Marketing Strategy Consulting

The goal of each and every new and start up business venture is to achieve a target of sales figures within a certain period of time and with the available resources that there are at hand which is usually limited initially.

So if you have a set up with set targets what is the need for marketing mentoring?

The reason for this is that the resources at hand are limited that need to be utilized with a full return policy. It implies that you need to get the resources utilized in a way to be able to get added returns on the amount spent.

But how do you go about the achievement of that significant target? How do you know the right route of progress?

This is the place where marketing consultants can make a difference. They have the knowledge based on practical studies and experience with which they help and assist you to implement the following for the growth and success of your venture.

With proper marketing strategy consulting you know how to

Launch the right product
Marketing it in the right way
At the right time
With the right price
Aiming at the right audience
Need for Marketing Consultants

The chief source of success from a business venture is to be present at the right time and the right place. Similarly it is crucial for any venture to be presented in the right way before people that would understand and even approve of such an initiative.

All of the above are the reasons that modern business ventures depend greatly on the experience and aptitude of marketing consultants.

They implement several principles of marketing management when they give you strategic planning advices and strategic consultations.

Here are some of the aspects of marketing strategy consultations.

There is in-depth research about the product or the service that is to be launched.
This is done to understand the tide and trend of the market at a given period of time. It also gives a prior idea about the nature of approval that the same will expect to receive.
Analyze and understand the kind of people that would be interested and thus create a target audience. Or even possibly make some amends to give the product a popular appeal.
Set up the marketing strategy for the product or service. How and what way will the same be publicized and where are they going to be initiated.
The cost of such launch as well as forms of marketing and publicity is also drawn up for a specific period.
The main objective of the publicity campaign is maximum exposure and branding.
Outsourced Marketing Management

If you have a small and newly set up business establishment you may not be able to sustain a full time marketing set up to promote and enhance growth.

However there is no dearth of possibilities in the modern world of business. There are several companies that can remain on the outside and still provide you with personalized marketing strategy consultations.

The marketing analysts and market specialists will enable you to move ahead in the right direction with detailed analysis and reports.

Consulting – The Benefits of Seeking Employment Advice

Seeking employment advice from a consultant is a wise thing to do because most consultants have their own specialty. They will specialize in the field of business improvement and strategy related to the issue you are trying to resolve. They will know exactly what needs to be done in order to reach the goal you are asking for. If you aren’t sure what needs to be done but know there are bottlenecks in normal processes and would like to make improvements by reducing cost and time measures, a consultant is the best option.

Another benefit of seeking outside employment advice is that they already have the tools and the equipment necessary to provide the work on the job. You might have to purchase software licenses but if you are asking for metal rails to be built in a new walkway then the person will have everything needed to get the job done. You save money on not purchasing equipment or tools. In addition, you might have staff members willing to do the job but it is common for sending employees to training and then purchasing everything to do the project is still more expensive than outsourcing.

Employment advice from a consultant is also objective. A consultant is going to come into your organization and lay everything out for you how they see it. They will analyze all of the processes and see from an outsider’s point of view the changes that need to be made for improvement. This is the best way to get an unbiased opinion.

Seeking employment advice from a consultant is a very smart thing to do when your business is in need of changes and you aren’t sure where to begin or which changes need to be made. A consultant will save you money, time, and give you an objectionable opinion.

7 Tips to Start and Build a Successful Consultancy Business From Home

If you plan to start a consultancy business from home, you need to know how to market your experience acquired through your previous job experience.

The industry you will be serving will be in the industry you are familiar with through your years of work experience. Your network of friends and contacts within the industry will know the quality of your work and will be prepared to employ you as their consultant when they need one.

Listed below are 7 helpful tips to consider before going into the consultancy business:

