What you don’t know could cost you a small fortune.

It is tempting to think you don’t need to hire a consultant to help you grow your business, but it is also risky to think that way.

More importantly, it is equally risky to hire the wrong consultant for the job. Actually, it’s more risky because at least if you go it alone you don’t throw money away on really bad advice. 

Anyway…

Here are three things to consider to help you make the right decision or to hire the right consultant who will help you make even better decisions.

You are Unique

How you develop your business is going to be unique to you, your skills, your offering and the people you are targeting. I mention this for one reason. I don’t want you to buy into the “template trap”. 

The “template trap” is a marketing service provider who promises you the world but for a small price. In almost every case where you think you are getting a deal, what you are really getting is a one-size-fits all marketing service, which is really a marketing nightmare.

This is a great way to go if you think you look and smell just like everyone else, and that you don’t have to stand out in the crowd to win the business.

I am going to guess that you don’t view yourself as the run of the mill type, and that you have something special to offer. Correct? 

Then why would you settle on a cheap templatized list of services that basically paint you the same color as everyone else in your industry?

Problems and Causes

This applies for those business owners who have been around a while and are considering making a change. It is critical that you properly assess the reasons why you are not able to achieve your goals.

What are the problems? What are the causes of those problems?

You really shouldn’t even begin to consider making a change until you know why you are not successful in the first place. 

If you think of your business problems as cuts that bleed money out of your business, to ignore this advice is like putting a band aid where there is no cut, wasting the band aid without addressing the bleeding.

In other words, if you spend money to solve the wrong problems, you are throwing money out the window. Hiring the right consultant can help you understand where the bleeding is.

Someone Who Knows What You Don’t

Marketing isn’t overly complicated, but it is complex. There is a lot to know. There are things you should do and things you should avoid, but knowing the difference is nearly impossible even for a well trained eye.

The result, if you choose to go this alone is, you will waste valuable time and money over long periods of time seeing no results.

A good marketing consultant can come in, assess the situation and prescribe the best course of action that will allow you to see results sooner than had you gone the route of your own trial and error.

Here are the things that I have heard that make me believe what I believe, and comfortable giving you the advice I am giving you:

• “I spent $60,000″ on radio commercials and saw no results.”
• “Ya, I tried that for 8 years and finally concluded it wasn’t for me”
• “I spent $45,000 dollars on print last year and got nothing out of it.”
• “I spent three hours a night on Facebook and didn’t get any new likes.”

These are real quotes from real business people who I have encountered over the years. They are also scenarios that could have all been avoided if a smart marketing consultant was on board.

Think of it this way. Would you rather spend $60,000 on TV commercials that don’t work, or $3000 on a consultant who already knows better?

Conclusion

Yes, I make my living as a business development consultant. Yes, much of what I do is marketing. Sure, I would love you to hire me. But really, I don’t care as much about getting hired as I do in making sure you don’t spin your wheels.

While this article might appear to be self-serving, it is not. It is a reality check for you.

I see way too many small business owners try to save a few bucks by going it alone, or go the cheap route, only to experience lack luster results, or results that happen long after the desired time frame, after wasting money and time needlessly. 

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