by Leslie McKerns--McKerns Development

When firms seek to sell products, some part of the process makes them wonder if they could benefit from the help of a professional marketing firm. In fact, just recently the following companies came to me searching for a marketing company:

1. A group marketing foreign real estate projects (Costa Rica).
2. A company selling interactive greeting cards in the US and Canada.
3. A business selling wholesale pharmaceutical products.
4. An online children's behavior management program.
5. A company marketing personal strength training.
6. A firm promoting their own health and nutrition bars.

Can you figure out what these firms have in common?

They were all searching for a consultant marketing firm to help them sell products, yet had not identified a single specific area in which they knew they needed help. Instead, they decided that they would find a company that marketed only health and nutrition bars or pharmaceuticals, or whatever their exact product was.

Their one and only question for me was, Do you have experience marketing interactive greeting cards (pharmaceuticals/nutrition bars)? They were all searching for a firm with the exact expertise in their particular business niche. They all wanted to know what my company could do for them, (including pricing) but had not given any consideration to what they thought they needed.

What's wrong with this approach? Finding a company that only knows how to pitch a single niche product isn't the best way to go about finding a strategic marketing consulting firm.

These companies miss out on a lot of expertise when they skip the self-searching process--What do I need? Exactly what do I not know?

It's a little like answering the store clerk's, How can I help you? with a shrug and then a question, What will it cost?

A marketing consultant can help you establish or promote your business. It doesn't matter to a strategic marketing consultant what your product is (beyond the due diligence of trustworthiness, wholesomeness, and so forth.) It doesn't matter whether you sell boats, motors, medical services, or singing cards.

A strategic marketing consultant needs to know three basic things:

1. What you are trying to achieve, and when you want to achieve it.
2. What you need help with.
3. Where you are in the process.

Decide what phase you are in: Product development, product analysis, customer analysis, cost analytics, supply chain exploration, distribution channels, start up funding, expansion funding, customer attraction or customer growth.

Are you a new company with a great idea and not sure if you want to go bricks and mortar, online or both? Are you beta testing your new site and not sure where to go next? Do you have a site, but need content that will engage your customers online? Do you need content, articles and press that will drive traffic to your site? Are you seeking to brand a product or service and need a strategy and collateral material to match?

Are you ramped up and ready to go with marketing plan in hand? Are you seeking funding to bring a product to market? Are you trying to attract venture capital or provide a trail of your track record and strength? Do customers love your product but you could benefit from great PR?

A marketing consultant can help you with all or any of these things, but in order to evaluate the solutions of a strategic marketing consultant, you would do well to know what problem you have, what obstacles stand in your way or what knowledge you need. Express yourself--In this way you will be able to maximize the value in the strategies and solutions they provide and the relationship you and your customers will have.

Leslie McKerns, McKerns Development, is a strategic marketing consultant, providing great PR, marketing strategies and solutions. Want samples and more? Visit http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment/