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<\/div>\nStart By Getting Clear On Your Needs<\/h2>\n
When you\u2019re looking to hire a marketing company, your chances of hiring the right service provider are low. There are so many different types of companies; determining who you need can be daunting.<\/p>\n To have any chance of finding the right firm, you need to be crystal clear on your requirements, and you need to understand the differences between categories of providers.<\/p>\n The most common reason business owners come to us is because their marketing is not working. We\u2019re often the 3rd or 4th marketing company business owners engage.\u00a0 They\u2019re getting frustrated with the process and all the time and money they\u2019ve spent.<\/p>\n A lack of preparedness is the usual culprit. Business owners are often in a rush to get their name out there. They want to make sales now. They end up engaged in promotional tactics before they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n Their marketing materials may look professional, but they don\u2019t generate sales. The reason nearly always stems from the same set of issues. They never addressed the core sales and marketing fundamentals. They never addressed things like:<\/p>\n Without these things in place, their efforts are doomed from the start.<\/p>\n Business owners mistake salespeople for consultants and advisors. It\u2019s essential to recognize that sales reps need to sell products, or they don\u2019t get paid. They are not business advisors, mentors, or advocates. Their job is to sell stuff.<\/p>\n Sales reps expect you to know what you want and how you\u2019ll benefit. It\u2019s up to you to make wise investments.<\/p>\n You start by looking inwards at your business. Determine how your sales and marketing process needs to perform to be viable. Start by answering some fundamental questions about your business. Fortunately, these questions require no calculus to answer. Your answers will dictate what type of help you need.<\/p>\n 1. What is the Stage and Size of Your Company? <\/strong><\/p>\n Start-up Company \u2013<\/strong> needs to develop the fundamentals before focusing on tactics You want to find a company that aligns with and understands your needs.<\/p>\n 2. Where are You in the Marketing Program Development Process? <\/strong><\/p>\n Design \u2013<\/strong> are you designing your sales and marketing system? You want your service provider to match your developmental stage.<\/p>\n 3. Who\u2019s Your Target Market?<\/strong><\/p>\n Business to Consumer \u2013<\/strong> are you selling to consumers? Are you selling to a mass market, a niche market, or some micro-segment?<\/p>\n 4. What\u2019s Your Focus?<\/strong><\/p>\n Your focus dictates the nature of your marketing program. Are you brand-focused, product-focused, or are you focused on developing long-term customer relationships?<\/p>\n Brand-Centric \u2013<\/strong> focused on reach, frequency and developing brand preference The differences between these options are significant.<\/p>\n 5. Are You Bricks or Clicks?<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you operate a brick and mortar business? Is your business online, or are you a mix of both?<\/p>\n This is an important operational and technical distinction.<\/p>\n 6. What\u2019s Your Sales Distribution Model?<\/strong><\/p>\n How do you interact with and sell to people? Do you sell:<\/p>\n Through Distribution \u2013<\/strong> via wholesale and retail partners 7. What\u2019s Your Industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n Do your marketers need to be industry insiders or do you need a fresh and innovative approach?<\/p>\n 8. What\u2019s Your Objective? <\/strong><\/p>\n What\u2019s the purpose of your marketing investment? There are four core objectives to consider.<\/p>\n Client Attraction \u2013<\/strong> working to attract new first-time customers All of the above \u2013<\/strong> working to improve sales and marketing system effectiveness Which objectives do your providers focus on? It may surprise you to learn that \u201cnone of the above\u201d is a frequent answer.<\/p>\n 9. What\u2019s Your Promotional Focus?<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the critical distinctions in marketing is promotion versus attraction. Are you creating demand for an offering or are you tapping into pre-existing demand? Many service firms line up on one side of this divide or the other. Which do you need?<\/p>\n Promotion \/ Demand Generation \u2013<\/strong> you\u2019re creating demand for your offering 10. Which Tactics Will You Use?