Marketing. A website is a powerful tool to market your business. It is useful to write good contents about your specialities on your web site to show-case your knowledge and skills to your potential clients. Your website will provide you with the exposure you need, 24/7. Your potential clients will identify you as an expert in your field, and this will provide you with opportunities to take on more clients.
Fee pricing. Do some research into what other consultants in your field are charging and then determine what hourly rate you are going to charge for your service. Careful consideration must be taken when your client only offers you a price for the job, regardless of the number of hours you take to complete the assignment. Don’t be afraid to decline your client’s piecemeal offer if you think that you are not going to make any money out of the deal.
Staffing. Initially you will have to do everything yourself from typing proposals, filing, handling mass mailings and dealing with phone calls. Later, as your business grows, you can employ a temporary staff to help you with the administrative work. As your business grows further, you may consider taking on an associate to help you grow your business further.
Get testimonials. Referrals from satisfied clients are your best testimonials. Referrals enhance your identity and your reputation as a business consultant. Remember to always ask for testimonials from your satisfied clients.
Public Relations and networking. Writing articles for journals or giving talks at seminars will raise your profile and that of your consultancy business. The Public Relations exercises will make you known in your consultancy field and will lead to more business coming your way.
Closing the deal. Before you close the deal, ensure that you understand your client’s job specifications and these are carefully clarified, documented and signed by your clients. Honestly ask yourself whether you have the skills and manpower to deliver your client’s specifications on time. If you are confident that you can do so, you should ask directly for the sale.
Customer service. It is essential for the success of your consultancy business to have good relationship with your clients. This is especially so when things go wrong. Clients don’t want excuses. They want results, and they want them delivered on time. Be honest with your assessment of situations and deal promptly with any shortfall in your work. If the situation needs rectification, be prepared to provide follow-up work or after sales services for free.

How Color Consultation Helps Your Interior Design?

Your home outspokenly expresses your taste and persona. It depicts your mood, image and thinking. Most importantly, colors play an indispensable role when it comes to your interior design, as they have the tendency to enhance the look of your home. Color consultants are responsible to help you opt for the right combination that best suits your style. Since, most people are not satisfied with their choice; therefore consultation will be the prudent decision for an interior design. This article will highlight why color consultation is important and how it helps to change the entire aura of your home.

Color Consultation – A Sensible Decision!

Taking the help of an interior decorator regarding color schemes will play an effective role in enhancing the entire vibe of your home. Professional interior decorators have detailed and astute knowledge about proper coloring etiquette and schemes. These professionals work with systemic and coordinated tactics and come with complete research and analysis and provide best color schemes for home decoration according to your style and taste.

Selecting a Scheme – Liven Up Your Interior Design!

Choosing the right and appropriate coloring scheme is an important aspect of interior decoration. A coloring consultant will describe how to select an apposite color scheme for your interior design to bring out a fresh feel in every room. The color consultant will inform you about various color tones; as various color tones can create a different and unique aura in your home.

> Warm tones such as red, pink, yellow, orange can bring a revitalizing sensation and tend to heave our energy levels.
> Cool tones such as green, blue and purple can usually create quite calming and relaxing environment.
> Neutral color schemes like white, gray, black or brown are usually found soothing and relaxing and can best work in your interior decoration.
> Dark color tones either warm or cool can generally make a room feel smaller, but with combination of light colors can make the room appear larger.

Exhilarating Coloring Tones – Enhance your Interior Design

As colors have a very profound effect on home decor, therefore proper consultation will help you to produce an innovative feel in the entire home. Color is the most noticeable feature of every room and requires an artistic and stylish approach. Therefore, proper consultation is needed for selecting appropriate tones for the walls, flooring, kitchen, living & drawing room. Warm coloring effects will best suit on highly-interactive places like kitchen and living rooms, similarly for bedrooms and bathrooms, cool colors will be the most appropriate choice to produce a relaxed feel.

The psychology of coloring is very perceptive and unique and creates a significant impact on people’s reaction. They tend to bring out certain emotions, moods and even physical feelings. Because of this impact, it is indispensable to opt for the right and appropriate scheme to improve your interior design.

A Consulting Contract Template Should Be Used to Protect Your Business

With the current state of the economy many more people are considering going into business for themselves as consultants to major corporations instead of actually working for them. However, any time that you go into business for yourself there is always an element of risk. The consulting business is not an exacting science in which a specific product is being delivered for a set price. It is more of a service business and you will need to make sure you are covered by a contract before you start to work. You can use a consulting contract template to help you create the paperwork you need to protect yourself and your business.

Your first contact with a new client can be as simple as a phone call or even a casual meeting in a restaurant or on an airplane. You may discuss his ideas and start to form a working relationship with him. These are informal meetings and nothing about them can be considered legally binding or any kind of informal contract. Once you begin to move beyond this point, you will need to enter into contract negotiations with your client to ensure that you are going to be paid for your time and services. If you do not have a binding contract you may find yourself on the short end of the stick and not getting paid.

According to the laws in most states you can draw up your own contract on a blank sheet of paper, however if you have no experience in this type of paperwork you may find that this is not a very good idea. You could find yourself leaving out a very important point that could leave you unable to collect on the money you are expecting to be paid. When you consider how tough our current economy is, you cannot afford to have even one client get away with not paying you for the work you have done.

