Why is building a business foundation important to marketing?

It will not matter how slick or effective a marketing program is if the business foundation is not in place. As a consultant the tendency is to look after other people's business and not our own. It is like the proverbial cobbler and the shoes. Only the cobbler's children go barefoot. This is very true for most consultants. The structure used quite often will not lead to effective execution of a marketing plan and to also follow-through on the results of the campaign.

Look at the current structure for your consulting business. Do you have an organizational chart based on job function? This does not mean hiring others to do work, it simply means there needs to be a basic understanding of the jobs that are necessary for the company to move forward profitably.

Here is a structure that may fit a small one person consulting firm:

Business Overseer - drives the direction of the company, determines what the best course of action may be when taking a look at the big picture.

Business Development - researches potential markets and analyzes feasibility of these markets. Marketing - creates and uses tools to drive the corporate message to existing and potential business. Puts together an effective plan with a timeline and rollout dates. Project manages each step through development of collateral to client interest.

Sales - follows-up on marketing efforts to connect with new prospects, networks at appropriate venues as dictated by the marketing department, cares for and nurtures existing clients, asks for referrals from clients, gathers testimonials, sets appointments to complete the sales process including signing of contracts. The ultimate responsibility is to make sure the company has a full pipeline at all times and that sales are constant and consistent.

Consulting - closes the loop between big picture, marketing, and sales through execution of the project. Manages the project, finds the appropriate resources to complete the project, and stays within timelines and budget as set out in the contract. Is responsible for thrilling the client through going above and beyond the requirements. Also needs to ask for referrals to help fill the sales pipeline plus getting the testimonial from the client. Must scout out more work while still engaged in the contract. Passes most sales leads back to the sales department for follow-up.

Administration - responsible for the financials of the organization. Keeps track of schedules of one or more consultants, looks after the running of the office, knows what is happening on all projects including current marketing and sales initiatives. Acts as a conduit to the consultant.

There are more positions that need to be added to the structure as your consulting practice goes. Once the jobs are placed into an organization chart, a descriptor of the job functions need to be determined. Once this is accomplished, it will be much easier to allot time to the components. You can never leave out a component, if you do, then the job will catch up with you and become an onerous task.