In an economic downturn, when you decide you must get a marketing consultant expert in to help you grow sales and profits, you probably agree you must work with a marketing consultant you can trust.

So how can you be sure that your marketing consultant will have your best interests for business growth? the following 7 + 1 criteria will be a good starting point

So ask yourself the following questions, after you have short listed your marketing consultant companies and if they have a proper qualifying process and a formal health check process, you should rate them as follows:

1. Experience – Do they have relevant experience in my type of business – Do they have satisfied customers – check out their testimonials?

2. Understanding – Do they understand what my issues and problems are – More importantly, do they understand my target market’s issues?

3. Methodology – Do they follow and implement proven processes – Will they work for my business?

4. Measurement – Do they track all results – Can I see exactly what I am getting for my money?

5. Shared Risk – Do they work on a flat or fixed Fee – Or is their remuneration part based on my actual sales?

6. Credibility – Do they sound believable – Am I prepared to trust the future of my business with this firm?

7. Integrity – How honest are they with me – Are my customer contacts, plans and aspirations safe?

And finally

8. Passion – Do they have a passion to succeed in their own business, which will reflect on what they do for my Business?

Any
engagement with an outside firm should be based on partnership. You
need to share common values, and beliefs. While all businesses should
operate to make a profit, there also needs to be a guiding principle of
care and customer service.

This article was written by Peter Lawless, founder of 3R Sales and Marketing – www.3r.ie. For previous articles like this, visit 3R’s Articles. Alternatively, subscribe to Success our free monthly Information Bulletin with sales and marketing articles.