Finding the right inbound marketing consultant is a lot like finding right therapist. Unfortunately, I should know. There are a lot of them out there but not all of them are a good match. Take some time, make an effort to learn about the person you will be working with as well as the company. If the consultant has done the job right, by the time you've hired the agency you already know a little about the him/her and may have even spoken to them.
You are likely going to spend a bunch of money on an internet marketing agency so you better be sure you're comfortable with the person you'll be dealing with. Make sure you're both on the same page and that you are confident that the consultant fully understands your inbound marketing goals. You don't want to find yourself signing a retainer and 3 months later realize you're on the wrong path because the goals were not defined clearly enough at the outset.
We put together a brief list of the more important characterstics, as we see them, that you can look for when you're shopping around for your internet marketing solutions:
Motivational
This is the biggie. Activity is the cornerstone of a successful inbound marketing strategy. It's not gonna happen by itself. Your consultant should have the ability to get you seriously fired up about the process. This is where the magic happens. The right one knows all too well what type of success you're staring down if you stay motivated and active. If he/she loves their job it should be painfully obvious in how they transfer that to you and your business.
Knowledgable
This one might sound silly but just be sure that they know what they're talking about. We can usually discern fluff from substance but don't drop your fluff-o-meter when dealing with a consultant. Don't assume that just because they got the job and are assigned to your account that they are "in the know". They should be held accountable as much as you should for your understanding and growth in the inbound world.
Creative
This type of creative is not the "dazzle you with their photoshop skills" type of creative. This is the ability to find creative ways of turning nearly every element of your daily work into an offer or a method to drive business your way. For example we started using Evernote to simply keep a running log of our ideas for blog posts. Our inbound marketing consutant at Hubspot, Inc., Nick Salvatoriello, suggested that we should write a blog post about the fact that we use Evernote in that capacity. We honestly were so wrapped up in the process of trying to come up with ideas that we didn't realize that it was an idea in unto itself. This is the type of creative juice you should look for.
Resourceful
Just because your consultant doesn't have the answer at his/her finger tips shouldn't be a deal breaker. They're human too. The key is whether or not they know how to find the answer and how quickly they can. We've actually asked a question of Nick regarding the Hubspot software and he not only passed it along to development, but they implemented the changes shortly thereafter. Now THERE is a man who can get things done!
Responsive
We all know how valuable time is. If you are spending a lot of time waiting for your consultant to get back to you with the answer to a very important question, that may be an indicator that they don't feel your time is as valuable as you know it is. If you feel that's the case don't waste any more time in a situation like that. It's your hard earned money and it's perfectly acceptable to discuss the possibility of being assigned a different consultant.
All of these are important characteristics to look for but beyond them a great barometer should be how your personalities blend. Do you two speak the same "language". Is this someone you want to talk with regularly, because you're going to have to. Trust your gut on these. Instincts exist for a reason. Where there's smoke there's fire.... Even better than having to carry around a fire exinguisher, just avoid the smoke to begin with!
If you've got great stories about how your constultant is any or all of these things please let us know. Leave us a comment!
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