Why this matters:
Today’s marketers have a lot of technology at their fingertips: there’s plenty of good software available to help plan, launch, measure, automate, and optimize campaigns. The ability to incorporate these tools into daily work, and assess which tools are best for which purposes, is an asset for any candidate.
What to listen for:
- Familiarity with strong tools — and a logical rationale for why they’re preferred
- Experience in evaluating and implementing new software
- Recognition of the need to combine software with manual efforts
Why this matters:
In marketing, creative ideas are only worth as much as the results they generate. The best marketing consultants learn from past strategies: they actively monitor how campaigns achieve goals in terms of audience engagement, brand elevation, lead generation, and revenue lift — and they iterate on these to improve. They also produce meaningful reports for their fellow stakeholders.
What to listen for:
- Clear rationale for how to measure the success of a campaign, in context
- Experience with analytics software
- Experience creating meaningful reports to share with other stakeholders, including leadership
Why this matters:
Whether this candidate works in your industry now, or is making a transition to a new industry, this question will show the thought they’ve put into your relevant media landscape — and how they can use this knowledge to increase relevance, visibility, and authority.
What to listen for:
- Familiarity with the media landscape relevant to your industry
- Savvy with media technology, including relevant social media platforms
- Thoughts about how your company can leverage its specialty to expand brand visibility and awareness
Why this matters:
In an ideal world, every project would receive the time it needs to unfold at a reasonable pace. Marketing consultants don’t always have that luxury. Strong candidates working on an accelerated timetable remain attentive to strategy and focused on objectives — and they can speak to past successes even in light of tight turnaround times.
What to listen for:
- A sense of calm under pressure
- Capacity to coordinate multiple moving parts regardless of deadlines
- Strong team leadership abilities
Why this matters:
Marketing teams can be highly creative; limited resources and time mean that not all ideas can be implemented. Marketing consultants must make decisions about how to best direct their attention and resources. The best candidates are good at evaluating which strategies will make the most impact — and why.
What to listen for:
- A strong approach for evaluating and choosing campaigns
- Critical assessment of ideas for feasibility and potential success
- Accountability and follow-through
Why this matters:
Not every marketing idea can be a success. When a marketing campaign fails to meet expectations, great marketing consultants explore the reasons why — and learn from them. Look for your candidate to take responsibility for their campaign outcomes (vs. making excuses) — and to demonstrate maturity, open-mindedness, and the ability to learn from past data.
What to listen for:
- Capacity to admit, own, and learn from failure
- Willingness to take responsibility for all outcomes
- Willingness to apply past lessons to future work
Why this matters:
Like most professionals, marketing consultants need to work smoothly with their peers, leadership, and the stakeholders they serve. Occasionally, disagreements may arise over marketing goals, tactics, and priorities. Whether hired directly by your company or outsourced as contractors, marketing consultants must be able to navigate conflicts, cultivate common ground, and move forward into implementation.
What to listen for:
- The ability to navigate comfortably through conflict
- A skill with finding common ground among team members
- Commitment to objectives, even against the odds
Why this matters:
Marketing consultants often find their performance under review to measure overall success. The best candidates keep an open mind — and even embrace constructive feedback as opportunities to get better and more effective in their performance and their careers.
What to listen for:
- Ability to receive any feedback positively
- Incorporation of constructive points into future performance
- A lack of defensiveness, combined with professional courtesy at all times
Why this matters:
Marketing strategies hail from a broad array of disciplines — often requiring strategists to think and look outside the box for fresh tactics. Strong candidates have a thoughtful methodology or process for how to find inspiration for their next campaign, and they’re willing to share what it is.
What to listen for:
- Healthy curiosity
- A systematic approach to creativity
- The drive to continually improve
Contact a sales consultant.