How to choose a marketing consultant
It is said a consultant is “someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time”… Phooey! Not a Launch Engineering consultant!
Its simple: If you do not have experience and operational ‘know-how’ in the industry you are in, get someone who does have that background. However, if you have great operational knowledge and have been in the business for a long time, the last thing you need is to ‘compete with’ or ‘show up’ someone of your own ‘ilk’. What use is it having someone who will simply agree with everything you say?
It also depends of which areas of marketing you are strong in, and which you are weak in. To find the best possible marketing consultant for your needs, you have to fill missing talent in the Hierarchies of marketing for your organisation…
Nothing beats knowing the secrets of how leading corporations manage promotion strategy, strategic implementation for good marketing
A true marketing specialist, knows when and how to employ guerrilla marketing strategy implementation. Their marketing planning will necessarily address internet marketing, innovation strategy, sales and marketing processes, and what a growing business must do to improve efficiency.
Choosing the right strategic planning consulting group
The right strategic planning consulting group should be able to demonstrate the following:
- Hands on experience in operational & operations management
- Qualifications in, and understanding of, strategic planning & strategy implementation
- Evidence of good marketing management, innovation strategy, success in growing business, and the ability to improve efficiency
- Expertise in strategy execution, product launches, & experience in delivering marketing advice
Compare us against Accenture, Bain, Booz, BCG, CapGemini and McKinsey
Many large companies choose consultants such as Accenture, Bain, Booz, BCG, CapGemini and McKinsey because they are internationally known, a recognised consultancy firm, etc., with good reason: They use many of the same theories and methods we use! The difference is the consultant who works on YOUR account has invested decades of work experience in knowing how to best use these to your advantage. Yes we own proprietary methods they don’t and visa versa…. but the table tells the story!
When does marketing become strategy?
“Marketing” responsibilities change with seniority, and the distinction help to identify what type of consultant is right for you.
Administrative marketing
Booking and organising trade shows, coordinating below-the-line advertising media, collateral brochures administration, working with advertising agency production teams etc. is what might be described as ‘grass-roots’ administrative or ‘secretarial’ marketing. It doesn’t require a career at University and can be learnt on the job by any intelligent individual. Any marketing consulting group should be able to offer up a solution for administrative marketing problems.
Operational marketing
Particularly in business-to-business marketing, sales managers ex-administration marketing executives start to deal with managing operational marketing variables, often surviving on wits, experience and instinctive insight rather than training in advanced marketing. Someone who knows their industry well usually also handles operational marketing problems well.
Managerial marketing
Managerial Marketing skills can only be acquired with proper training and education. This level of marketing sophistication requires in-depth understanding of multiple sources of marketing information, utilisation of scientific marketing methods, concepts and tools, and coordination with refined corporate governance leadership. Operational and administrative people simply do not have the necessary skills to perform… in essence, they ‘guess’, sometimes right, other times wrong.
Corporate marketing
Corporate Marketing skills are the refined corporate governance and leadership skills of competent business leaders. Individuals such as Jack Welch (ex GE CEO), corporations such as Mars, Toyota, Nestle & Unilever owe their competitive excellence to expert use of Corporate Marketing tools.
Strategic Marketing is a Professional Discipline requiring qualifications as well as experience.
Would you have your appendix removed by an unqualified doctor? Or your house designed by an unqualified architect?
Would you get your car serviced by an unqualified mechanic? Or your tax done by some one without tax and accountancy training?
Why risk your marketing management, your business and your future to someone without their degree in marketing? Launch Engineering consultants actually teach – usually at MBA level – and really know their ‘stuff’. You get informed, rational, educated advice for long term, stable business growth, and nothing less.