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re ready to engage in promotional tactics, you\u2019ll want help selecting the right ones. Your provider needs the expertise and experience to help you achieve business objectives. It\u2019s not enough to execute the tactic well. Look out for \u201cyes men\u201d.<\/p>\n The most common tactics include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Were you able to answer all the questions? If not, consider putting your marketing investments on hold until you can.<\/p>\n Sales and marketing companies fall into seven broad categories. These categories include:<\/p>\n Marketing Coaches are ideal for start-ups and business owners who lack experience and resources.<\/p>\n The coaching relationship is about developing a sales and marketing program, with your coach directing you to do the right things, in the right order, and in the right way to get results.<\/p>\n Your coach outlines the process and directs and refines your efforts. The goal is to get you to do as much of the work as you can, with your coach jumping in where you need help. When required, you\u2019ll also be directed to additional resource people for assistance. Working with a coach generally requires a 2 to 8 hour per month commitment.<\/p>\n Marketing Coaching is one of the most cost-effective ways to develop your marketing program. Learn how marketing coaching works.<\/a><\/p>\n Fractional Chief Marketing Officers<\/a> (CMO) are engaged in a part-time contract capacity, which often translates to a time commitment of 8 to 40 hours per month. What you get is an experienced executive to join your team, for a fraction of the cost of a full-time person. Think time-share as an analogy.<\/p>\n Your fractional CMO is responsible for leading your sales and marketing program. The role includes program design, development, operation, and optimization. They coordinate your in-house team, contractors, tactical and technical suppliers.<\/p>\n To get full value from a fractional CMO, you need to be investing in a sales and marketing program. Otherwise, you don\u2019t need their on-going leadership.<\/p>\n Marketing Consulting Companies specialize in strategic planning<\/a> and systems development. They tend to be business goals oriented rather than focused on specific tactics.<\/p>\n Consultants often fall into two camps, those focused on business strategy and those focused more specifically on online businesses. These online business consultants are often called Full-Stack Marketing Consultants. Full-Stack refers to their holistic, end-to-end strategic and systems creation focus. Expect a Full-Stack consultant to guide you through the setup of the many layers of marketing techniques required to build a sales and marketing system.<\/p>\n![\"Print](\"https:\/\/accruemarketing.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-print\/images\/printer_famfamfam.gif\" "\\"Print")
<\/a>\u00a0Print This Post<\/a><\/p>\n<\/header>\nWho Cares? Why Does This Matter?<\/h3>\n
Why Do They Struggle?<\/h3>\n
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The Other Major Error<\/h3>\n
What Do You Do?<\/h3>\n
The Key Questions<\/h3>\n
Small Business \u2013<\/strong> a limited budget, some existing processes and internal resources
Mid-sized Company \u2013<\/strong> looking to scale up and improve marketing performance
Large Enterprise \u2013<\/strong> needs expertise and extra capacity to work quicker<\/p>\n
Build \u2013<\/strong> are you investing in technology and building your systems and processes?
Grow \u2013<\/strong> are you in the client acquisition, retention, and account development stage?
Optimize \u2013<\/strong> are you working to optimize system performance?<\/p>\n
Business to Business \u2013<\/strong> are you selling to other companies?<\/p>\n
Product-Centric \u2013<\/strong> focused on pitching your product and its value proposition
Customer-Centric \u2013<\/strong> focused on maximizing customer lifetime value<\/p>\n
Direct to Customers \u2013<\/strong> on-site, with sales reps or through a website
Network Marketing \u2013<\/strong> an army of independent representatives<\/p>\n
Following-up to Close \u2013<\/strong> working to close sales leads more effectively
Client Development \u2013<\/strong> working to keep and grow customer lifetime value
Recovery \u2013<\/strong> trying to re-engage lost or inactive clients<\/p>\n
None of the above \u2013<\/strong> focusing on how to use a tactic or software correctly<\/p>\n
Attraction \/ Demand Servicing \u2013<\/strong> you\u2019re attempting to tap into pre-existing demand<\/p>\n\n
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How Did You Do?<\/h3>\n
Selecting A Marketing Company<\/h3>\n
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Marketing Coaches<\/h3>\n
Fractional Chief Marketing Officers<\/h3>\n
Marketing Consulting Companies<\/h3>\n