How to charge for marketing consulting? Overcome insecurity!
Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2024 8:32 am
When a company wants to generate buzz around its products, marketing consultants come in.
These companies usually need to generate more leads, increase opportunities or simply increase traffic. Regardless of the objective, that's where the marketing consultant comes in.
That said, many freelance marketing consultants don’t know how to charge for marketing consulting. That’s why I decided to write this article.
My goal here is to help you overcome your insecurity business owner database make you charge a lot for marketing consulting. Let's go!
Some highlighted questions:
Where does insecurity come from?
Will I always get results?
How to charge more?
How to make a client diagnosis?
How to charge your time?
This article is based on my Youtube video, so if you are too lazy to read, just watch it below:
Where does the insecurity of selling a product or service come from?
Insecurity comes in parts, not only about sales techniques, but about the knowledge that the seller has about that product.
In an episode of the reality show O Aprendiz, by Roberto Justus, we can see this clearly.
The last two candidates were asked to convince Roberto Justus that the other was the best decision. Clearly the result was not what was expected, because how are you going to sell your competitor?
The answer was simple: I can't sell it, because I don't believe in this product. I believe in myself.
So the lesson of the story is: You have to believe in what you are offering.
Proof of this are the most common insecurities (which I'm sure you've had or have):
I just started
I don't have that much experience
I have served few clients so far
I'm not sure what result I'm going to deliver
Read also: When customer relationships mean growth
The result is the same story: I charge little because I don't believe in what I'm going to deliver.
If I become a digital marketing specialist, will I always get results?
The answer to this question is a big NO. There will always be clients from whom you get little or no results. This is normal.
Often the problem is not with you, but with your client's product, IT or company management.
Always remember: Marketing is just 1 factor of the company.
What you can do in this case is to find out the origin of this internal problem and talk to the client. If he is able to improve, consequently your work will also improve!
If I don't promise results, how can I charge more?
Here comes a magic word: Scope.
You must make it clear, before the process begins, what will happen during the work. In other words, what the deliverables are.
In my case, I don't tell my clients that I guarantee results, but I guarantee that they will avoid a lot of mistakes.
Because I already have X years of experience
Because I've dealt with X different clients
Because I already have knowledge.
So, did you notice the difference?
This way, you can argue that you are not sure what works for your client, but you ARE SURE what DOESN'T WORK.
Provide a diagnosis to your client
This is a tip I always give to my students: provide a diagnosis to the client.
A diagnosis consists of asking several questions to at least reach clarity about its primary objective.
What is this objective?
Read also: 50 Ideas for Instagram Question Boxes
It has a number and a date, and that number is credible. For example:
Imagine your client says “I want to sell more”
You quickly respond: “Okay, so if I increase 1 sale next month I’m already doing what I promised, right?”
“No, it’s not that” – Your client responds
So you counter and ask, “So how many sales are we talking about?”
Then the customer responds: “A 20% increase is great.”
But don’t stop there. Ask about their sales history over the past few months. How much did they increase their sales? 1%, 2%, 10%?
If the answer is a low number, say: “If you’ve been increasing your sales by 2% for 6 months, what miracle do you think I’m going to perform to reach 20% in just 1 month?”
Now you just need to set a realistic goal that will convince your client to close with you.
How to charge your hourly rate as a marketing consultant?
If you are a marketing consultant, anchor your working hours. How do you do that? Here is an example:
In my case, if you access my Instagram, in the highlights “What I do” you will find : Mentoring – Hourly Price: At the moment it is R$ 1000.
A starting value is R$200 , over time you will increase it until you feel comfortable.
That said, with a set price, people who come to talk to you will already know that your minimum hourly rate is 200 reais.
These companies usually need to generate more leads, increase opportunities or simply increase traffic. Regardless of the objective, that's where the marketing consultant comes in.
That said, many freelance marketing consultants don’t know how to charge for marketing consulting. That’s why I decided to write this article.
My goal here is to help you overcome your insecurity business owner database make you charge a lot for marketing consulting. Let's go!
Some highlighted questions:
Where does insecurity come from?
Will I always get results?
How to charge more?
How to make a client diagnosis?
How to charge your time?
This article is based on my Youtube video, so if you are too lazy to read, just watch it below:
Where does the insecurity of selling a product or service come from?
Insecurity comes in parts, not only about sales techniques, but about the knowledge that the seller has about that product.
In an episode of the reality show O Aprendiz, by Roberto Justus, we can see this clearly.
The last two candidates were asked to convince Roberto Justus that the other was the best decision. Clearly the result was not what was expected, because how are you going to sell your competitor?
The answer was simple: I can't sell it, because I don't believe in this product. I believe in myself.
So the lesson of the story is: You have to believe in what you are offering.
Proof of this are the most common insecurities (which I'm sure you've had or have):
I just started
I don't have that much experience
I have served few clients so far
I'm not sure what result I'm going to deliver
Read also: When customer relationships mean growth
The result is the same story: I charge little because I don't believe in what I'm going to deliver.
If I become a digital marketing specialist, will I always get results?
The answer to this question is a big NO. There will always be clients from whom you get little or no results. This is normal.
Often the problem is not with you, but with your client's product, IT or company management.
Always remember: Marketing is just 1 factor of the company.
What you can do in this case is to find out the origin of this internal problem and talk to the client. If he is able to improve, consequently your work will also improve!
If I don't promise results, how can I charge more?
Here comes a magic word: Scope.
You must make it clear, before the process begins, what will happen during the work. In other words, what the deliverables are.
In my case, I don't tell my clients that I guarantee results, but I guarantee that they will avoid a lot of mistakes.
Because I already have X years of experience
Because I've dealt with X different clients
Because I already have knowledge.
So, did you notice the difference?
This way, you can argue that you are not sure what works for your client, but you ARE SURE what DOESN'T WORK.
Provide a diagnosis to your client
This is a tip I always give to my students: provide a diagnosis to the client.
A diagnosis consists of asking several questions to at least reach clarity about its primary objective.
What is this objective?
Read also: 50 Ideas for Instagram Question Boxes
It has a number and a date, and that number is credible. For example:
Imagine your client says “I want to sell more”
You quickly respond: “Okay, so if I increase 1 sale next month I’m already doing what I promised, right?”
“No, it’s not that” – Your client responds
So you counter and ask, “So how many sales are we talking about?”
Then the customer responds: “A 20% increase is great.”
But don’t stop there. Ask about their sales history over the past few months. How much did they increase their sales? 1%, 2%, 10%?
If the answer is a low number, say: “If you’ve been increasing your sales by 2% for 6 months, what miracle do you think I’m going to perform to reach 20% in just 1 month?”
Now you just need to set a realistic goal that will convince your client to close with you.
How to charge your hourly rate as a marketing consultant?
If you are a marketing consultant, anchor your working hours. How do you do that? Here is an example:
In my case, if you access my Instagram, in the highlights “What I do” you will find : Mentoring – Hourly Price: At the moment it is R$ 1000.
A starting value is R$200 , over time you will increase it until you feel comfortable.
That said, with a set price, people who come to talk to you will already know that your minimum hourly rate is 200 reais.