You will find that the Internet is the perfect place to download a consulting contract template that you can use to draw up your own contract. These templates provide you not only with the basic forms you will need, but often include instructions and tips that can help you create a very well thought out contract that leaves little room for misinterpretation and protects both your work and your intellectual property. You should never begin any type of formal consulting work without having a written and signed contract in place.

The Importance of the “Free Initial Consultation”

After an accident, choosing the right lawyer to represent you is highly important. In the search for that lawyer, one will notice that the words “free initial consultation” are literally trumpeted in advertising for personal injury lawyers in virtually all parts of the nation. Typically, this tactic is seen by many as no more than an effective marketing tool. However, there is more to the “free consultation” than just marketing; it is actually an extremely beneficial tool for both the injured client as well as the lawyer

To begin, a free initial consultation allows access for injured parties who may be hesitant to contact a lawyer at all for fear of costs. Many times damages can be collected for third party injuries, but only if the correct steps are taken. The first step is to speak with an attorney. This may intimidate some injury victims, as they fear incurring significant fees just to find out they do not have a case at all. The free consultation removes the pressure of costs and allows for an accident victim the ability to learn more about their rights pertaining to their case.

As well, a no cost consultation provides the prospective injury client the opportunity to speak with an attorney to evaluate if that particular lawyer is the right one to handle their case. Evaluating case experience is one important aspect in choosing the right attorney to represent your case. Also, it allows time for many questions relating to not only experience in the particular practice area, but a time to learn more about how the attorney works, and how they will work with you though the process of your case. It is a chance for the victim to really grow comfortable with an attorney before proceeding into a case.

The first meeting is a useful tool for the lawyer as well. The consultation allows the lawyer to evaluate the case to determine if there is legal action that can be taken. The lawyer also has the opportunity to interview the client to be sure they and the client will be able to work well together for the full benefit of the case. If not, then the client has not made any sacrifice and both sides can leave the table with a clear understanding.

One must remember that both personal injury lawyer and prospective client typically do not know each other before an initial consultation. Often the client learns of a particular personal injury lawyer through their website, or other means, and has no personal knowledge of them. The attorney, likewise, does not know the client or anything about their case. The free initial injury consultation permits both the lawyer and injury victim to evaluate each other in order to determine if they are confident in one another to affect a strong outcome resulting in maximum monetary compensation.

When Your Group Hires A Consultant, Insist On An EXPERT!

There is an old joke, which states, the definition of a consultant, is, someone, who travels, more than 50 miles, and comes, with visuals, for his presentation! If, you are a leader, it is essential to realize, unless, the individual, you hire, is, actually, an EXPERT, in the specific area/ obstacle/ challenge, you want to address, you are only adding additional expense, and another opinion, from someone lacking, true expertise! While, on many occasions, it makes sense, and is needed/ productive, to bring – in, some outside – help, it will only, make a difference, for the better, when you hire, the right person! With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, using the mnemonic approach, what this means and represents, and why it matters.

1. Experience; expertise; enrich: Thoroughly, review, and evaluate, any potential consultant’s relevant experience, and evidence, he has the degree of expertise, which, might make a meaningful difference, for the better, in a realistic manner! Unless/ until, this individual, is ready, willing, and able to truly, enrich, and improve the organization, he won’t be the person, you should be looking for!

2. X: Extra; extraordinary; exciting: Consider, the extra level of quality, knowledge, and judgment, an individual, brings – to – the – table! Only, if/ when, his ideas, skills, and efforts, are relevant, and extraordinary, will hiring him, be exciting (in a positive way), for your group!

3. Planning; perception; priorities; perfection/ precision: It is generally, helpful, to add a level, of quality planning, to how, your group functions, and, if you find the right person, to do so, as well as the advantages, of providing an inspiring, perception, to your stakeholders, everyone, usually, benefits! It is meaningful, when a well – intentioned, leader, adds a level, of perfection and precision, to how, he addresses the needs, and priorities, of the specific organization!

4. Excellence; endurance; empathy; emphasis: Organizations, rarely benefit, when a so – called, leader, settles for good – enough, rather than demanding his utmost degree of genuine excellence, and proceeds, with considerable endurance, to move forward, despite any obstacles, thrust in one’s path! When someone maintains genuine empathy, and places, his primary emphasis, accordingly, everyone benefits! If/ when, we locate the right consultant, to fill – the – void, he is worth, every cent, he costs!

5. Relevant; references; responsive; responsible; realistic; rationale: Consulting only matters, when it emphasizes, relevant, needs, goals, and priorities, in a responsive, responsible way! Smart leaders, take the time, to check a proposed – consultant’s references, thoroughly, to ensure, his actual value! It is important that the rationale, is a realistic one, instead of merely, a hopeful one!

