As a marketing consultant, I get involved with all types of projects. Most of them, you’d expect – Digital Strategy, Creative Development, Video Production, etc. But here’s one you may not – re-engineering an internal marketing department. It’s one that not every marketing consultant can take on, as it requires experience building and managing companies, not just marketing expertise. Over the course of my career, I’ve found that I have compiled the right mix of skills and experience to take on just that kind of task. Let me give you an example.
I recently took on a client engagement where the critical need wasn’t reinventing a brand or targeting a new audience. They knew what drove their business needs (for the most part), but weren’t sure they had the right people getting the work done. Were they analytical enough? Were they getting the most accomplished that they could? Did they have the right personalities to work with a team across the organization? The owners of the company weren’t exactly sure (but they had a good hunch), so they brought me in to help evaluate their marketing team, as well as their marketing activities.
How did it work? For the first few months, I embedded myself in the marketing process – working closely with the existing team, evaluating skill sets and pitching in on project work all at the same time. By becoming part of their team, I was able to understand each players challenges within the existing structure, and where they required additional support. I helped them self-identify their own challenges, and trained them where I could. I identified several staffing needs that were missing entirely, and provided input on how to re-allocate the existing staff. I was part of the interview process for the new team, and even found a candidate myself. In short, over the course of about 6 months, this client has an almost entirely new marketing department (to the point where I’m frankly not sure how much longer they need my help).
It’s not always you can part ways with a client amicably, knowing that you’ve done everything that’s been asked, the client is satisfied with the results, and your job is complete. I’ve enjoyed the process, and it’s something I’d like to do more of – marketing re-engineering instead of just marketing strategy.
Business owners – look inward and ask yourself “Do I have the best team in place that I could?” and “Am I the right person to answer that question?” If the answer to either is “I’m not sure”, then give me a call – I’d love to help you figure it out.