The Why of Choosing A Consultant

In all the years that my team has been assisting clients with digital marketing, growth strategy and product and platform acquisition, the client usually comes to us for one of three specific reasons. While these do somewhat correspond to the consulting services we specialize in, it’s more a mindset that a business owner has achieved, or team has come to collectively, that send them our way. Below we’ll discuss these three types of client in the hopes that you see yourself or your organization in one of the three personas we’ve built. We’ll begin with the client who is completely lost when it comes to digital everything.

Consulting Client #1: Lost In A Digital World

The first client we’ll cover is the one who finds themselves in a digital world and they’re not entirely sure how they go there or how to navigate their new environs. That’s okay. We work wonders with those who have no experience with digital marketing and start with the basics. We ask them the following questions:

  • What do you want to achieve with your digital efforts? Is there competition you need to keep up with? Are you working with an antiquated website? Are you being found online at all?

  • Do you have a budget to use for digital marketing services? Can you hire a professional agency or is this going to be something you try to accomplish in-house? What are your expectations?

  • What kind of time can you devote to what you’re trying to accomplish? Can you be communicative and open about your goals and objectives?

Once we understands these perspectives, we can begin to formulate the right consulting approach to help a client find the success they’re after online. These clients are sometimes the easiest to assist because they come to the table with no preconceived notions of digital marketing. They can judge what we offer by the success they see after we’re involved.

Consulting Client #2: Looking To Better Performance

Our second client knows the digital landscape but they’re finding it difficult to improve on their past performance. They may be part-time marketers with other roles in-house or they’re simply at the end of their expertise and need a fresh perspective to help them get over the hump to new horizons in their online efforts. For these clients, an audit of their online footprint is a good place to start but we also include the following questions for their review and response:

  • How have you approached optimizing your efforts to date? What were the goals for each process or platform you have in place across your marketing efforts?

  • What does your funnel look like and how do you envision consulting impacting it? Are there specific touchpoints, goals or KPIs assigned where you find you’re having real difficulty?

  • Do you have specific campaign or assets that require specific attention during consulting? What kind of improvement are you hoping for in this specific area? Is a specific KPI involved?

Once we’ve had the opportunity to audit the client’s online footprint and discuss the answers to our questions with them directly, we can begin to attack the improvements they’re after by giving recommendations across platforms and processes. These recommendations can be implemented by the client’s in-house team, another agency or our own team whenever possible. The results delivered will speak to the efficacy of our efforts.

Consulting Client #3: Which Tools, What Software & How Many Platforms

The final type of client we meet on a regular basis is the one who knows what they’re doing but doesn’t know what they need to do it better from a technology standpoint. With so many new tools being introduced, so many new Smart options on most platforms and more platforms than most people even realize, it’s easy to see why so many business owners and management teams could use a little expert advice when it’s time to start adding new implementations. That’s where we come in with recommendations that can save you time, money and frustration. To get to the right answers, we ask the following questions:

  • What exactly are you trying to accomplish with consulting? What do you need our assistance with? The purchase of new software? The addition of new tools? New platforms for available budget?

  • Will the change be handled at one location or many? Do you have a timeline for this to be completed? What is the status of this implementation? Planning? Training? Installation?

  • Do you have the budget and bandwidth to add the new element you’re considering? Will employees be given time to learn new systems without impairing business?

That’s all we need, along with detailed conversation via phone and email, to deliver our proclamations regarding whatever new tool, new software, new process or new platform you’re thinking about. And best of all, we’re not done yet – we’ll help you find the right one for your needs if we believe what you’re considering is not in your best interests. Plus, you can decide for yourself if our recommendation makes the most sense for your organization and make your moves accordingly.

So, if you fall into any of these three categories don’t delay for even another minute – schedule a free consultation with Spencer Wade and his team by calling (773) 419-3636 or submitting a contact form to book your initial appointment!

Published On: June 26th, 2015 / Categories: The Why of Choosing A Consultant / Tags: /

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