012 events. MacTech has 15 events around the country in 2012. There are seven MacTech Boot Camps: specifically designed for consultants supporting small-to-medium sized business, small office, and home users. Register at here to get a special discount and get on track to becoming an Apple tech consultant.
