5 Best Practices Of Being A Marketing Consultant
In the complex world of marketing, association’s can either find the skills they need in-house or partner with experts in the field to help them get ahead. The job of the marketing consultant is to provide valuable expertise towards a problem or project, while helping the client to pick up skills along the way. Teaming up with a consultant can fill gaps for an association and help them to perform in these functions in the future. In order for the relationship to be a success, the marketing consultant will exhibit these five attributes.
1. Accuracy
Above anything else a consultant can establish credibility in the relationship by providing clear, precise answers. If a project goes off track, the consultant is the first to let the client know how the problem is being solved. Conversely, the consultant is the first to deliver the good news when goals have been achieved ahead of schedule; delighting the client. Being accurate, not sugar-coating a challenge so that it breaks trust, is an important first step in displaying competency as the marketing expert.
2. ResponsiveResponding to the client promptly with an update to their request lets the client know their concerns have been addressed. Even without an answer yet, it’s helpful to provide some progress on the process the consultant is taking to address the question. At every step of the client-consultant relationship, it’s about establishing trust and credibility.
3. Honesty
Client’s appreciate honest, objective reports. A good consultant is an outside view that helps to address problems, openly discusses the issues, and provides valuable feedback. By being honest, it provides open communication and further establishes trust in the relationship.
4. Fosters Independence
Partnering with a client as a consultant is more than providing client deliverables. It’s not about doing the work for the client (even though that may be what they really want). That fosters dependency and doesn’t serve the client’s long term goals. A good consultant has the client’s best interests in mind and wants them to learn how to acquire long term skills and not just provide an immediate fix.
5. Exceeds expectations
A consultant could merely meet the client’s needs by finishing a project on time and within budget, but one step further is to deliver above the expected deliverables. This can be achieved at every stage of the relationship by responding to client requests within the hour, providing clear and precise answers, and delivering above and beyond. This ensures the client that the relationship is a partnership, that the consultant cares about the client’s organization and their broader goals - and will keep them coming back and telling their friends about their great experience.
Whether it’s the first email campaign in a new marketing automation program, a complete content audit, or the initial brainstorming of personas, a marketing consultant can help the association achieve big rocks where there were roadblocks before. Think of the marketing consultant as if they were apart of your team - only armed with expertise in marketing that will propel you into success. Think of HighRoad Solution as the team of consultants that always take the highroad when achieving challenging goals with experitise and integrity.
About Emily Nash
With a unique background in start-ups-to-studios, and consulting-to-corporate settings, Emily specializes in solving for unknowns, pioneering new services, and collaborating with marketers and strategists. In her community, she served on the board of American Institute for Graphic Arts as their Communications Director to help promote networking and mentorship opportunities for area designers and creatives. She’s also a co-producer for Rethink Association, a podcast for associations.