Five Things You Shouldn’t Expect From Your Marketing Consultant
Sometimes a fresh perspective is what your business needs. And that’s what marketing consultants do best. We can help launch new initiatives, improve processes, prepare interview teams and develop comprehensive RFP responses. To realize the potential of these engagements, it’s important to align expectations.
Don’t expect your marketing consultant to…
Know Everything About Your Business: A valued consultant should have experience in your industry, but she won’t automatically know everything about your business. To get the best results, collaborate to develop an initial framework. Company knowledge should be shared to complement the marketer’s expertise. In addition to a website, share brochures, graphic standards, company history, and admired work from competitors.
Provide Business Development: Business development and marketing are separate functions yet many companies lump these tasks together. Business developers cultivate relationships with potential clients, maintain lead lists, and actively search for opportunities. Marketers support the sales process. We tell the firm’s story to validate the business and increase credibility. A marketer can create a brochure, but she probably doesn’t know what tenants in Baltimore will be looking for 25,000 SF of space when their leases expire in 2024.
Perform Day-to-Day Activities: Consultants are engaged for their knowledge and experience. Most likely, they are not available to perform day-to-day tasks at your company. A marketing consultant develops the big-picture strategy, goals and programs. W-2 employees are the best people to execute these plans.
Offer Guarantees: Marketing is a combination of skill, methodology and luck. It’s impossible to guarantee results. A good marketer will explain the pros and cons of a strategy. She will outline possible scenarios and help clients evaluate risk. A skilled professional will prioritize research, planning, execution and metric evaluation once a campaign has launched.
Lower Rates: Much thought goes into determining consulting rates. Don’t try to negotiate a marketer’s rates down: you get what you pay for. One strategy is to begin with a few small assignments. Each party can get acquainted and organically develop the working relationship. Using this approach, larger assignments should flow more smoothly.
When you take the time to manage expectations and develop a working relationship, your company will yield better results from all contractors.
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