Using Consultants to Develop Your Professional Practice or Small to Mid Size Business
A business and marketing consultant can contribute to the strategic direction of the development of a professional practice.
That sounds nice but what exactly does it mean?
The role of your business and marketing consultant is not to tell you how to do your job. It is instead to work with you to identify a clear vision for the future of your professional practice or small to mid size business and leverage resources so as to achieve your declared vision.
A business and marketing consultant is essentially a facilitator that brings an objective point of view as well as business and marketing acumen to your practice development process. This role can mean the difference between shaping the growth of your practice or business so that it will meet your goals and organic growth, which may not meet your goals.
A business and marketing consultant’s perspective is necessarily holistic. It accounts for the big picture of the practice and it involves:
Translating your vision into specific, tailored business and marketing initiatives that are directly related to core strategies for every area of your professional practice or business including marketing, sales, operations and finance.
Prioritizing focus on the most relevant segments of your market. In order to shape your practice or business in a specific way, you will need to decide whom you are developing it for. Once your target audience is defined it will be that much easier and cheaper to reach them with a compelling and effective message about your business.
Identifying and building on the authentic point of difference of the business. The development of the point of difference of a professional practice or small to mid size business is a continuous process that requires nurturing, as it is vulnerable to becoming derailed without the appropriate focus and attention.
Developing and communicating a message that is based on your core competencies and is also aligned with the needs of your priority market segments.
Selecting the marketing vehicles expected to deliver the highest return on your investment. Where will you be able to generate the highest return on your promotional dollars: branding strategy, website, search engine optimization, advertising or other?
A business and marketing consultant can provide tremendous insight towards a greater vision for your professional practice or small to mid size business. This insight is most valuable when the consultant understands that it is your vision they are there to enlighten rather than their own. As with many other types of consulting arrangements, the ideal consultant will need to be aligned with your organization in terms of skill, knowledge and fit.
Bekhor Management is a full service business and marketing consulting firm in Toronto, Ontario focused on building better business for professional practices. Our services include marketing, branding, strategic planning and business planning. Sandra Bekhor speaks, teaches and writes about practice development for various professional associations. We invite you to visit the business development resources on our website or call us at 416-969-9600 for an initial consultation without fee or obligation.