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Consultants and Consulting
Thissemester in CONSULTING FOR ENTREPRENEURS, I learnedthatthere are two approaches to consulting:
Consultants as Experts and Consultants as Facilitators. PEG CONSULTING decided to take the
expert approach in the field of Social Media Marketing. We served as External Consultants, rather
than Internal Consultants, aswe were notregularemployeesandwe were just working on a temporary
project.
Establishing Expectations and Goals
Making Contact
Aftercompletingsome brief initialresearch onthree companies we had to choose from, we found that
we wanted to work with SMALL SHOPS UNITED. After calling and leaving a message about who I was and
what I was doing, I also texted our client in case that was an easier was to get in contact with him as
soonas possible.Itwasinfact, because he texted me back immediately! We found a time that worked
for everyone that week and set a meeting place.
Overview of the Initial Phase and First Meetings
The goal inthe initial phase was to figure out how we could help. We took this time to learn about the
historyof the company,howit works,andwhat problemsitwascurrentlyencountering. From the start,
it feltlike we were a good fit for both SMALL SHOPS UNITED, as the company had little to no Social Media
presence,andus,since we are expertsinSocial Media. After the first meeting, we felt like we were on
the same page andexplainedtoourclient thatwe wouldbe writingupa Letterof Engagement next and
be in contact with him to set up our next meeting. From the start, we had very clear lines of
communication set in place.
Addressing the Specifics
Once we identified the problem - the lack of a social media presence - we were able to explain to our
client why this an important aspect of his company in order for it to truly take off. We agreed on the
expected outcomes of what we would be working on throughout the semester and we decided to
proceedwiththe consultantjob.This was an important part of establishing the expectations and goals
because itmade it easieronourclient to signthe Letterof Engagementwiththisconsensuswe all came
to before presenting it to him.
Formalizing the Agreement: Proposals and Contracts
Choosing a Format
There are a fewdifferentwaysthatanagreementbetweenaconsultantanda clientcanbe presented- a
proposal, a letter of agreement or engagement, or a contract. Letters of engagement are more
often used for smaller projects rather than formal contracts. Agreements can be presented either
verballyorwritten; we choose to write ourletterof engagementtobe presentedto our client so that
everyone wouldbe onthe same page throughoutthe semester andwe couldgo back and reference it if
need be. Once both parties have agreed and signed the document it becomes legally binding. It is
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legallyvalidif twoconditionsare met- mutual consentandvalidconsideration.Thisjustmeans that
both parties must be signing the document freely and on their own terms, and that each party is
receiving something of value.
The Letter of Engagement
The Letter of Engagementwasfairlyeasilywrittenwithhelp from the class book, THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF
EFFECTIVE CONSULTING. The IntroductoryParagraph openedthe letterexpressingappreciationfor the
opportunity to work as consultants for SMALL SHOPS UNITED for the semester. The Objectives section
showedabrief bulleted list of what we would be completing; this made it easy for our client to get an
overviewof whathe wouldbe receivingfromusat the end of our project. The Background explained
our understanding of SMALL SHOPS UNITED and what we could do to help the company reach its full
potential.The ProjectPlanwasas detailed as possible with exactly what we would be accomplishing
and when it would be accomplished. The Time Table gave an overview of important dates, such as
presentationdatesanddeadlines.The Confidentialitysectionexplainedthatwe wouldnot disclose or
use any information about the business outside the scope of the project, such as social media
passwords. The Terms and Conditions section explained that this project should not endure any
expenses but in case it does, they would then be billed to our client. It also explained that when we
complete ourprojectwe wouldthenalsocompleteourtime asconsultants.Finally, the Qualifications
section explained what we have done in the past and why we were fit for the job.
The Importance of Letters of Engagement
After presenting our Letter of Engagement to our client, he was impressed by our
professionalism and excited for our project to start. After weeks of doing market
research of the customers and business partnerships, we presented our findings
half-way through the semester. Our client was so thrilled by our results that he
wanted us to completely change gears and hold face-to-face interviews for all of his
business partners.
We werethankful that we hadour Letter of Engagement to fall back on so that
we couldeasilyexplainto himwhat we were capableof completing by the end
of the semester.
He still pushed us to reconsider! We decided to make a compromise with him and
ultimately had two members of the team work on a few more business partnership
interviews, while I took on all of the Social Media work on my own.
If and when this happens, it is important to remember to make changes on the
Letter of Engagement and have everyone sign it again; otherwise the client could
take advantage of the consultants and continue to push for more and more “small”
projects to be completed on top of the project that was originally agreed upon.
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Developing a Project Strategy:Diagnosis andData Collection
Defining the Problem
A lackof social mediapresence waseasilydetected aswe saw first-handthatthere was little to no time
spent on social media. As a business trying to unite small businesses locally, it is so important for the
community to be social and connect with one another. We decided that a new and improved Twitter
and Instagram strategy would do the fix.
Social Media Sleuthing
During our very first meeting with our client, we discussed the different social
media platforms. We asked which platforms Small Shops United had set up and our
client had failed to mention the Instagram. He had completely forgotten that he
had created an Instagram account years ago! Within a few minutes of trouble
shooting, I was able to figure out which email was associated with the Instagram
account (thankfully it was one of our client’s personal emails) and send a new
password to the email.
Determining What Information is Needed and Sources of the Information
Before we started creating a social media strategy and started posting to the accounts, we knew we
needed to do some market research to figure out who really was our target market and to get a
betterideaof the brand sothat we could write copyfor the social media posts in the appropriate voice
of the company. We found that we would actually be catering to two different types of people -
customersandbusinesspartnerships.We knew thatwe couldaccesscustomerinformationthrough
our client’s email marketing software, but we would have to contact individual businesses to get
information from a few business partnerships.
