When most people think of consulting, it’s not necessarily a pretty picture. Some people think of the Big Four or conjure up images of people in suits offering advice, but little work. While that scenario can be true some of the time, consulting doesn’t have to be a dirty word.
We think of consulting a little differently. To us, consulting is the prep work, the due diligence of bigger things to come. In our realm of digital marketing and website design and development, we have come to find that most companies can use a little consulting, or advice, from experts at two critical times in their process: the idea phase and the problem-solving phase.
Idea Phase
The idea phase is a simple one – you, your boss, or someone else connected to your team have an idea that could really benefit your company. The problem is that turning that idea into a reality can be rather difficult without some outside help.
Let’s say you sell widgets and you want to post the price on your website. The problem is that the price goes up and down frequently. You will probably need to connect some data and internal information systems to your website to show that price, but you may not know what else it would entail. This conundrum is a perfect time to do a little research, some digging, and look for some expert advice.
How consulting helps businesses troubleshoot ideas
In many situations, consulting (sometimes with experts like us) is the right next step when you need to troubleshoot an idea. There is nothing worse than starting down a path without knowing where you are going or how you are going to get there. It’s the job of a good consultant or advisor to know what questions to ask you, what systems might need to be integrated, and how to take an idea into reality.
The benefit of consulting with an expert is that it saves time and money when you are in the idea phase and in the execution phase. More than a few companies have had a great idea, started hiring, spent money, and moved down a path, only to realize midway that the road ahead isn’t what they expected.
That proverbial bump in the road means that organizations have to turn around or rechart their course, which costs more money and time than they budgeted. Heading into the unknown is scary and potentially quite costly, which is why it’s worth the time, effort, and initial investment to consult with an expert in the field.
Problem Solving Phase
As they famously said in Some Like it Hot, nobody’s perfect. It’s okay to admit when you need help, because there is always going to be something that you don’t know and somebody out there who does. One of our favorite things to hear a client or prospect say to us is “I have a problem that I need to solve, and I am not sure how to solve it. Can you help me?”
How consulting helps businesses solve problems
Let’s stick with our aforementioned widgets example and assume you made the idea a reality and variable pricing is now on the website. The problem is that now you have to figure out how to get buyers to the website. The problem-solving phase requires a trio of steps to address this problem.
- Investigation
- Goal setting
- Finding a solution
Of course, you need a certain level of expertise to properly go through these steps. There are some amazing marketers who wear a lot of hats and know enough about everything to be dangerous. However, the vast majority of people are less familiar with some areas of expertise, such as the digital space. These gaps are perfect places to consult experts in those fields to learn about new tools and tactics as online work is constantly evolving.
Trademarks of a good consultant
When seeking out problem-solving advice, it's key that the experts you talk to are specialists in their field with a depth of knowledge. After a few hours of their time, you should feel confident that you have:
- Identified the goal at the root of the problem.
- Mapped out a plan to solve that problem.
- Learned about how to address the problem along the way.
Working with an expert should save time and frustration and feel educational. The role of a good advisor is to arm you with knowledge and support you with experience so that you get the answers you need to propel your business forward.
How to Know When It’s Time for Consulting
While ideal consulting candidates typically fit into the two categories above, it’s not always apparent if your business is a good match.
The answer often lies in the questions you’ve asked yourself when coming up with an idea or identifying a problem. A little one-on-one time with an expert might be a good next step if you’ve had any of the following thoughts.
- I don’t know a lot about digital marketing, but I know we could be doing more.
- We are trying paid advertising/social reels/email marketing (you name the tactic), but we aren’t sure it’s working.
- We want to have a more sophisticated website that connects to our internal data.
Do you have some marketing or website questions, but don’t have the answers? We businesses solve marketing and tech-based problems so that they can get the information they need to work toward a solution. Contact us to speak with one of our experts about your challenges!
