Why Work with a Sales and Marketing Tech Consultant?

Choosing to let someone into the inner workings of your business is not an easy decision. It often results in many discussions and differing opinions. You have to compare the pros and cons of a technology consultant against taking on the project in-house, which can lead you down the road of needing to further discuss who will take the lead on the project, the budget, timeline, scope of work, and so much more.

Since deciding to work with a technology consultant is often a collaborative decision, the deciding team needs to know the “why” behind hiring a technology consultant.

1. Expertise
   Anyone can watch a YouTube video or find a great article off Google to help them with a technology question, right? While YouTube or Google can be great resources, it can be difficult to find the most up-to-date and reliable information. You might find information that seems helpful, but is it always the best way to do something? For example, you could find a manual way to update your CRM fields for your sales team but completely miss a more automated way to update those same fields that would result in higher productivity and revenue for your company. Expert consultants stay on top of the best way to do things and take the time to understand your business before offering advice for process improvements.

2. Time
   Time is one of the most valuable resources a business has. A study done by the Families and Work Institute stated that 28% of employees felt overworked and another 28% of employees felt overwhelmed by their workloads. Hiring a technology consultant can be viewed as a way to save time and allow employees to feel less stretched, which can ultimately result in higher retention rates for your employees (which, these days, is another top priority). Technology consultants can work within your time frames and plug in when and where you need them the most.

3. Cost
   Money is one of the big items of discussion when talking about whether to hire a technology consultant. It can be a substantial cost but often not broken down and analyzed. Hiring a technology consultant can be looked at as a reallocation of spending or savings. When you compare the costs of a consultant with a full-time internal employee, you’ll want to take into consideration PTO, salary, medical benefits, and other perks that your company offers. You’ll also want to consider the cost of burnout and employees leaving, ultimately resulting in loss of performance when hiring a new employee as well as training ramp-up time. Another part of your analysis should include the efficiency of a consultant, who might be able to accomplish the task in half the time of an internal employee, who has no expertise or specialization in the subject matter of your project. There is value in the consultant’s experience, and their costs may not be as high as initially perceived.

4. Flexibility
   Business climates can change at the drop of a hat, which can require an organization to make large decisions in a timely fashion. Especially in today’s world, with economic uncertainty as a hot topic, being able to adapt your business quickly could mean the difference between staying afloat or closing doors. Technology consultants join forces with your company, help achieve goals and adjust quickly to the needs of your business. An example could be investing more time in your business to accomplish a large goal, then moving into a maintenance and support phase until the next big project comes along. Another benefit is the ability to put a pause in any consulting engagements, should your business climate change. This is much easier than having to temporarily or permanently downsize full- or part-time employees. Consultants allow you to be flexible and adaptable.

5. Continuity
   When employees come and go, the cost of change is very high. A study done by Panopto showed that 42% of institutional knowledge is unique to the individual. This means that when an employee leaves your organization, the rest of the team members cannot do 42% of the job due to knowledge loss. Hiring a technology consulting firm allows for collective knowledge to be held by a team of experts instead of an individual employee. This can result in cost savings, time savings, and long-term relationships to help reduce spinning your wheels and assist in moving your business forward.

TopLine Results is a proven consulting firm that has been around for over 20 years in the CRM software, digital marketing, and business process space. We pride ourselves on all that was mentioned above: providing continuity, investing in expertise, enabling flexibility, saving time, and infusing value into your company far more than cost. Don’t take our word for it! Review our customer testimonials or set up a free initial consultation today to discuss how TopLine can meet your organization's sales, marketing, or process needs and get you to the next level. Email us: info@toplineresults.com or call us: 1-800-880-1960. You’ll be glad you did!