Focus on the details of marketing execution to get great results.

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What will your marketing consultant deliver?

I’ve heard many stories about executives that hire a marketing consultant to execute projects, yet only receive a simple report or partial deliverables for their five-figure engagement. That might not be a big issue for the Fortune 1000, but it can sour an SMB business leader’s view of the entire marketing consulting field.

“Consultants” is already an amorphous term, used by coaches, service firms, great consultants, weak consultants and front-line workers looking for a contract job. As the economy continues to slow, more and more displaced workers will surface as consultants.

How do you make sure you get what you’re expecting?

More importantly, how do you avoid the consultants that embody these sad industry adages?

“Know just enough about everything to sound like an expert.”

“If you can’t solve the problem, there’s money to be made in prolonging it.”

The key to consistently get good results from your consultants is to clearly define your project, thoroughly screen your candidates, ask detailed questions to clearly understand deliverables and agree to a deliverable schedule.

Marketing Requires More Due Diligence

Since “marketing” isn’t a standardized field, spend extra time discussing deliverables so you understand exactly what you’re getting. For example, there are many web designers that will deliver a new design template that is deployed on their test servers, leaving clients to create the site architecture and content, secure the hosting and handle the DNS changes. That’s quite a surprise for a client that was expecting a “turnkey” website.

It’s up to you to determine this beforehand. To start, research marketing vendors and create your list for your vendor selection process.

Then, narrow your field of candidates to weed out those that don’t fit.

  1. Within which discipline(s) does she specialize?
  2. Ask about training and accreditations.
  3. What’s her specific area of expertise?
  4. What tools does she use to complete the work?
  5. What’s her current client load?

Determine your final candidates by picking out the consultants with the greatest track record for success.

  1. Ask for references from the past 6 months and the past 3 years. Contact both recent and not-so-recent clients to identify those consultants with a long-history of success.
  2. How many long-term relationships/clients does the consultant have? Clients who are truly happy come back for more! Hire the consultant that you can grow with.
  3. Ask both the consultant and references why they were successful. It’s easy to say, “She did a great job,” but “why the job was great” determines if your expectations will align well with the consultant’s style. 

Before you make your final selection, have an honest conversation with your top candidates about expectations. Discuss deliverables so you have a clear understanding of the end product you’ll receive.

  1. What will the consultant deliver? Differentiate between coaching (giving high-level advice and success tips), consulting (taking responsibility for specific recommendations and completing some work), and execution (creating and delivering a completed work product).
  2. Who will be responsible for what? Determine who will manage the project and who will execute the work.
  3. How will you measure success? Ask your consultant for her goals for the project. Together, decide how you will measure the success or failure of your working relationship together. If possible, tie these measurable objectives into your contract for services. 

A lack of planning often causes failure. Plan for success: Clearly define and communicate your needs and expectations up front. It eliminates surprises and gives you peace of mind that your consultant will deliver.

And if you’re a consultant, make it easy for your client to understand what you’ll deliver. It’ll lead to happy clients and longer engagements.

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Marketing vendors: Hiring the right vendor, part 2

Today I’m continuing Thursday’s post  about finding good marketing vendors.  In that post I walked through the first few steps in the process:

1.  Know what you need
2.  Identify your prospects
3.  Think carefully about your success criteria
4.  Make your first cut

At this point you should have a manageable list of companies or individuals who’ve made your first cut.  They’ve answered your first set of qualifying questions and you know there’s strong potential to work together.   And don’t rule out your gut – if something doesn’t jive, there may be a very good reason.  Focus your energy on other prospects.

The next steps:

5.  Analyze your prospects. Now you can invest more serious time in your discussions with your short list of vendors.  You’ll probably meet in person or schedule a lengthy conference call to evaluate their services and your needs.

It’s easy to get sidetracked or overwhelmed with information at this stage.  To keep things as simple as possible, keep your list of success criteria handy.  Your mission is to evaluate each vendor against specific criteria, so keep the discussions focused on the items you need to address.

To better compare apples to applies, you could set up a rating sheet for each vendor.  List your success criteria and rate their importance on a scale from 1-5.  Then rate the vendor objectively on each criteria.

6.  Request proposals. If appropriate, this is the time to ask each vendor to submit a formal proposal.  If you’re looking for simple, straightforward services, you can ask bidders to provide their own proposal and quote.

But if it’s a more complex or intangible project, it’s better to create your own Request for Proposal (RFP) and ask bidders to respond to very specific questions in a consistent fashion.  A standard RFP is especially helpful when

  • The vendor is providing a comprehensive service
  • The project is intangible or has many elements, such as a website
  • You have very specific evaluation criteria and need to compare apples to apples
  • You’re evaluating a large number of bidders (more than four)

Here are some tips for issuing an RFP:

  • Ask bidders to answer specific questions – your “success criteria” – so that you have those responses in writing for easy evaluation.
  • Ask bidders to respond in your desired format. Many vendors have standard proposal templates that address typical questions, but it can be time-consuming to find the answers you need.  Do the same with your pricing sheet – you want to be able to compare prices from different bidders, so ask them to standardize the way they bid.
  • Ask for suggestions on alternative or new ways to solve your problem. If it’s wildly outside the scope of your RFP then you may have to start the process over from the beginning.  However, if the new approach can save you substantial time and money, it may be worthwhile.
  • Share as much information to potential vendors as possible during the bidding process. Let them know your timeline, budget, desired payment terms, needs in detail, your desired results, the reporting methods required, and penalties for failing to meet those results.
  • Be respectful of your bidders’ time. Yes, you’re the client, but if you’re overly demanding, confusing or scattered during the bidding process, the vendor may decide that you’re troublesome and bid a higher amount as a result.  People want to work with people they like and respect, so treat your potential vendors just as you want to be treated when you’re pursuing a new business opportunity.  Don’t waste their time if you have no intention of working together.


7.  Evaluate, negotiate & award the project. If you’ve used an objective rating method, you should have a fairly clear ranking of your final bidders.  If a few of them are close, negotiate terms and pricing with your finalists.

As you finalize your decision, pay special attention to these issues:

  • Accessibility. How easy is it to get ahold of them?  Keep in mind, the way they interact with you before you buy is a great indicator of how it will be to work with them.
  • Credit and payment terms. Do they offer credit?  Do you find their terms acceptable and reasonable?
  • Long term value. Does this company seem concerned with establishing a long term relationship with you or are they looking for a one-time quick sale?  Especially with projects that are detail-oriented or new, you’ll want to work with someone who is supportive, knowledgeable, and truly vested in your overarching success.
  • And finally … price. Remember the adage “You get what you pay for.”  Don’t just choose the lowest bid – choose the vendor that best meets your criteria for success.

Choosing the right vendor can make or break your project, your budget, and your sanity.  Put the time in, select a partner that can support your needs throughout the process, and you’ll set your project up for success!

Want more info on this subject?  You may want to also check out these posts:

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How to find a good marketing vendor

New website project on the horizon?  Looking for a new printer or designer?  A PR firm?  Copywriter?  CRM consultant? Whether you have a rolodex full of contacts or you’re beginning a totally new project in the dark, finding the right vendor for the job is a project in itself.  You need to find the best [...]

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How to compare prices

Ugh, how I hate to compare quotes!  I was just helping a friend evaluate contractors and we weren’t just comparing apples to apples — it was like comparing an apple to a lychee fruit.  It was insane. But after I gave him a marketing tool from our product that stores the price portion of the quotes, [...]

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Focus on the details of marketing execution to get great results.

Download a plan for it ... in our marketing management app.