![]() Marketing consultants can be important to the success of small businesses. They offer an unbiased, fresh perspective on your business, growth opportunities, and preferred target customers. The right marketing consultant can identify, develop and implement strategies that can successfully grow your business by:
Selecting and building a relationship with the right marketing consultant is a key step to achieving success for your business.
Before hiring a marketing consultant, it is a good idea to review your business goals -- both short and longer term. In addition, clarify what kind of relationship and personality you are looking for in partnering with your consultant. If you do this, it will make it much easier to identify the consultant with the competencies, experience and communication style that most closely matches your needs. Six questions to ask when choosing your Marketing Consultant: 1)Tell me about your expertise -- what is your background? This may seem obvious, but there are many self-proclaimed “marketing gurus” out there, so beware. A solid education in Business is a must and an MBA / Masters in Marketing a big plus. Marketing affects other areas of the business and the consultant should be able to grasp the whole picture before recommending marketing plans. Marketing consultants develop different skills and specialties throughout their careers. Look for a consultant with a skills profile that matches your requirements. For example, if you need to develop a strategy for growth, ask about the consultant’s strategic capabilities. If your target market is local, you’ll want the consultant to understand the opportunities in the area. 2)Have you worked with small businesses? Experience owning and/or working with small business is a BIG plus. Small businesses have many unique challenges larger established companies do not. Understanding those challenges takes “time in the trenches” to fully appreciate. Just as important, your marketing consultant must be able to demonstrate experience and success in solving the types of challenges your company faces. 3) What tools or processes do you use in your work? Consultants often use business models and other tools. Understanding their approach to gathering information and working through a project may help you determine if it’s appropriate for your situation. It will also show you if the consultant follows a process, versus falling back on "canned" solutions that worked for one firm but may not work for yours. 4) Am I comfortable working with this person? The working relationship between you, your key partners/employees and the marketing consultant is extremely important. Your consultant’s communication style, personal branding/business values and level of commitment should be compatible with yours and your company’s. Do they use words implying themselves as telling and selling or partnering, creating and facilitating? Assess if they are a “hands-on” partner during implementation or more consultative. These are extremely critical expectations that you and your consultant need to understand and agree upon before the relationship begins. 5) Does the consultant have time for me? Understanding the consultant’s resources/network and client load is a consideration for you. How many clients do they have? Do they have specialists they can call on when needed? Having many clients often sounds good but is not necessarily better for small business owners. A consultant that is a dedicated partner to a few clients can spend more time understanding and focusing on your business and is always there quickly when needed. 6) Can I talk with references? Last but not least, ask for references and call them. Check out their LinkedIn profile for recommendations. These references can give you insight into the consultant’s capabilities, working style and character. Choosing the right marketing consultant for you and your business can be one of the most critical and rewarding decisions you make. Asking the questions outlined above while talking with potential marketing consultants will help to ensure a productive successful partnership. Thanks for reading! If you have questions on working with a marketing consultant, please contact us! 9/13/2019 11:59:43
I appreciated your tip to look for a consultant who has experience with working with small businesses because experience is a big plus. My boss has mentioned that we might benefit from hiring a consultant because we are in a lull with our finances, and we would want to find one who would benefit us well. When I look for one, I will be sure to check their experience level beforehand.
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9/20/2019 10:53:06
It was helpful that you suggested to look for a consulting company that has time to help you. We are going to need help with planning our marketing strategies. When we look for a consultant, I will be sure to choose one that has time for us.
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I hadn't thought about the background of a marketing company, so I appreciate that you gave the tip to do so because it seems like a great way to find one who will be a good fit for us. My wife and I want to find a marketing company to help us with my brother because he is needing help with his business, and it will be important for us to know that we could find one to refer to him that will be a good option. When we look for one. I will be sure to consider the background of their company.
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Nancy
3/19/2020 09:43:47
Thanks for your comment, Charles! When you are ready, please contact us. We'd be happy to see if we can help.
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3/28/2020 09:21:28
Great post Nancy :)
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Nancy
3/28/2020 12:58:29
Thanks for your comment, Phil!
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Annette Jackson
7/6/2020 04:56:44
Marketing consulting is not like going to a grocery store where you get your money back if you don't like something. Consultants spend a lot of time and resources on researching and creating their deliverables. Like attorneys, accountants, physicians and other professions, we do not provide free work nor a money back guarantee.
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Nancy MacCreery
7/8/2020 10:27:45
Good point, Annette! Thanks for posting. Leave a Reply. |
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