 Everyone is looking for ways to cut cost without reducing quality. Outsourcing marketing is one potential way for small and midsized organizations to afford great talent by only paying for it when they really need it. Here are six reasons why:
#6 Reduced Fixed Cost. Large organizations can afford to staff with professional marketers because they have a never-ending stream of new product launches, expansions and other initiatives to keep them busy on a regular basis. There is no shortage of projects in smaller or midsized organizations but major new product launches or geographic and market expansions typically occur with much lower frequency in smaller organizations. Just like a construction company who rents a large crane for that once in a blue moon mega project expert staff can be “rented” to help with unusual mission critical initiatives. Using this just in time approach keeps your ongoing labor cost, training and turnover cost down.
#5 Increased Focus On What You Do Best. When you are very good at making something or providing a service your time and energy will often yield the greatest return by concentrating on what you do best. Since every business has limited resources outsourcing marketing will help you to concentrate on producing a quality product and servicing your existing customers. Most business have a limited amount of resources and can only effectively tackle a couple of major projects at a time. If you are occupied with building a new branch, or installing a new piece of equipment, or training staff on a new service, it is difficult to devote the time necessary to create and execute an effective marketing campaign.
#4 Reduced Complexity. Companies that try to do everything themselves often end up increasing their cost because of the added complexity. This more complex organization results in a much higher cost basis that needs to be passed on to their customers. Managing projects that are not done on a regular basis requires training and ramp-up time. Streamlining your organization to it’s most effective core actually improves your operation because you are not distracted physically or mentally by atypical projects that can absorb tremendous amounts of energy and distract energy from servicing your customers.
#3 Increased Chance of Success. Your company may only make a major expansion or introduction a couple of times in a decade or perhaps just a couple of times in a career. Working with a reputable outside consultant who has “been there and done that” dozens of times increases your chances of success. You can learn a great deal from their experience and save the time and energy it would take you to do all of the research and planning on your own. If you are making a “bet your company” type of decision using an outside consultant can be like buying insurance to make sure you are not making a major mistake.
#2 Get To Market Quicker. By knowing what questions to ask and where to go for the answers a consultant can help you through a market expansion or new product introduction by avoiding typical “blind alley situations” and unanticipated events that can often slow projects down. Having an individual who’s main focus is to get your project off the ground without being distracted by their “day job” will help to meet deadlines and keep vendors focused. Just the additional arms and legs alone will help the process move more quickly.
#1 Obtain Talent To Compete With Anyone. Large companies can afford to keep big in-house staffs and expert marketers on their payroll. Competing with these larger more experienced organizations can be a challenge. Renting free agent consulting talent gives smaller organizations the ability to compete with larger organizations very effectively. Better consultants have often been in both large and small companies and have gained even more experience from doing many more projects for multiple organizations. By paying more for a shorter period of time you can get expertise that is the best in the industry. When the project is done you have not added to your overhead.
About the Author – Scott Francis is President of Topline Development LLC a Strategic Marketing Consulting Group that provides helps companies determine how they can make the most amount of money with the least amount of resources. To learn more about Topline Development LLC visit their web site at www.ToplineDevelopment.com or contact Scott directly at scott@toplinedevelopment.com. |