6. Takes time; trends; tells you; teaches; techniques: Don’t rush your decision, and choose the right person, carefully, and deliberately! You will, only, benefit, when he tells you, what he thinks, and teaches your organization, the high – quality, techniques, and proceeds, with an open – mind, to use the appropriate trends, which might be useful, and significant!

Although, there are times, when consultants, are extremely helpful, a wise leader is careful, to hire the right individual, who, is, truly, an EXPERT! Proceed, wisely, or you will only be, going through, the motions!

Benefits In Hiring IT Consultants

It’s really expensive to hire full-time employees especially if you’re just starting out. In most businesses, the mentality is that when you find a good employee, hire them part-time or full-time – no in-betweens. Although, this business model may have worked in the past, it will not always be the best strategy going forward. As our technology moves forward at a blistering pace, the need to streamline every business process is quickly becoming a requirement.

With the ways things are looking now, you need to take another look on how you conduct your business operations. Gone are the days where you can simply hire as many people as you like and ignore redundancy within your business. Today, with the use of technology, you can cut corners and still be as productive as you have been. Not only will reducing redundancy within your business cut operating costs, it will also make your business a lot more efficient.

First off, you need to get your business analyzed. You need to hire an independent entity to observe your company to point out any problems and offer solutions. The benefit to it is an external or independent entity will provide another perspective and will not be clouded by relationships with other employees. Basically, there will be no biases and prejudices when you go down this route. On the other hand, when you hire one of your staff to do business analysis for your company, he/she may already have biases and that can affect the way he/she sees things.

What you need to do is hire an IT consultant or a consulting firm with the main goal of making your business more efficient and more profitable. They do this by finding a way to reduce redundancy and find ways to make employees more productive. One example is by automating some of the menial tasks. This would cut work time by a lot. The time saved can then be used for other parts of the business. Another great thing about IT consulting service is you don’t actually have to hire them full-time. As with the job title itself, it’s just consulting. Only call them when you need them. It’s obviously cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. The resulting profit will surely be worth it.

Main Benefits of Hiring Independent IT Consultants

Apart from increased efficiency of your business, you will also gain an outsider’s point-of-view of your business. As stated before, an outsider will give opinions without any biases or prejudices – and this is good for your company. This will offer a new way of looking at your business and will open up new ways of improving it.

Let’s face it, many of the jobs we have are redundant and inefficient. Most businesses are not organized so they end up hiring several employees to do one single job. An IT consulting service company can get rid of these redundancies and use the extra work force to work on something more productive. Distributing your work force into the different facets of your business is the key to increasing profits while keeping operating cost relatively low.

Supply Chain Consultants

Supply chain consultants are basically people who provide chain and warehousing management solutions. They might also, and in fact often do, supply project management skills as well as solutions and often to a high degree of expertise.

They also aid in the management discipline of providing informed impartial advice to business enterprises in relation to improving the performance of their supply chains. Areas of expertise tend to typically include the disciplines of sales and operations planning, freight, inventory, and warehousing solutions.

Supply chain consultants will also typically have mathematical skills – often to a high degree. This core skill enables them to make a direct impact on the profit and loss of a company’s business by analysing how much product should be bought, and how much stored at any one time. This usually needs to take into account insurance costs and the cost that it takes to store a product per day before it can be realistically expected that the product be shifted onward through the supply chain – thereby making the company money.

Skills in logistical warehousing are highly sought after and consultants can and do spend many years perfecting these skills. For many companies. they are not in fact dealing with one product only but with many products at the same time and often in a seasonal market place. What makes sense to buy little of during the summer months, such as Christmas paper for instance, completely changes over the festive period when a company storing this can expect it to leave the shelf in the same week that it is bought.

Therefore its total unit cost is vastly different at differing times of year. Supply chain consultants are well versed in this kind change and are also able to handle the product base changing rapidly, depending on what it is that the company is either now producing or buying in.

Creating a Brand Identity As an Independent Consultant

Creating a brand identity is an important part of the process of establishing any business. A brand identity creates loyalty, inspires trust, and allows for ease of recognition of you and your services. A complete brand identity can be comprised of several segments, not all of which will be present in all circumstances. Evaluate the following components of a complete brand identity to determine which will play an important role for your business.

