Hiring a Marketing Consultant

What You Should Consider Before You Hire



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.

Related information
  • An honest marketing consultant will advise you regardless of his or her best interests.
  • Set a contracted time frame for your consultant.
  • Trust your instincts when it comes time to make a decision.
 
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Perhaps you should understand the target audience of this article before jumping to conclusions and making assertions (not ascertations, that's not a word). A newly developing small business has to examine the benefits and risks of hiring a marketing consultant, and determine whether or not it is worth it. I've worked with several marketing consultants, and the $100/hour figure was for those who DO charge by the hour, and not "Pay for Performance", which is what you refer to you in your comment about USP's and direct mailing programs. That isn't by the hour, that's for performance. Thanks. -KR

Posted on 05/13/2006 at 8:05:00 AM

Interesting article obviously written by someone who has never hired a consultant or really doesn't understands what a consultant does. Her claim that consultants can be as much as $100/hr is for inexperienced consultants. If a consultant is charging that low they're probably new to business or not very good. Her ascertation that she's "heard" that consultants will become flamboyant and start charging more tells me that she doesn't understand that competent consultants charge incremently. They start small, prove their method works and gradually increase the marketing to achieve the goals of the business owner. For example, they may charge $500 for a USP to help the business owner identify who their market is, then $1000 to put together a direct mail program to reach this market, however each step pays for itself. It's important to keep in mind that many of these same business owners are paying a min of $1200/mo for a yellow page ad that's not working and perhaps $3000/mo for other medi

Posted on 05/01/2006 at 3:05:00 PM

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