Marketing Consultant - would you?

[Leicester Ben]

Evening all.

Im after some advice on if you think that the below is something that you would consider as owners of a small business.

My girlfriend is looking at leaving her job as a marketing consultant for a couple of blue chip companies and setting up on her own doing the same thing but with smaller businesses.

What she is planning on doing is to go into business and doing the following services (depending on the clients budget):

Design work
Website / email responses, standard letter re writes
Stationary design / ordering
Marketing plans
Systems review (so for us looking at how to improve the booking process)
Anything else marketing related really.

Im not asking you to book her, she hasn't event started yet, its just an idea but what are your thoughts on it? If she did set it up, had a portfolio of previous customers / references etc is it something that you would consider taking her up on?

I personally think that I run a very well organised company with good systems in place etc but I am certainly going to get her in, I'm sure that a fresh pair of eyes will see numerous improvements that we could make.

I'd be intrigued to see what your views are on it.

Thanks

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

How small is a small company Ben?

I haven't got a budget for someone to do what you have suggested and do most of it myself.

If a company has a big enough budget to employ someone to do those kinds of tasks, then surely they could pay a member of staff to do it?

It's difficult to know without prices though.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Social Media I think is the one area she will really need to promote. I know quite a few MC in the local area and this is the area companies are investing in.

[Leicester Ben]

How small is a small company Ben?

I haven't got a budget for someone to do what you have suggested and do most of it myself.

If a company has a big enough budget to employ someone to do those kinds of tasks, then surely they could pay a member of staff to do it?

It's difficult to know without prices though.

For the purpose of this I would say that a small company can be deemed as a company that does not employ a marketing person (so all discos for example).

Re the budget, I guess that the idea is that she would pay for herself + more in the same way that most of us have an accountant as we know very little about tax and so we leave it to the experts.

I also have no budget for it, but if I spent say £1,000 and the new text on the website, better email replies, new website etc etc brought in say £3,000 worth of extra work a year then its a no brainer really.

I've no idea about prices yet, its just a thought at the minute and I'm just trying to gauge if people on here would be open minded enough / willing to give it a go.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

For the purpose of this I would say that a small company can be deemed as a company that does not employ a marketing person (so all discos for example).

Re the budget, I guess that the idea is that she would pay for herself + more in the same way that most of us have an accountant as we know very little about tax and so we leave it to the experts.

I also have no budget for it, but if I spent say £1,000 and the new text on the website, better email replies, new website etc etc brought in say £3,000 worth of extra work a year then its a no brainer really.

I've no idea about prices yet, its just a thought at the minute and I'm just trying to gauge if people on here would be open minded enough / willing to give it a go.

Most disco 'companies' wouldn't turn over enough money or make enough profit for something like this.

If spending £1000 bought you in £3K's worth of business, then you haven't made £2K profit - it has increased your turnover. You still have expenses and staff costs etc.

I really don't see that you are going to gauge any interest or real opinion until you can use real costings.

[discomobiledj]

Tell your other half to register herself on MSE (www.moneysavingexpert.com) forums and post in the small business section. She'll get loads of help and advice on there from experienced people who have been there and done it.

[sandysounds]

In my second year of trading as a DJ I booked an hour with a consultant... it was the best £375 I've ever forked out. In that hour he looked at my branding, my website and my marketing. It's because of his advice in that hour that I only get a very small proportion of price hunters and most of my clients are prepared to pay top wack for my service. He saw things that I couldn't. It wasn't so much about the text on my site, but more the subliminal messages that the untrained eye just wouldn't see.