3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Hire Me for Your Marketing

Dec 3

In the earlier stages of building a business or organization, meetings and networking become a big part of your day. You shake all the hands and hand out all the business cards in hopes of finding the right people to do business with. It’s been no different in my entrepreneurial journey. I’ve enjoyed many cups of coffee learning about other businesses in the Des Moines metro and sharing my passion for what I do. Although meetings usually go well when they are specifically interested in my marketing services, there are times when I start to see 1 of 3 reasons they probably won’t hire me anytime soon. Honestly, I’m usually glad they don’t because I wouldn’t want either of us to feel as though we made a bad business decision during that stage of growth. Whether you are thinking of sitting down with me or another marketer, make sure these reasons won’t hold you back from getting the marketing your business needs.

Your Budget

In another blog, I talked about the importance of having marketing in your business’s budget. Before you consider sitting down with me or any other marketer, make sure you have a monthly amount you’re ready to invest (and yes, you definitely want to see it as an investment, more on that below). More times than not, I’ll get the question “What do you charge?” Although I’m happy to share my starting price point, I usually reply with another question, “What is your budget?” If your answer is some form of “I don’t have one,” any price I’d give you would probably put you in sticker shock. I’m always willing to talk through any size budget and see if we can’t find the best bang for your business buck, but it’s better to have a budget set first.

Your Time

Time is a precious commodity. It’s why many of us choose to start our own businesses - so we can spend more time doing what we love or with those we love. When you start an organization, you spend most of your time helping it grow, including all the marketing and communication. If you’re still in the early stages where you have the time to send out emails and tinker on your website, then you may not be ready to hire it out, and that’s ok. When those tasks start to go into the late hours of the night or the weekend, that’s when it’s time to hire someone like myself. My job is to help you grow through better communication and building relationships with your customers while making sure you have time to focus on other parts of your business or more personal time.

Your Understanding

Maybe you’ve heard how important it is to be marketing your business. Maybe people have asked why don’t you have any marketing materials. Maybe you’ve never really seen the importance of marketing but feel like it’s something you’re “supposed to do” as a business owner. If that’s your reasoning for sitting down with a marketer, I can tell you now the conversation probably won’t go well. Just like you know the importance of your products or service offerings, marketers feel the same about what they are offering you. My goal has always been to provide small businesses with budget-friendly and high-quality marketing that helps them achieve their goals and better communicate with their customers to build better customer relationships. If I’m being honest, not fully understanding the importance of marketing is the biggest reason I don’t want someone to hire me. I want them to trust me and value what I bring to the table. I truly want to provide the best service I can and want to create a working relationship, not just a contract. When starting with a new client, I become one of their biggest cheerleaders because if I can’t get behind what they are about, then the marketing won’t be effective.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good conversation over coffee or lunch, especially since Des Moines has so many great local spots. I also know that making the most of the other person’s time is also important. If you’d like to get together over coffee and get to know more about my business while I do the same for yours, great! I’m always looking to expand my network and have great people to refer to. If you truly think you’re ready to take the steps toward hiring out your marketing, then let’s connect.