A few years ago, an employer I was working for decided to rebrand.
The rebranding itself was a good idea. The organization was growing rapidly. Revenue was rising. And more people were starting to hear about our work. No longer were we a tiny, local operation. We were going national—and to really get there, we needed to strengthen our brand into something that would speak to our new audience.
Sadly, we ended up doing business with a slick marketing consultant. You probably know the type: they come in with their flashy presentations and well-groomed team of people, promising huge results if you just sign their (very expensive) 12-month contract. And, yet, the results never materialize.
Admittedly, it can be hard to tell these slick consultants apart from the real thing. Well, today, I’m going to tell you how you can avoid being scammed by these types of marketers and get the kind of results your business really needs.
1. Be Realistic
It’s easy to get taken in by consultants promising a 1,200% increase in social media engagement when you dream of going viral. Slick marketers know how to play right into those kinds of executive fantasies. To avoid this, be realistic about the results your business can achieve given the cost, campaign time, and capacity for maintenance and follow-up. If your marketing consultant is promising 3,000 new customers when your staff can only handle an extra 300, that’s a recipe for disaster. At minimal, you’re paying top dollar for a strategy you don’t need.
Before starting work, a good marketing consultant will ask the right questions to determine your capacity and goals. They will give you a marketing plan that’s tailored to your needs and constraints, ultimately saving you time and money.
2. Get it in Writing
When the slick marketing consultant arrived at my organization, the staff heard about all the amazing work they were going to do:
- They were going to interview each staff member to find out which areas needed improvement.
- They were going to audit our processes to make sure we could handle all the new investors who would flock to the organization after the rebrand.
- They were going to give our in-house marketing team a detailed communications plan outlining when we should send our emails and direct mail packages.
None of this ever happened. In fact, the in-house team ended up doing most of the messaging work around the new brand…on top of their other duties…while the slick consultant raked in the dough.
If a marketing consultant promises up front to conduct interviews and do research as part of their contract, make sure it’s in writing before you sign. Most good marketers will have a contract that outlines the exact scope of their work for the agreed-upon price. Don’t sign vague contracts, and don’t pay for services you didn’t receive.
3. Do Your Homework
Slick marketers will often say things like, “All of our clients have seen huge results in this area.” Ok, but who are their clients? Are they like you? If they’re not, that could be a red flag. If the marketer’s past success was with businesses with $2 million in revenue and you have $30 million in revenue, you’re in a different marketplace with a different capacity for results. Make sure your marketer is selling you a plan that will work for you.
4. Be Familiar with Industry Standards
If you don’t want to be scammed by shady marketers, it helps to know a few industry rules of thumb. For example, an acquisition campaign averages a response rate of about 1-2% (at most). A direct mail package to your in-house customer list will see a response rate of about 9%. Email open rates hover around 18-30%, depending on the industry and the cleanliness of your list.
If a consultant is promising you a 20% return on an acquisition campaign, they better cough up hard proof with previous clients, or you can laugh them right out the door. In most cases, it takes much effort to move the marketing needle even a few percentage points. Make sure you’re not being taken for a ride.
In Conclusion…
It is possible to get the marketing results you need if you set realistic goals, do your homework, and find a great marketing consultant who takes time to evaluate your business and ask the right questions.
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