Collecting the Data
We collected customer data by creating two
different surveys for the long-term (over
one year) and short-term (under one year)
customers. The surveys were kept short so
that we would get a larger response- and it
worked! The surveys were created through
SURVEY MONKEY which made it easy to gather
the results and analyze them, for example in
Figure 1 it was clear to see that Social Media
had much room for improvement to get the
word out.
Figure 1: Results from Customer Survey on Survey Monkey
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To get a deeperinsightonthe BusinessPartnerships we conductedface-to-faceinterviews. Although
thiswas fairly time consuming, the information that was gathered was very valuable- so valuable that
our client wanted us to stop the Social Media project and spend the entire semester interviewing as
many businesses as possible (see: The Importance of Letters of Engagement ).
Interviewing
I learnedaquite a fewthingsfrominterviewingbusinesses.First,it is important to have a quiet setting
that is private and comfortable so that you can hear each other clearly and feel comfortable talking
freelyaboutthe topic. Bodylanguageiskeywheninterviewingbecause if youlookinterestedthanthe
interviewee will feel comfortable to say more rather than if the interviewer is standoffish, then the
interviewee may hold back some insights. Before we got into asking questions, we clarified the
purpose for the interview and explained who we were. We prepared questions and maintained
the focus on howwe had designedtheinterview to run.Some otherrules we stood by were to stay
flexibleandkeepthe conversationflowing, remainunbiased,only askonequestionatatime, keep
questionsopenended, really listen to the responses, clarify when needed, and of course remain
relaxed and casual. We got two team members to go to each interview, so that one person could
focus on asking the questions and listening while the other person could focus on taking notes.
Lessons Learned: Interviewing
Some Business Partnership owners felt comfortable talking to us freely about
anything. One particular owner went off on a political tangent and it was the
interviewer’s job to take the interview on a turn by asking a more direct question
about the intended purpose for the interview.
We found that strong users like PITA BROS have found an effective way to
implement the introduction of the SMALL SHOPS UNITED loyalty rewards program to
every customer that walks in the door. As a result, the business now sees more and
more frequent customers using their membership, which in turn enables substantial
business growth.
Preparing the Feedback/Assessment Report:Moving the Client to Action
Social Media Assessment: Instagram
The Instagram account of SMALL SHOPS
UNITED needed a biography that explained
what the profile had to offer in a short and
sweet way but also enticed potential
customers or business partnerships to
follow the Instagram. The new biography is
shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Instagram Biography
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I increasedthe amountof Instagram Followers from9to 138 (2,233% increase) by:
Following small local businesses that were either partners or potential partners
Following customers of business partnerships
Followingaccountsthatwere interestedinotherlocal movementssuchasLocal FirstMilwaukee
Interacting with customers and businesses on a personable level
Lessons Learned: Instagram
I found that our client was very new to Instagram so I
decided to make him a step by step walk-through of
how and when to post Instagrams with screen shots
included. Figure 3 shows an example of a screen shot
from the walk-through that explains how to tag other
companies in your Instagram post. Some things that
might seem second-nature to me may not be as obvious
to the client. It is important to make sure everything is
clearly and easily laid out for the client when presenting
something new to them. Figure 3: Tag People on Instagram
Social Media Assessment: Twitter
The Twitter account of SMALL SHOPS UNITED also had their biography re-done to be in sync with the
Instagram biography.
Followers increased by 201%.
Profile Visits increased by 891.3%.
Tweet Impressions, the amount of people that see the tweets,
increased by 363.4%. In October the Top Tweet, Figure 4, received 95
impressions, in November the top tweet, Figure 5, earned 484
impressions; a 509% increase.
October’sTopTweet November’sTopTweet
Figure 4: October’s Top Tweet Figure 5: November’s Top Tweet
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The amount of Mentions, times other accounts tweeted with
@SMALLSHOPSUNITE in their tweet, increased by 1,200%. This created
much more buzz about SMALL SHOPS UNITED and not only increased
awareness for potential new customers but also for potential new
business partnerships.
Making Leads with Twitter
PORTRAITS NOW, a small local business in Kenosha, Wisconsin reached out to SMALL
SHOPS UNITED through Twitter on how they could become a business partner as
seen in Figure 6. PORTRAITS NOW would have never heard of SMALL SHOPS UNITED if
it weren’t for the presence on Twitter. This was a great example of how minimal
work on social media can make a great impact on a business.
Figure 6: New Potential Business Partnerships Formed
Presenting the Findings and Ending the Project
The final presentationtothe clientwas held in our conference room. Aided by a PowerPoint, my team
and I walkedourclientthroughourproject,startingfromthe problemtoour processes,andcompleting
the presentation with the solution to easily carry on the social media work for his business. We
concluded the presentation by our final project document to him to look over and left time for any
questions.
Lasting Impressions
Our client had a few more questions after our presentation about why we initially
choose the social media platforms we had picked initially. Although we had
discussed the reasoning for a strong presence on Twitter and Instagram with him
multiple times, it seemed as if he still was not totally sold. Even though presenting
an idea to someone multiple times does not always mean that the receiver is
fully convinced of it. In the future, I will be sure to ask for feedback and make sure
that my client is on the same page as I am before I dive into a project. This way both
the client and consultant will feel confident and proud that the project has made a
positive impact on the business.
