Marketing Plan for Consultants

There are countless resources available on the topic of creating a business plan. The purpose of this section is not to rewrite the book on the subject, but rather to outline what are “must haves” as it relates to HR consulting.  HR consulting as a business is not as complex as a products company, particularly if you’re a sole practitioner. So let’s cut through to the core of what you need to think about.

The main goal of this page is to encourage you to put something down in writing to keep you focused. Keep it simple so it’s something you can go back to often to keep you accountable.

The market has no shortage of prospective clients, but truly profitable projects can be few and far between. If you want to work for the most profitable clients, you'll have to compete for and grab their attention. And for that you must have a plan. A real one.

Many veteran consultants haven't looked at their marketing plans since they were first created. As a result, they drift from project to project, getting by on meager profit margins. Guerrilla consultants, however, leave the low-profit projects for others and focus on attracting and keeping the clients that give them the opportunity for financial and professional growth.

Guerrillas begin that process by creating a one-page marketing plan that lays out how to get and hold onto profitable clients.

Forget the reams of fancy charts, detailed analyses and bullet-proof competitive intelligence. You can draft your first marketing plan in seven sentences:

• Sentence one explains the purpose of your marketing.
• Sentence two explains how you achieve that purpose by describing the substantive benefits.
• you provide to clients
• Sentence three describes your target market(s).
• Sentence four describes your niche.
• Sentence five outlines the marketing weapons you will use.
• Sentence six reveals the identity of your business.
• Sentence seven provides your marketing budget.

As you create your marketing plan, remember this: you are building a platform from which to consistently communicate your ideas to prospective clients. That's the fastest way to launch a new practice because prospective clients equate the success of a firm with consistent visibility.

So create a marketing plan that maximizes your visibility in the market. Over time, keep your business networks healthy with constant attention; establish a credible Web presence; speak for industry and trade groups; participate in studies and surveys; publish articles; and make contributions to your targeted industry association and local business community.

And, most importantly, once you begin your marketing program, never stop. You'll reap the benefits for the long haul if you stick to your marketing guns.

Value Proposition

Also known as your unique selling proposition or your differentiator.

There are are thousands of HR practitioners who have become HR consultants.  What sets you apart from them? What do you do that these other consultants don’t?  What’s your differentiator?

The unique selling proposition you create for yourself is ideally the intersecting point between your strengths/interests and the needs of your target market. You’re creating a statement that summarizes the best reason a client should hire you. If you decide to create a tagline for your consulting practice or your logo, it will be based on your unique selling proposition.  As will all marketing collateral you produce including website, business cards, brochures, blog, and internet marketing.

For example, you may specialize in a narrow field to increase your stature and become sought after in a particular market. You may be sought after as an executive compensation specialist.

Since you have a ConnectsUs HR™ license, one of your differentiators may be that you have a ready-to-assemble toolkit that’s provided with your services - that you can hit the ground running and implement high quality processes for your clients at a fraction of the time and cost.

Refer to the value proposition outlined in the services brochure that’s included in this HR Consulting kit. 

Remember that based on your ConnectsUs HR™ license agreement, you won’t be able to market yourself as having an HR toolkit for sale. You can only use the toolkit in conjunction with services you provide.

Identify your Market (Clients)

Who is your target client? What is your market ‘sweet spot’?  In other words, what type of client would provide you with the highest rate with the least amount of effort on your part? If your expertise and experience is in a certain area, it will take you less time to accomplish results for your client.

If your value proposition is being sought after as an executive compensation expert, your target market will look very different than if you offered labour relations expertise.   

If you’re planning on being a generalist, you’ll also want to understand who your ideal client is.  Some examples:

• Company size
• Number of employees
• Stage of the Company (start-up, growth, established)
• Industry:  non-profit, high tech, government, manufacturing

While you can always market yourself as an HR generalist providing services to anyone who will hire you, it’s always to your advantageous to communicate some type of focus.

Tip. The challenge with small companies, start-ups, or companies that are not profitable is that payment of your invoices are sometimes not guaranteed – even if you have a contract.  If you can’t afford it, mitigate the risk by establishing your target market as profitable or well-established companies.  However, this would not be part of your tagline or marketing collateral. This would remain in your internal business plan document!

Crystal Clarity about Benefits to your clients

Your marketing materials and elevator pitch should include top 2 or 3 clearly defined and succinct benefits to your clients for using your services.

Examples include:

• Audit/Identify HR gaps:  Clients don’t know what they don’t know. Have someone come in and recommend an HR Plan
• HR Best Practices:
  • Attract and retain higher quality employees
  • Compliance. Get set up properly and avoid the pitfalls
  • Document step-by-step HR processes that anyone can follow. Improve efficiencies.
• Set up HR infrastructure and hire an HR employee to manage HR for your client.  Keep you on retainer.  Fast and Economical.
• Increase effectiveness and ensure compliance and best practices by providing your client with manager guides written in plain English.
• Protect your company and reduce legal costs by implement contracts up front:
  • Employee hanbook and sign off.  Staff will take your rules more seriously if they sign off on them.
  • Employment contracts.  Establish limits on severance costs.

ROI Calculator

Nothing is more effective to demonstrate the benefits of HR consulting services than providing ROI calculators.

• Cost to replace an employee
• Liability cost of no or bad contracts in place
• Costs associated with not managing performance (the severance jar)

Identify your Competitors

It’s smart to know who your HR consulting competitors serving your target market are and exactly what they’re doing. To provide services that are different and better than those of your rivals, you’ll need to evaluate your competitors’ services, how they’re promoting them and who their clients are.

Understand how You’ll market your consulting practice

Once you’ve set up your practice, how are potential clients going to find out about you?  This is a critical component of your business plan, and it’s discussed in the Marketing section.