Marketing Consultants

TLDR: Most consultants don’t publish their pricing. While custom quoting based on value isn’t wrong, it can lead to a poorer buying experience, less trust at the beginning of the relationship, and even fewer opportunities overall.

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I’ve been thinking about renaming the Mentorship and turning it into its own entity.

And as with any new project, there comes a point where it’s time to register a domain. The fun part. 😉

The ideal is a getting a .com. But most of the .coms I like are already registered. Some are used already for businesses and some are listed for sale.

And as I consider buying a domain, I’m reminded of the differences between published and unpublished pricing—both in how I feel and my propensity to take action.

The three kinds of domain pricing

There are at least three scenarios when buying a domain that is listed for sale:

1. A published price
2. Inquire for price
3. Make an offer of at least $X

The domains I’m most interested in pursuing have a “buy now” price. They list the price and give you an option to buy it immediately. One fixed, transparent fee.

Tempting. The number rattles around in my head for a while.

The domains I have the least interest in pursuing are the second two kinds (contact or make an offer).

Why? Because I assume they will be expensive and/or a hassle to negotiate. I’d rather not even try unless I was really excited about a domain.

The funny thing is, the domains that don’t have a listed price may still be within my budget. But without the price listed, I assume it will be expensive and I’ll get into some complicated, used-car-style negotiation.

Which is fine for some, but not my preferred way to purchase things. I’d prefer to buy one off the shelf if I can.

It’s the same with consulting services

Most consultants don’t publish their pricing. They want to talk to the buyer first and see what they should charge based on the size of their company, the severity of their pain, and/or the scope of the work involved.

Which is fair. Pricing on value and scope makes sense. It’s not always possible to scope out a productized offer.

But it can also make for a poorer buying experience for clients. They already come to you because they’re out of depth in their expertise. They want help.

They don’t want to be subject to price discrimination, and they don’t want to negotiate on something they aren’t even sure how to negotiate on.

Most projects I see can be fit into one of my productized consulting services. The problems I solve are usually quite similar. Your business might be different, but I’m willing to bet you see similar patterns in your engagements, too.

On this site, I break my services down by levels of involvement from me.

On my coworking consultancy website, they’re broken down by company size/stage and by levels of involvement. That’s because the value and work involved in each tier are vastly different.

And while I still need to have sales conversations with prospects, they come to me sufficiently warmed up and qualified. They have given each option thought and consideration.

Plus, their guard is not up. They know I won’t opportunistically make up a price on the spot.

And that begins the relationship on the basis of trust. I’m helping them choose from a set of options, not selling them on anything or making anything up.

Which means they get to buy a service, not be sold to.

Big difference.

Reminders about trust

Trust is your most valuable asset as a consultant outside of your expertise.

We tend forget what it’s like to buy things we have little expertise in. Should it be $5k or $10k? The experience is daunting with all the subtleties and nuances.

And when prospects don’t see pricing, they might assume it’s because you’re very expensive or you’ll try selling them into something they don’t feel comfortable with.

And because of that, they may hesitate to reach out, which could lead to fewer opportunities for you.

Nobody wants to be sold into anything. They want to buy things they actually want.

An idea to try

Try packaging your consulting services into common buckets based on what you’ve already successfully sold in custom engagements.

Keep the scope flexible but have constraints. It needs to be nimble enough to handle variability but not so vague it can be stretched due to unrealistic expectations.

But be sure to keep a custom option available for those odd cases, which rarely get called upon, when you need to scope something unique.

It has worked extraordinarily well for me over the years. And frankly, I think it’s just a better buying experience for everyone—especially your clients.

Someone asked me today how to do what I do for a living. I think they meant working for ten clients instead of one boss.

They currently work in the marketing department for a fast-growing company. They know they could potentially earn more doing it full time for themselves, but their question was one we all have at some point:

How do you even get started as a marketing freelancer or consultant?

To me, the answer was obvious. Start on the side.

Tap into your network and see who needs help creating a website, doing social media, or whatever it is you do best.

Someone you already know needs help with this… badly.

Start small. Be honest about your skills and experience. Charge just a little. Do the kind of work you already do, but as a freelancer. 

Be sure also to save your side-hustle money. You might just need it when you make the leap.

Then, just see if you like it. You probably will. Everyone does, even if it’s hard for a while.

Oh, and don’t tell anyone you work with what you’re doing, of course. Unless your employers are fine with you moonlighting, but even then I’d keep it low key.

This isn’t legal advice, so do what you need to do.

