A recent conversation with a Principal ended cordially with a “Thanks, but no thanks.”
That’s ok. Sometimes there isn’t a great fit, or the needs aren’t there, etc. However, in this instance, the Principal and I had a really nice conversation in which numerous needs were identified. There was a clear need to do “something different” with the company’s marketing, and my colleague had gotten past the denial and at least accepted it.
What he wasn’t willing to do was ask for help along the way. He basically said, because of his years of running the company, he knew what he needed to do and was just going to do it himself.
How long had he known what to do?
If he really did know exactly what to do to turn things around, why hadn’t he done it already?
One of the biggest benefits of working with an outside strategic partner is having another non-biased perspective, but sometimes even more importantly it can be receiving justification to pull the trigger that you always wanted to pull!
Playing both sides of the coin:
Side 1 – Principal had no idea what to do. A fresh, professional perspective provides him with a marketing plan to move forward and grow his business, as well as solve some pretty big marketing challenges along the way.
Side 2 – Principal knew what to do all along but never got around to it, was afraid to do it, or didn’t have documentation to backup his hunch. A strategic marketing partner reviews the situation and provides him with planning and guidance that not only substantiate his hunches, but lay the roadmap for the next year to two years worth of marketing to increase marketshare.
Seems like a win-win to me.