IT Consulting: What Non-IT Skills Do You Need?

June 13th, 2008

IT consulting is more than just knowing all about laptops and servers. To be successful, you need to have business skills, too. This article will give you some examples of skills you need for your IT consulting business.

Good Data Management Will Keep You Organized

You should have strong spreadsheet skills and hopefully know Excel pretty well. There will be all kinds of data you will need to put together for internal use and for client’s use. For time management, you need to know how to draw the line. You will need to keep on schedule and keep priorities in check.

The Phone Will Be Your Friend

For IT consulting, you will need good verbal skills, and feel comfortable on the phone. Because you are going to need that for following up on leads and setting up appointments. You’ll also need good phone skills for providing tech support and for keeping clients and vendors in check.

Speaking Effectively in Public Might Close the Deal

In IT consulting, you’ll be doing small group presentations. You’ll be doing these with an internal training or on a sales call. You are going to be talking to 3, 4, 5 as much as 10 people at once sometimes. You may get a company where they will bring in literally all of their middle management to grill you on the solution to make sure you have it.

Proper Grammar and Spelling Will Let Your Professionalism Shine Through

You should have decent word processing and email communications skills to get with your clients, prospects and partners. Those are some of the important business skills.

The Bottom Line about IT Consulting

Much of what determines someone’s success in IT consulting is his business skills rather than technical proficiency. If you have deficiencies in these skills, now is the time to work on them so you can stay in the IT consulting field for the long haul.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101 Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg - EzineArticles Expert Author

Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting businesses get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for your free access to these field-tested, proven business strategies on the Computer Consulting 101 Blog.

An Insiders Guide for Smarter Mortgage Refinancing Shopping, Part 1

June 13th, 2008

If you own a home you have probably asked yourself, “How do I find the right mortgage company?” Whether it is a mortgage refinancing, second mortgage or home purchase loan you are seeking, the choices are numerous. Do you go to a bank, mortgage broker or mortgage banker? Do you ask a friend, look in the phone book, or shop online? Regardless of your answers to these questions, here are a few important tips you need to know when shopping for a mortgage refinancing, second mortgage or home purchase loan:

1. Understand Financial Markets - You do not need a degree in Economics or Finance to shop for a mortgage, but before you start shopping find out the yield on the 10 Year Treasury Bond. (One source for this is Yahoo Finance) You do not need to understand what the number means, just use it as a benchmark for whether rates are moving up or down. Here is an example of why this is important. You have talked to 3 or 4 companies and determined that you are going with Company B. On Monday, Company B quotes your mortgage refinancing rate at 6.00%. On Tuesday you meet with Company B to sign the initial disclosures and the loan officer tells you that rates went up and your rate is now 6.125%. However, you checked the 10 year bond yield and on Tuesday it 4.45%, the same as Monday. The loan officer is probably trying to make extra money on your loan. Ask him to show you the difference in rates from one day to the next or take your business to a credible company.

2. Be Careful What You Ask For - Simply calling a mortgage company and stating, “I do not want to pay points” does not guarantee you are getting the best deal on your second mortgage, mortgage refinancing or home purchase loan. A better statement would be, “Please disclose all closing costs and prepaids with your quote.” Points are only one of many potential costs on a loan. Advising that you will not pay points still leaves the door open for numerous costs. You need to know all the fees ranging from appraisal, lender, broker and title / attorney fees. The prepaids will always be the same regardless of the company you choose, but you still need to know what each company is allowing for prepaids. By gathering all of the information, you can now do a fair comparison of your mortgage quotes.

3. Not For Profit - Regardless of any claims for a “No Closing Cost” mortgage refinancing, remember that all mortgage companies are in business to make a profit. There is definitely a difference in what two companies can charge for the same loan, but no company is doing it for free. There truly are “No Closing Cost” second mortgages and mortgage refinancings, but your rate has been increased to subsidize the costs. This can be a good loan in certain situations but not others. If you are working with a mortgage professional they will be able to tell you financially which option is best.

As you work to integrate these guides into your shopping process, remember that the lowest cost mortgage company is not always the best. You want a mortgage professional that is knowledgeable, committed to your situation and that will be there to answer questions long after your closing. Ultimately using these guides will help you become a smarter shopper.

Chris France is a professional mortgage planner with over 10 years lending and banking experience. His programs assist clients with increasing cash flow, reducing liabilities and building equity by integrating a client’s mortgage decision with their overall financial plan. He is a manager with CFIC Home Mortgage providing both purchase and refinance transactions. Chris holds a B.S. in Finance and is Fair Credit Reporting Act certified. Click here for more information on Mortgage Refinancing and second Mortgage Solutions. For questions or comments, please contact Chris France at christopher.france@branch.cfic.comm or http://www.americanmortgagefundingcorp.com or 1-800-943-9472.

Gaming Halls + Betting - an Introductory Guide

June 13th, 2008

The difficulties of driving to a betting hall should be reason enough to give up on it unless you absolutely must go. If you take a hard look at it all those miles of driving, the difficulties, and tasks at hand won’t really warrant the incommodity only for the chance to wager at betting hall, though allowing for this, should you happen to be the kind who yearns for games of luck then opting for online casinos and gambling is likely the obvious solution. You do not have to leave your house to have a bash at online betting simply because you can access it easily from home if you possess a pc and a working internet connection. In spite of this, before getting all excited, there’s a lot of things that you’ll definitely want to train yourself in in regards to online betting, specifically if you’re a tenderfoot in this field.

The very first thing that I as a discriminating online gambler positively must check is an online betting webpage of the kind that promotes the best winning odds. Determine the online betting webpage is evaluated by a reputable, secure accounting company to assess their documented games pay-outs at fixed intervals. Always make sure beyond doubt the virtual casino fun webpage is legally licensed, e. g. by investigating the approbation on site. If you are unable to track down any approbation on that particular virtual casino fun webpage, don’t even remotely think of spending at this place. Wow your friends: Learn to play internet gambling like the pros!

Furthermore, another important bit of advice would obviously be to try your hand first with trifling amounts in place of forfeiting big amounts of money immediately. Check, first of all, the functionality of this specific virtual casino fun setup prior to daring to risk any undue risk- specifically money loss! Finally, mind this most crucial word of wisdom in regards to virtual poker. It is this: always to remember that online wagering is about recreation and not about making a buck. Casino betting isn’t a vocation, but, instead, a pastime that is intended to help you become happy and your entire life satisfying. Once you have followed the cues described, you are free to go ahead acquiesce to the allure of virtual casino fun… :)