Name. Every business should have a unique name, including independent consultants. Whether you choose to go by your own full name, your last name followed by a description of your services, or a completely fictitious name, you must choose a name that will be associated with your business consistently across all of your materials. Many consultants choose to either operate under their own name, or use their last name followed by “Consulting,” or another descriptive term for your industry such as “Smith Management Consulting.” It’s more common for groups of consultants to go by a fictitious name, such as “Peak Performance Consulting.” That being said, it’s completely reasonable for you to choose any option, provided that it’s consistent, and isn’t already taken by another business in a similar category. Before you decide on the name, consider that whether or not you want a website now, if you ever want an online presence, you’ll need the .com domain of whatever your business name is. So secure your domain name at the same time you make the selection of your business name. You can either park the site and worry about it later, or start the process of creating a web presence right away.

Email. Your email address says a lot about you, and can impact your professional image. [email protected] may not convey a professional impression, and the free email services like yahoo or hotmail often append advertisements to the footer of your email communications. Use your business domain to set up professional business email. If you can’t get a real business email account on your own domain for whatever reason, at least set up a neutral email from an ad-free service like [email protected].

Logo. A logo is a visual symbol that represents your business. Typically a logo will contain the business name, combined with an image that is somehow relevant to the services offered. Often logos can be as simple as the business name that always appears in a certain typeface, placed in a box or underlined. When choosing a logo, be sure to select something simple enough that it will still look appealing when very small or in black and white. Complex logos often don’t reproduce well, and the visual appeal may end up getting lost. Fight the urge to design your own logo. Unless you are a graphic designer by trade, the creation of a logo is best left to other professionals. Logo design services are only a few hundred dollars and can make all the difference in your business profitability. Before you finalize a logo, fax it to yourself, shrink it down to tiny size, and try looking at it in different formats to be sure it will still look good under distressed but unfortunately common business conditions.

Colors. Many businesses choose to associate with a certain color, or set of colors. This strategy allows the printing of the business logo on promotional products that match the company’s colors, which can allow for easier recognition of the brand. For example, a healthcare company that uses a certain hue of blue may want to have t-shirts and pens printed with the company logo that match the same shade of blue that is used on their brochures and other marketing collateral. Do some research about the color psychology that matches your brand feeling, and consult your logo designer on color palettes that will not go out of style. Again, as with the logo design, a professional can help you develop color selections that will convey the right impression.

Tagline or Slogan. A tagline or slogan is a short phrase often appearing with the business name on printed materials that helps to describe what the business does or evoke an emotion that you want to be associated with your business. Taglines can also be beneficial in differentiating your business from that of your competitors’ by pointing out key features and benefits of your services. Taglines should be short, simple and memorable. Taglines are meant to withstand the test of time, and should be designed to stand by your business for many years. Slogans, on the other hand, are often designed for a specific marketing campaign and can change as frequently as you change your marketing focus. Consider working with a professional marketing consultant to generate prospective tag lines and campaign slogans, and get feedback from valued business partners, colleagues, and associates.

Business Cards. Everyone needs a good business card. As an independent consultant, the cost difference between cheap business cards and high end cards will be almost meaningless over the course of a year – and yet that difference of $100 can mean deals won or lost. Have your logo designer make you a business card design while they are at it. Unless you are in a creative field, don’t try to get too innovative with the card. Remember that less is more – restrict your card to the basic contact information someone will need to reach you, and resist the urge to list multiple email addresses and multiple phone numbers. Put only the main number and main email clients should use to reach you – and remember to use a professional business email address. Avoid discount online printers, or at least upgrade for a thicker paper and perhaps the raised thermography lettering. Try to leave blank space – at least on the back – so that a potential client can write a note on the back of your card and remember who you are.

Website. Last but not least, a website. Sooner or later, you will need one, so make sure you registered the domain name you wanted from the start. Unless you are a professional web developer with very current design skills, you should not attempt to build your own site. It is not worth your time, and an outdated or hard to navigate site can hurt you more than it helps you. Don’t let a friend build your website either; unless they are a full time web site building professional, the site is likely to be outdated, hard to maintain, and less than user friendly. You also probably do not need a custom enterprise-grade site with all the bells and whistles. Use a professional web design and hosting package service – they are abundant, easy to use, and affordable. For a few hundred dollars, plus a hosting package, you can be up and rolling in mere hours with a professional, up to date, and user friendly web presence. Simply select a template, pick a hosting package, and use the online interface to enter the content to your web pages.

Soon you’ll be set up with a complete business identity as a professional consultant, complete with name, logo, business cards, and website. After that, it will be up to you to breathe life into your new brand identity by providing memorable and high quality professional consulting services.