Go Big or Go Home: How to Hire a Marketing Expert

There comes a time in every business when sales stagnate and growth seems almost impossible. This is the time to dramatically increase your marketing efforts and start bringing in the bucks again. Unfortunately, most business owners pull in the reins when times are tough and stop marketing completely. This is a big mistake.

Not every entrepreneur has the necessary talents to market successfully however. If this is the case for you, good for you for admitting that you can't do everything yourself! With that realization, you can more forward with your marketing endeavors by hiring a professional marketing person to take over in that department.

Hiring the right person can be easier said than done sometimes. Do you need to hire a full-time in-house marketing person or will a freelance marketing consultant do the trick? If you'd like to cut down on government paperwork and hiring hassles, choosing a consultant is definitely the route you should go. But how do you get started?

A little bit of research is necessary before you can start meeting with consultants. Foremost, you need to sit down and map out exactly what you've done in the past for marketing your business. What worked and why? If you're in the dark and don't know why you failed in the past, it's definitely time to bring in the big guns and get the job done right.

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of opening the Yellow Pages and finding someone to do the job for you, although you can do it that way. Do an online search for marketing consultants and you will find a wealth of information, which can be a little intimidating. There are many types of marketing consultants available-do you want a coach who will simply tell you what you should be doing or do you want someone to actually implement your marketing efforts for you? Again, you need to prepare yourself beforehand in order to make the informed decision that's best for your situation.

And it can also be a case of "buyer beware". The business world is full of consultants who get hired and then end up not delivering satisfactory results. If you hire a consultant, you need to make sure that this person is the right fit for your organization. By setting up a successful relationship right from the start, you will get the most marketing bang for your buck.

Make sure that the consultant you hire is legitimate, meaning that they've been around a while and have properly set up their business. You don't want some unemployed marketing manager working with you on an important project, only to have them leave you hanging when they get a regular, full-time job again. Pessimistic, that's true, but something to keep in mind. Find out for yourself how long this consultant has been in business; make sure they have a proven track record and a reliable list of clients that you can call for references.

If their work is good and they've provided excellent results in the past, their clients will be happy to tell you about it. Yes, you can take a chance of someone new to the business- just make sure that their rates reflect their inexperience, so you don't end up paying too much for someone who might not deliver.

This is not the time to be overly trusting. Don't simply take a consultant's word that they have done the type of work you require. Make them show you concrete samples of the marketing plans, sales letters and other marketing pieces they produced for other clients.

Most consultants work on either a flat project fee or an hourly basis. Consulting fees vary widely-be wary of fees that are far lower than everyone else's or far too high. If someone is charging an exorbitant amount of money, make sure that you give them very clear instructions on what you expect them to deliver.

Some consultants only develop marketing strategies and don't actually do the follow through. Others are right in there, writing your direct mail letters and doing the nitty-gritty work. Make sure the consultant you select knows what your goals are-again, research on your part is the key here. Do you want a specific percentage increase in sales? Put your expectations in writing before you hand over the big bucks. Remember though that a consultant's hourly fees will be at least $75 per hour, and possibly much higher, with good cause. As a self-employed person, they must cover all taxes, benefits, holiday and sick time for themselves and make enough money to offset any downtime they might have-it's a rare consultant who goes directly from one contract to another without some time in between.

A good consultant will openly give you a proposal to outline all the work they will perform for you, along with a timeline for completion and payment terms. Having everything in writing ensures that everyone is satisfied and on the same page with regards to expectations and responsibilities. You don't want to end up in a situation where you're waiting on something from the consultant and they think that you're handling that issue. Communication is imperative-don't expect to simply hand over your complete marketing department to a stranger and not have to do any further work yourself at all.

Meet with several consultants before selecting a particular one, in order to ensure that you have a good rapport and can work well together. This is very important. If you don't really like the person or they have a totally different work style than you do, the whole undertaking is doomed from the start. Make sure that the consultant you select is someone with whom you will want to work closely with for a long time. Marketing results don't happen overnight, so be prepared to deal with your marketing consultant for the long haul, at least 6 months, bare minimum.

By hiring a marketing expert who knows your type of business and has worked with clients similar to you in the recent past, you can maximize your marketing dollars and bring in the results you need. Take your time selecting the right person for your needs and always look before you leap-while there is no magic marketing formula that will work for every business, the right marketing consultant will develop the proper strategies to take your business to the next level of success and profitability.