And as I wrote about yesterday, the best thing to do if you’re even considering going out on your own is to start a blog.

Publish stuff about the work you do. Give advice on your area of expertise or simply share things you learn in your day-to-day work. Just don’t talk about your employer or anything private without their permission.

Bonus points if you write and publish something daily. Big bonus points. That’s usually reserved for the vets.

But I digress…

Eventually, you may go full time. You may work up the guts to take the leap, or fate may impose itself upon you. Either way, all you’ll need to do is turn your blog into a business website by adding a services page.

Easy peasy. You have a business. Now the real fun begins.

The short answer is no.

Chances are, your first few clients are going to find you via word of mouth anyway.

But if you want to grow a real business, you’ll eventually need one.

After all, would you trust someone who said they could help your business if they didn’t even have a website? Didn’t think so.

When I had a corporate job, I wasn’t “allowed” to work outside of hours without disclosing it—something I don’t fully agree with, by the way.

So I started a blog teaching what I knew at the time about marketing and web design. I shared my posts on LinkedIn and Facebook—no mention of any services.

And because of that, people in my network reached out to see if I could help them with their website or marketing, too.

Having a marketing blog let me at least point them to some of my ideas and look reasonably credible.

When I eventually left my job, I had months of content history built up. All I had to do was add a services page and it was officially a business.

So however you plan to find clients, you’ll want to look good “on paper”. People need to trust you if they’re going to pay I you.

Your website is your proof of credibility. Keep it simple, but definitely have one as soon as you can. It’s never been easier to get one online.

If I can help point you in the right direction, reach out.

Yesterday, I said the only real asset an advisor/consultant has is a client’s trust.

But as I wrote those words, I realized one thing might be even more important than trust: expertise.

Trust and expertise are both critical partners. You won’t succeed without having both. But expertise is the foundation for everything else.

For example, you can trust someone, but if they don’t have expertise, you won’t hire them. 

On the flip side, you may not fully trust someone, but if they’re the best at what they do, you’ll hire them.

So how does one become an expert?

The difference I see between high-paid consultants and those who struggle is the amount of time and resources they spend on learning, investing in their expertise.

The successful ones I see are constantly investing in themselves. Courses, coaching, books, events, anything they can get their hands on.

As Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying:

“If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

It’s because “no man can take it away from him” that school debt doesn’t go away with bankruptcy.

Personally, I invest 5-figures a year into my professional development. I buy education on value, as an investment, knowing it will likely return several times what I pay for it.

Without constant reading, coaching, courses, and other self-explorations, I don’t think I’d be anywhere near where I am today.

I don’t even blink when I see a book that might help move the needle (which is, by the way, why every expert should write and sell a book).

It’s because of these investments in my education that I can do two things:

• Market myself effectively to keep opportunities flowing
• Provide solid advice for my clients so they keep getting results

As it stands now, I’m fully booked. Not to brag or anything (but I will just for a sec), there’s a waiting list to hire me. The marketing stuff is working.

But on the flip side of that, my clients are also happy. Why? Because I deliver results. 

I attribute this fact to my investment in education (and maintaining trust). These are the critical assets.

Trust you can lose, which is why it must be managed closely. Expertise is yours forever (although it fades with time).

Invest in your education. You simply can’t be world-class unless you spend the time, effort, and money making yourself better.

You deserve it. Your clients deserve it. And honestly, it’s just fun to get smarter.

Do you agree?

As a marketing advisor, the only real asset you have is trust.

Without trust, you have no business. Period.

So how do you build and maintain trust with your clients and community at large?

Here are the main ways as I see it:

1. Maintain honesty and integrity at all times.
2. Actually be an expert at what you do.
3. Always act in the best interest of your clients.
4. Focus on achieving the results they’re paying for.
5. Be consistent in how and when you show up.
6. Follow through on your commitments.
7. Play the long game at all times.

Things will happen. You will need to make tough choices. You will make mistakes along the way.

Maybe you’ll need to tell your client that their company’s value proposition is mediocre. That they need a better business strategy for their marketing to succeed.

And they won’t want to hear that. At first. They’ll want you to do more “things” to make it work.

Or, maybe you need to own up to a mistake or acknowledge a lack of expertise on a subject they expected you to have.

They won’t want to hear that, either. But they’ll appreciate you telling them.

As an advisor, you need to be acting in your clients’ best interest at all times. Even if it comes at a personal cost to you.

Especially when it comes at a personal cost to you.

And that means being radically honest, among other things. It means making decisions that are hard for you but best for your clients.

It means playing the long game.

