Many tangible and intangible factors go into the decision making process when hiring a consultant. Having a systematic approach to finding a consultant and knowing the questions to ask can help save you time up-front and headaches later when you choose the right consulting firm.
A number of critical factors where consultants differ include: ? Project Management providing deliverables on time ? Client Service clear two-way communication ? Adaptability can handle fluid situations and changing needs ? Customized Solutions - ability to understand your business model and unique needs
? Years of Experience ? Technical Knowledge (if applicable) ? Industries Served ? Consulting Fees ? Education ? Personality
While all the above are important, a special emphasis should be made on the last item. No matter how qualified a consulting firm is if you cannot work closely with them, communicate your needs and feel like you are understood you will not feel comfortable relying upon their advice. And you will not receive the maximum benefits for your consulting dollar.
Once you have a "pool" of consultants, the next step is asking the right questions. The goal is to get responses that make you feel comfortable. Before you decide to hire a consultant, prepare your list of questions. This can be an informal process or something more formal such as an RFP (Request for Proposal) where the approach is to ask each firm to respond in writing to a preset list of questions with the goal of having a comprehensive and apples-to-apples comparison. This allows you to compare potential firms on a more objective basis.
Your list of questions will vary depending upon your needs, your industry and your particular company. Use the following 10 questions as a guide or as a basis to form your own RFP. Ask each consultant you are considering the same questions. The following serves as a baseline to build off of with more specific questions that are tailored to your exact consulting need. Before calling the consulting firm it is always a good idea to check out their website, this will allow you ask these questions with a deeper understanding of who this particular firm is and can serve as a reference while asking these questions. Remember you are the client and the one who needs to feel comfortable.
1. Does your website cover your background and methods comprehensively? 2. What makes your firm ideally suited for this project? 3. What differs in your approach from your competition? 4. How will you keep me informed and keep yourselves on target? 5. If selected, when could you begin? When do you expect to complete this project? 6. How much will it cost in consulting fees? Are there any additional fees such as travel expenses, creative design, programming, etc? 7. What results can I expect? Are you able to adapt if our needs change during the project? 8. What kind of support do you provide after the project is completed? How long? 9. Do you offer a guarantee or warranty of your services? 10. Specifically, who will be involved in this project? What can you tell me about their backgrounds? Who will be the main point of contact for me? In addition, there are questions you should be asking yourself.
? Does this firm's values match those of my company? ? Do I feel comfortable accepting advice from this person? ? Does this consultant really listen? ? Will this consultant understand my business? ? How will my staff react to this person and anyone else involved? ? Were the verbal answers I received in line with their website?
With this guide as a basis you are sure to start on the path towards finding the right consultant.
1. What is more important: creativity or short-term market share results?
Either way, it is the ad agency's job to plan and create an ad campaign. This is when the brainstorming and planning begins, while keeping in mind the clients? goals. It is the ad agency's responsibility to push sales of products, services, or introduce new products into the market. It is important the chosen campaign reiterates the company's brand benefits.
Your new ad agency should attract new customers and keep in touch with old ones; this includes creating interesting slogans, attractive jingles, and attention grabbing body copy for ads.
Businesses should not be based solely on creativity, so be sure to ask about their marketing and promotional skills, among other things.
2. Do we need to find an agency with a media buying capability or will we handle that separately?
If you are looking for a company with media buying capability, check into their formula for doing so. How do they investigate particular outlets? What kind of experience do they have?
3. Do we want to pay our agency a flat fee or a percent of our budget?
Budget is another factor to consider. In the first meeting with the agency, it is wise to discuss finances. Depending on the budget your company is looking at, price could make or break the situation.
Turnaround time is also something to consider. Now is the time to get a list of the agency's former and current clients. How fast are they on projects? Are their add-on expenses later in the project? Are they worth their costs?
4. Is there a certain company we are after or is it a particular campaign?
Some agencies have areas of expertise. If you want a certain company to handle your advertising, be sure to research them thoroughly to ensure they're going to accomplish your goals.
Maybe you already have an idea of the type of campaign that you're looking for. Either way, when looking for an advertising company, it's important to keep an open mind, so you can see many different options for old and new campaign ideas.
5. Which medium do we want our agency to handle?
If you come into the search knowing what particular media you need handled, the battle is half over. However, you may have to consider other options. Depending on the campaigns the agency will cover, you might look into new vehicles such as Internet advertising, pay-per-click management, TV, radio, cable TV, magazines, newspapers, billboards, and other outdoor advertising. Of course, the agency may offer a media recommendation in their proposal.
6. Does it matter if the agency we choose is conveniently located?
This question can be answered by considering a few things. How big is your company? You want to deal with an ad agency that is proportional to your business. Consider your goals. If your company needs to create a network of other businesses in the area or learn more about them, you might want to choose a local company. If your company is based online, however, the options could be endless as far as location. Consider the best way to meet'in person or over the phone? How well does the ad agency know your business or how well they are interested in knowing the business?
7. Do we need the agency to handle only current projects or new projects as well?
Keep in mind: customer loyalty is number one. Too many companies focus on new business rather than bolstering existing accounts. It costs more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep one. Always consider the ad agency's flexibility to accommodate existing or additional projects. Are they willing to do both old and new? Can they fit the needs of your current campaigns?
8. How important is it to have regular access to the head of the agency we choose?
Find out how the agency will be tracking the results of the marketing campaign they create. How often will you be advised? Online or offline, reports or both?
9. Do we want an agency with a certain philosophy or an agency that is willing to work with the philosophy of its clients?
The agency must understand your product and company. An ad agency begins by getting well acquainted with the clients? goals, products, and target audience. This knowledge proves beneficial in planning and creating an effective ad campaign.
Ask yourself: does it understand our company's objectives? Does it address those objectives?
10. Who do we want to be in charge?
It is very important to know if you can work together with a potential ad agency. The better you understand each other's goals, the easier it will be to work together and complete projects in a pleasant manner.
Both Ework Markets & Ash Hunter are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ework Markets has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet. This article is brought to you by eWork Markets, an excellent online sourcing solution for companies and individuals to procure consulting services and find the right consultant. Take advantage of what many other companies already know. Since 1995 eWork M. Ework Markets's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Ash Hunter has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet, Education and Interior Design. Mark Holland is a partner of Holland Advertising, a with a web site (www.hollandadvertising.com/) that helps businesses with their ad. Ash Hunter's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.