Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants

Choose the "A" Team

Most of us remember from childhood the brutal playground ritual of choosing sides for kickball, dodge ball, or any other game. Two captains would stand before a line of kids and take turns selecting the ones they wanted until every kid was on a team. The scrawny kid who loved math and wasn't very good at sports was always the last to be picked.

Client/consulting team selection isn't quite as harsh, but few things impact the outcome of a project more than the quality of your team. For consulting projects, it's particularly important that client team members are selected with care because their contributions can mean the difference between a great outcome and a flame-out.

It can be difficult to achieve the results you want if the client has selected a team before you've had a chance to put in your two cents. So whenever possible, strive to be in a position to help decide the makeup of the client team. Here are few quick ideas for picking a productive group.

Begin with a skill requirements summary for each role on the team, and then use that summary to narrow down the number of candidates. But skills aren't enough. Ask the client to assess each person's capacity: to work collaboratively with outsiders; to be creative in ambiguous situations; and commit to the project's outcome even if that means contributing beyond the normal job duties every now and then.

The final test is for that intangible quality called chemistry. You'll only know that when you see or feel it. You've got to pay attention to your instincts.

The best client people are usually busy on other projects. You may have to push to identify the A players and get them on your team. If it's uncomfortable to push, imagine how you'll feel if the project outcome isn't achieved because of a poorly performing team. You'll put your relationship, reputation, and fees on the line.

And remember, looks don't count. That scrawny math whiz who, years ago, was the last one the team captain picked may be just the person you're looking for now.

Rethinking Logos

The Nike swoosh was designed in the early 1970s by a graphic design student for $35.00. Phil Knight, Nike's founder, wasn't particularly fond of the logo but he needed something fast, so he went with it.

In the thirty-plus years since, the company has spent unimaginable amounts of money drilling it into our heads that the now-famous swoosh stands for Nike.

The Nike swoosh, the stylized Coca-Cola signature, and the ubiquitous UPS logo have meaning for consumers because those companies have spent a fortune getting us to associate specific symbols with their enterprises.

While a logo may look cool on a Web site, it won't help get your company's message through to the customer. Why? Because most logos are designed to look good, not communicate an entire idea about your organization.

In 1976, Oxford University biologist Richard Dawkins brought to light an antidote for the shortcomings of logos. Dawkins coined the term meme, which he defined as a basic unit of cultural transmission that passes from one mind to another and instantly communicates an entire idea.

For example, the skull-and-crossbones symbol is a meme that conveys "dangerous to life." Other well-known memes are the hitchhiker's thumb, the Red Cross, and the nuclear mushroom cloud. Memes, with their power to communicate a complete thought in a flash, have the potential to revolutionize your marketing--without spending a king's ransom.

A well-conceived meme can cut through the marketing clutter and instantly inform clients what your practice does.

One consultant, who serves as an executive coach, uses this meme: the image of an individual wearing a baseball cap and the ubiquitous headset worn by professional football coaches. One look at this meme and you know the consultant is a coach.

The concept of memes is relatively new to marketing, and many will shrug it off as a fad. That's a mistake. The potential power of a meme makes it worth adding to any marketing strategy.

Patience

Noun: the capacity to tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without becoming angry or upset.

Most consultants would love to see a faster return on their marketing investments. Even the purveyors of those "get-clients-quick" systems face the same dilemma: building client relationships, creating a market position for your practice, and becoming a visible expert take time and patience.

No doubt, marketing can be the most maddening of undertakings--sometimes results pour in, while other times nothing seems to happen. It's often tough to know what's working and what's not.

Yet how you react to the inevitable fits and starts of marketing drives your success in the long run. Once you've developed a marketing approach and introduced it to the world, be patient. Remember the world doesn't automatically care about your business just because you do. You've got to make people care, and that takes consistent, long-term investment of your time and energy.

I'm not suggesting that a marketing plan shouldn't be tweaked over time, or thrown out entirely if it doesn't work. But making sudden shifts in your marketing approach because of short-term blips in your results can unwind the momentum you've created and lead to less business down the road.

