Is it time to hire a marketing consultant?
As a small- to medium-sized business owner you do it all. Inevitability though, when you are a Jack-of-all-Trades, you become a Master of None. I imagine your business is operating just fine – so, congrats! But if you are ready for a professional, honest examination of your business – to help you get to the next level – consider hiring a marketing consultant.
Before you do, here’s a quick lesson on what is a marketing consultant, why hiring one is good for your business, and what qualities to look for when hiring one.
What is a marketing consultant?
A marketing consultant dives into your business, collects data, determines your strengths, and makes strategic recommendations to get you moving forward. Their objective is to get you to save money, time, and effort by examining your current marketing strategies and determining which ones are not productive or giving you steady gains and improvements. A marketing consultant will conduct an audit of your business’ marketing efforts. The audit may include an evaluation of your online reputation and website performance, an overview of your competition, an examination into the satisfaction of your customers, and even your processes, and so on.
Why hire a marketing consultant?
The most important reason is to give your business a professional perspective and a non-biased assessment of your operations, and what business wouldn’t benefit from that? Bringing one on board saves you from the pressure of having being an expert in all areas of your business or learning something you don’t have to time to do. A marketing consultant will give you a leg up, and save you time and money because in the process of working with one you will have access to their experience and expertise.
What happens when you hire a market consultant?
You will finally have a moment to breathe!
Business owners who get the most bang for their buck and who see the most meaningful results are the ones who trust the process. Undoubtedly, this is the hardest part of hiring an outside professional. But when you consider the financial investment and commitment, why wouldn’t you go all in and let the expert go to work? Hiring a consultant is a time-fixed situation with you remaining the boss throughout the duration. Knowing that the consultant is there for a specific amount of time with a focus and goal on helping you solve a problem, streamlining processes, or developing strategies may make it easier for you to get behind hiring one. Hiring a marketing consultant doesn’t mean you have failed at your business. On the contrary, it says, “I got us here, but there’s so much more that I want to do!” Be open to accepting their evaluation of your business and their professional recommendations.
What makes a good marketing consultant?
Every consultant has their niche or expertise. Depending on what you need will determine how you will seek out their services. Outside their qualifications, here are three things to help you decide which consultant is right for you:
- Is the consultant actively listening? Are they hearing the things you say and the things you don’t? They should probe and ask lots of questions about all aspects of your business. Their job is to get to know your operations as if they have been on your team for years. They should have a sincere interest in getting to know your business and you.
- Have they provided a timeline and deliverables? You should know what to expect from the consultant. This helps both of you stay focused and on task. They should provide a scope of work with deadlines, which makes them accountable. These deliverables will become a blueprint for how they will develop their recommendations, which in turn you may implement if you are ready to get to the next level.
- Do you feel a connection? While you won’t become BFFs with your consultant you will want to have a connection with them. You will be spending a lot of time together so enjoying their company is important. You will be sharing details of your business with them, both the good and the bad. The expectation is that they are trustworthy and can keep a tight lip!
I hope you consider using a marketing consultant to elevate your business or help you in the areas you are struggling with. Keep these points in mind when you are about to hire one. Marketing consultants are a great tool for assessing the health of your business while providing strategies to help you reach your future goals.
