Hiring a Marketing Consultant

As with all business decisions, there are several factors that should be considered before hiring a marketing consultant. There are no end-all, be-all rules for making these decisions, and business owners must first consider their own needs before jumping into anything.

Consultants are people who are experts in their particular field, and who lend their expertise to businesses who require assistance and advice. Consultants are usually either former owners of businesses or professionals of a separate industry. Attorneys, for example, often double as financial consultants.

Marketing consultants are different from other types because their field is extremely narrow. They are experts in preparing press kits, writing business plans, recruiting customers and planning marketing strategy. Many have previous experience in advertising firms or marketing agencies, and have significant insights into the marketing of products and services. Some specialize in marketing to consumers, while others promote from business to business (B2B Marketing).

Hiring a marketing consultant is an enormous decision because weighing the benefits could lead you in either direction. On the one hand, you could most certainly benefit from their expertise and knowledge; on the other, consultants are expensive and you might see little to no results. Marketing largely depends on the target audience, the economy and the value of your product or service. These factors contribute to the success or failure of your business, and should be considered in addition to proactive marketing.

What type of marketing will you need to implement?

Marketing consultants can help with either business-to-business marketing or business-to-consumer marketing. You should know which category your business falls under. For example, if you are selling business database software, then you will need to market to other businesses. If you supply flatware and cuttlery, on the other hand, you will be marketing to consumers. Some businesses fall under both: selling office supplies could be marketed to both businesses and individuals. Making that distinction will have a large impact on the consultant you decide to hire.

When you first start your search, ask to see a resume that lists the clients for whom the consultant has worked. Based on that information, you can determine whether or not the consultant has the experience needed to fill your needs.

What are your monetary resources?

Marketing consultants are expensive - sometimes charging upwards of $100/hour - so you will need to make room in your budget for such an expense. Also, the consultant will advise you on how best to implement a marketing strategy. This may include flyers, brochures, direct mailings, event marketing or networking. Taking the time and money to put these strategies into motion will cost money - perhaps more than you care to spend.

When you first talk with a consultant, be completely up-front about budget concerns, and ask about their typical charges for their services. Ask if they will be able to devise a marketing strategy within your budget; if not, you'll be better off looking somewhere else.

What time frame are you considering?

Marketing is an ongoing necessity for the growing business - there are always new customers to reach, new industry trends beginning to surface, and new products to promote. As your company builds in both clientele and reputation, your marketing needs will become more extravagant.

Unfortunately, I have heard of many instances in which marketing consultants took advantage of that growth, raising their prices and encouraging more flamboyant strategies. Talk with your consultant and explain the direction in which you hope to grow, and make sure that you are both on the same page. Hiring a consultant for a limited amount of time might be the best approach. If you tell the consultant that you will extend a contract for six months, and then see where you are at the end of that time, the consultant will be more apt to please you and to pull out every stop to make sure the business relationship grows.

How much growth is too much?

It is every business owner's dream that one day, the business will grow too large and too fast. Receiving more orders than you can handle might seem exciting as first, but consider your growing business as an "incubator." An incubator serves to grow and progress at a steady - but manageable - rate, giving you the opportunity to adjust as it expands. Rapid and unprecendented growth due to marketing may not be a good thing, and you might find yourself in a position you are unable to handle.

Your consultant should be willing to sit down with you and develop a marketing plan. Using graphs and charts, he or she will help you to devise a realistic growth progression, and the marketing efforts needed to facilitate that goal. The consultant should be informed and educated enough to illustrate a forecast for your company, and to meet that forecast using marketing tools. If the consultant is unable or unwilling to provide you with that plan, then he or she is probably incapable of meeting your needs.

How will your staff be utilized?

Obviously, if you are already in business, you have obtained a staff for each of the necessary business functions. These employees are probably already submerged in their work, and will probably have full schedules.

When you meet with a marketing consultant, as if your staff will be needed as resources, and if so, in what capacity. This should tell you whether or not you will need to hire additional employees for marketing and promotions. Some consultants are sufficiently well-connected that will have people on call that they can outsource at will. For example, if event promotions is one of the factors in your marketing plan, they might have marketing representatives who can be used for those events.

This might be an expense that you are unprepared to spare, but you need to find out what the consultant will expect.

Do the benefits outweight the expenditures?

An experienced, legitimate, honest consultant will tell you whether or not they think they can be of service. After working on a marketing plan, the consultant will be able to say if the profit margin will increase significantly by his or her efforts. The goal here is not more people in your store or more visits on your website, but more sales. If that won't happen based on the consultant's plan, then it isn't worth it for you to proceed.

The future cannot be predicated, and any business decision is a gamble. Unless you have a secret crystal ball, you will have to rely upon your own instincts and that of the marketing consultants with whom you meet. Regardless of how many marketing campaigns you run, hard work and persistence will pay off in the business world. The goal is to get your name into the homes of consumers and the offices of businesses through whatever means become available.