Behaving this way is what will make you a successful advisor. Putting yourself on the line for your clients is what they pay you for.

It’s rare because it’s hard. And that’s what makes it so valuable.

So my gentle reminder to you is this: always optimize for trust by focusing on the client’s best interest, not yours. Even when it’s hard. 

Your clients will respect you for that. But the best part is, you’ll respect yourself, too. 

A lot of articles and newsletters these days are long-form covering heavy topics. I’m not sure who has time to read them all.

I certainly don’t.

The emails I notice myself reading the most often are short, punchy articles that cover one topic and one idea. Things like what Seth Godin produces.

It’s not that I have an attention deficit—though we all kinda do online—it’s that there is a value vs. time deficit in most medium and long-form content.

In other words, the value I get out of most long-form content is small relative to the cost of my attention.

My hunch is others feel the same way. So, I have three alternative approaches:

1. Create short-form content with as little fluff as possible
2. Use audio to convey ideas when possible
3. Focus on a single, highly specific topic for each post

Audio has been a big part of The Mentorship subscription so far. Probably more than 80% of posts are short-form audio podcasts. The rest are short-form text and video posts.

It’s intentionally created that way because I’m busy and so are my subscribers.

As a busy professional, I’m working when I’m at my desk—not consuming content (unless it’s a course).

If I have a minute to read someone’s content, it’s probably on my phone during a break. Which means I’m rarely reading long-form digital content unless it’s very specific and high quality.

In contrast, I have a lot more spare time away from the computer, such as on walks with my dog, driving, cleaning dishes, or while doing other chores.

I can’t work during these times, so I like to learn instead.

I don’t think I’m alone, so I’m betting on that in the way I produce content.

As a result, I’m optimizing for three things:

1. Busy people reading on their phones
2. Busy people who like to consume ideas via audio
3. Busy people who cherry pick specific topics with specific benefits

There’s no right or wrong way to create content. I’m just doing it this way because that’s what I want from content right now.

And since my target audience is generally people like me at earlier, similar, and future stages of their independent careers, my hope is that this bet with this approach pays off.

Long-form articles aren’t bad. There’s a place for them, to be sure. It’s great for SEO and content that requires nuance and detail.

But it’s just hard to get busy people (like you and me) to justify giving their time in the hopes they’ll get commensurate value.

Unfortunately, the value in many cases is smaller than the time investment to retrieve it.

I personally prefer a slow trickle. One specific idea after the next. Leading to a bigger whole.

After all, our minds can only take on so much at a time.

If you want people to read your writing, it helps to be enthusiastic about your topic. That’s where the magic is.

So, instead of picking from a list of topic ideas, I thought I’d share a few ideas with you that I’m enthusiastic about right now.

I hope to transfer some of that enthusiasm to you.

The first idea is to work in public.

I did not invent the idea of working in public, of course. It’s fairly “common” wisdom.

But if you’re like me, it never really sunk in. Or, like me, you didn’t really pay too much attention to the idea.

My marketing has typically been designed to convey authority. I’m paid to be an expert, after all.

But lately, I’ve been trying to turn that around as I create a side project called The Mentorship.

It’s a group hosted on Patreon to help independent marketing professionals sharpen their skills, level up their work, and create a more enjoyable business.

Anyway, the beauty of working on this project is two-fold:

1. I get to help people who are on a similar path
2. I get to explore and share my work as they are developed

Which brings me to my next idea: be a guide.

The benefit of the second part is I get to shift roles from being an authority to being a guide.

Frankly, I have nothing to prove to anyone. The proof is in the pudding in my own work. I certainly do well enough as a marketing advisor and educator.

And because of that, I feel like I have nothing to prove. I actually feel confident enough to let down the facade of authority and truly be a leader and a guide.

It’s much more fun this way. And we can all do this, even if we aren’t quite so confident yet.

To keep this short, I have three main ideas for you today:

1. Write about topics you’re enthusiastic about. It shows.
2. It’s okay to not have all the answers. Be a guide, not a wizard.
3. Show your work. In public. Your thought process. Even just a little bit.

Nobody expects you to have all the answers. They just want someone they can trust.

And there’s no better way to show people you’re trustworthy than by showing your work in progress and transferring enthusiasm for what you do.

Even if your target market isn’t people “like you”.

So I hope this encourages you to let down the expert facade just a little bit and pick up the torch as a leader and a guide.

Show your work in progress. Think out loud. Give people a preview of the work behind the scenes.

At first, it’s scary, but then it just feels right.

Yours,

—k