Patience is a personal quality of calmness, self-control, and confidence. Is patience part of your marketing strategy?

The Joy of Travel

As I stood in line at the airline ticket counter, I expected the normal drill. I handed my driver's license to the ticket agent and her fingers flew over the keyboard arranging my seat assignment--an aisle seat, please. The agent eyes darted back and forth between her computer screen and my driver's license. I knew something wasn't right when she stared at my face long enough to make me uncomfortable.

I really started to worry when the ticket agent dashed from her workstation to the door leading to the back office, which required a security code to open. She had my license with her.

Her five minutes in the backroom seemed like an hour as the line of passengers grew behind me.

She returned with my boarding pass in hand and ready to send me on my way. "What was the problem?" I asked.

"Oh, your name is on the "no-fly" list, so we have to check with law enforcement before issuing a boarding pass. But don't worry. It's not you they're looking for. Your birth date is different."

Until this incident, I didn't realize that I was considered a potential threat to U.S. civil aviation. When I asked how I could get off the no-fly list, I was told, "I don't know. You'll probably have to deal with it from now on."

This is one list no one wants to be on, and I'm getting off it. I just don't know how yet.

Tip #9 of 25 - Mediocrity is the Kiss of Death

As I was paging through my email, I found an audio clip message that claimed to be "the most important audio program I'd ever listen to." I almost deleted it on the spot just on principle, but decided to give it a listen.

The question posed at the beginning of the clip/advertisement was, why is it that some consultants have all the clients they can handle, while others limp along? The short answer was great marketing.

The speaker said good marketing covers up many sins and that even mediocre consultants could have thriving practices--if they were great marketers. The speaker supported this perspective by pointing to the launch of Microsoft's early products, which included software with bugs and gaps in features. After all, the logic went, if Microsoft used marketing to recover from early product flaws, why can't you too?

Putting that dubious logic aside, the speaker probably didn't really mean to encourage you to settle for mediocrity. The point was that you don't need to be good at what you do to make money.

I'd contend that bad news--and mediocre performance is bad news--spreads like wildfire. And a great marketing program will accelerate the demise of a mediocre business, not lead to a thriving one.

Granted, great marketing will open client doors for lots of people, including lousy consultants. But once clients see what those consultants can't do, they won't go back for more--they'll find someone better. In consulting, mediocrity is the kiss of death.

40 Million Credit Card Records Swiped

Tell me it's just a bad dream.

Unsuspecting holders of almost 40 million credit cards are now vulnerable to financial fraud.

Hackers burrowed into the computer systems of an Arizona company that processes transactions for Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Oh, and according to published reports, the breach occurred almost a month ago.

Ah, thanks for the timely heads-up.

Some say this is the largest theft of financial information ever. I guess it does pale in comparison to Citigroup's recent loss of 4 million customer records and Bank of America's bungling of a back-up tape containing 1.2 million customer records...not to mention more than a dozen Universities that have been infiltrated due to lax security.

I have the eerie feeling that this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

As you'd expect, the government "swung into action." According to a spokesperson for the Federal Trade Commission, Orson Swindle (yes, that's his real name), "Corporate America is acting irresponsibly in protecting consumer data. The payback for that irresponsibility will be painful." Yeah, but for whom?

I'm suggesting a tweak to Mastercard's promotional spiel.

Cut to TV Commercial:

"Romantic dinner for two on the town, $85.00
Theatre tickets for two, $100
Coffee and dessert after the show, $25
Knowledge that some cyber thug isn't about to ruin your life...Priceless."

OK, back to the usual fare tomorrow.

Ignore the Moose Head

At one point in my career, I was lucky enough to land an office with a jaw dropping view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. That view was stunning no matter what weather descended on the Windy City. Like most consultants, though, I didn't spend much time in the office.

When I did, that panoramic view was one of life's pleasures, but it was also a two-edged sword.

Whenever I met with potential suppliers of products or services, I knew the first ten minutes would be consumed by a discussion of "the view." I could almost set my watch by how much time it would take before we started the meeting. Before long, I had an unconscious script for those first few minutes.

