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DOT
08-12-2010, 08:32 PM
I have a meeting scheduled this weekend with a marketing consultant and I’m looking for some guidance as to what I should be looking for and questions to ask.

First a little background. Our company leads small group travel to Italy. Our groups are about 10 people in size and the trips are centered around a theme such are food and wine, classic car races, girls getaways, opera, etc. So far most of our clients have come from word of mouth advertising and we’re very happy with how the business has grown. We have also done a little advertising in newsletters with some success and we also have our own email newsletter that keeps growing.

We feel we need some professional help to help us take the next step to increase our customer base. We’ve located a consultant that previously worked in the marketing department of a company similar to ours (but bigger) but which focuses on cycling tours, something we don’t. The business model is the same. We feel that his previous experience might make him more qualified to assist us over a general marketing firm.

Since we’ve never worked with a marketing consultant what should we be asking him? What should we be looking for so that we aren’t just sold a bunch of BS? How do we evaluate him?

Any input would be appreciated.


Thanks
Doug

Patrysha
08-12-2010, 09:23 PM
A good consultant will ask a lot of questions :-) They shouldn't be coming in with a pre-determined solution to your needs...even if he has worked in your industry before. Ask questions based on the things you are most important to you to have him bring to the table. I think you could get a ton of mileage with some publicity effort ;-)

lav
08-12-2010, 09:48 PM
Dont just ask him what he did for the other company but ask how he did it.

1-If he shows you results ask how he achieved those results?,
2-What was his strategy? what sort of plan did he have in place?
3-Ask what methods he used to measure? It is important to develop plans and campaigns that allow you to measure not just an ROI but the overall success of the strategy
4-Will he be showing you a marketing plan on commencement or is that something he will develop after he is hired?
5-Will he be working on marketing of the whole business or just focussing on certain aspects?
6-What are his strongest methods? eg some marketing consultants are more knowledgeable in online marketing, some are strong in direct marketing etc...... look for someone who has strong points in an area that you are not strong in.


Tell him a little about your business and what you are doing to market it (dont be embarrassed that you may be doing it wrong). Dont expect him to have all the answers on the spot, give him some time (some times a couple of days) and have him come back to you with some thought out ideas. If he comes back with nothing hes not a good planner, if he puts in an effort thats great, if he has all the answers you want on the spot .... hire him.

Spider
08-12-2010, 11:49 PM
We feel that his previous experience [specialist] might make him more qualified to assist us over a general marketing firm.
Always remember that a generalist can bring to you new ways of marketing that a specialist may not know. Just because Italian tours haven't been sold like barbecue grilles doesn't mean they cannot be, possibly with surprising results.

lav
08-13-2010, 03:52 AM
Just because Italian tours haven't been sold like barbecue grilles doesn't mean they cannot be, possibly with surprising results.Great point Frederick. Maybe a new spin on things might be the defining point which sees you "outdo" the "cycling tours company" as opposed to match it with them.....

Harold Mansfield
08-13-2010, 04:20 PM
The most important questions are the ones that you need answered. I don't mean that to sound like infomercial poopycock..the most important thing is what are your objectives?

What do you want a marketing consultant to do for you?
Are you looking to expand into a certain market or demographic?
Do you need to increase visibility in a market that you are already in?
What is the goal? To increase sales and revenue?
Online? Offline?

Answer your own questions first and you will be able to better judge the answers that are given and see if they are on point with the direction that you want to take.
A consultant can only tell you how to do it, if they know what you want to do.

DOT
08-13-2010, 08:18 PM
Thanks everyone for your input.

I think we're having a difficult time deciding if we want help with a wider approach of marketing the company or simply focusing on a certain trip. I'm leaning more towards marketing a certain type of trip since I think we would be able to measure the results better. Also I think this would help provide a template for the other trips.

We meet tomorrow with the consultant so we'll see how it goes.

greenoak
08-20-2010, 09:35 AM
i like everyones thought out replies ...since i am considering some form of this too...

i would want to see some past work....and hope to talk to some of the clients..i know thats hard but it might save a lot....i would be real interested in his listening skills too...you dont want someone who is an instant expert on your needs without even looking around at your thing.... that seems pretty typical from a lot of sellers i see at my store...mostly sales reps for product but ad reps too....that kind of advice isnt too good usually..there are lots of things that you know about your field that wouldnt be obvious to outsiders...for example in my field the ad person might think collectible is a good word ...when really it is the total pitts, it aims at the lowest part of the market...and is outdated to the max......
..still i like a totally fresh view..., like spider said... thats how you get to the wow thing... .or they might think you are targeting who you arent ...
and of course we all know every marketer has a different set of THE TRUTH.... i love reading them but they are all over the place in what they think works....we have to decide...
ann