Don't get me wrong--I don't have anything against some small talk in a business meeting. But there's too much mindless chit-chat in many first-time meetings.

Many consultants are trained to scan a prospective client's office for some non-business, common ground to kick off a conversation with and build "rapport." If the consultant notices a moose head on the wall, or a framed picture of the client falling over the finish line at a marathon, that's likely where the conversation will start. It's equivalent to the "view" conversation, and like me, the client will robotically retell the relevant story for the umpteenth time.

There's no need for all work and no play. But I think it makes sense to get to the meeting topic quickly and save the banter for later. If you've got thirty minutes, why squander a third of that time? Get to the point, and save the small talk for the end of the meeting. Most clients will appreciate that approach, and through the course of your meeting, it's likely you'll find other, more interesting topics for small talk than that tired old marathon story.

MarketingSherpa's 2005 Best Blog Awards

MarketingSherpa announced the winners of its Readers' Choice Best Blog Awards for 2005, and my blog won in the B-to-B marketing category!   

A huge thanks to all of you who voted for this blog, and to those who take the time to read it. As a result, I'll be sipping my morning brew from an official MarketingSherpa coffee mug.

If you missed the other winners, here's the complete list of best blogs:

Individual blog on the general topic of marketing and advertising: Seth Godin's Blog
Group blog on the general topic of marketing and advertising: MarketingVox
PR topic: Media Guerrilla
B-to-B marketing: Guerrilla Consulting
Small business marketing: Duct Tape Marketing
Online marketing: Chris Baggott’s Best Practices in Email
Search marketing: Search Engine Roundtable
Niche marketing (a tie):
    Ypulse Media for the Next Generation
    WonderBranding  Marketing to Women
Non-English language: MarketingFacts (Dutch)
Top readers’ choice write-in vote: Easy Bake Weblogs

MarketingSherpa has a page devoted to the awards so have a look.

I'm honored to be in such great company. Guess I better get back to work.

"I Guarantee It"

While standing in a store’s checkout line, I noticed a sign that read, “If we fail to give you a receipt, your purchase is free.” Now that’s a straightforward, but serious guarantee.

By contrast, the public utility giant, Pacific Gas & Electric, offers eight customer service guarantees, each with more exclusions than a California earthquake insurance policy. PG&E's guarantee looks more like congressional legislation than a pledge that I’ll be a satisfied customer.

Many consultants are guaranteed to have convulsions at the mere thought of offering a guarantee. This month's Guerrilla Consultant takes a look at why and how consultants use—or don’t use—guarantees for their service offerings.

Read the article on consulting guarantees.

Are Your Client References an Asset?

Every night, as the well-worn saying goes, a consulting firm’s primary asset—its people—walk out the door. The rest of a consulting firm’s assets, including its intellectual property, are largely intangible.

One powerful, but often neglected intangible asset is a firm’s list of client references. When consultants toot their own horn, clients usually ignore the noise. They have become immune to the typical marketing puffery served up by many consultants. But it’s a different case if the superlatives flow from your clients.

During the proposal process, consultants typically pick a handful of past clients who will “give us great references.” Many consultants settle for clients simply vouching for their qualifications. But that’s just not enough.

Let’s say a client responds to a reference call with “Oh sure, I remember that team. They did a great job on our sales force reorganization project.” That’s a decent reference.

When that same client says, “Oh yeah, they helped us improve sales force productivity, and that led to a 3% increase in quarterly sales,” now that’s a winning reference.

The difference between a good reference and a winning one is determined by how you actively manage your client relationships—during and after projects. You need to develop the kind of relationships that allow you to ask clients to substantiate, in a quantifiable way, the results you helped them achieve.

That means you have to work with your client to measure the long-term impact of your efforts, so they have a specific outcome to report. You also have to stay in touch to obtain a reference that makes you stand out in the crowd. Let your relationship fade into the woodwork and you’ll have to settle for what you can get.

At a reasonable interval after a project, ask your client to put in writing the kind of reference you want so you can include it in future proposals.

Keep the balance sheet for your intangible assets strong by managing client references. Your ongoing investment in this overlooked asset will often make the difference between winning and losing.