Meeting with a creative team marks an exciting time for a small business owner. You’re watching your business grow, and it feels like the right time to rebrand or upgrade your website. You may feel so inspired that you’re bursting at the seams with ideas to share. That’s great! Before you jump right into the fun stuff, it’s a good idea to be strategic with this first conversation. Here’s what to keep in mind to prepare for your consultation.
What’s in a Consultation?
A consultation is an excellent opportunity for you and your potential agency to get to know one another. A successful consultation allows both parties to learn about each other, clarify goals, and hopefully create a plan to work together.
While you may want to jump right into discussing the specifics of what you need, the creative team will benefit from understanding your business. Sharing a bit of your history and your mission will give your team a more accurate picture of who they’ll be working with.
What Makes You Unique?
You’ve chosen an agency likely because of their design expertise. They’ll want to know more about what you do, as well. Share details about your industry that may be relevant to the project. Include what sets you apart from your competitors. Let the team know why you’re the best at what you do!
Who Do You Serve?
If you already have distinct personas for your typical clients or customers, be sure to have that information handy. If you’re just getting started, think about who you’d ideally love to work with. Your agency may already have experience with that audience!
You’ve Got Goals, Yeah?
You’re ready to level up your business. You want better brand recognition, more bookings, or maybe it’s time to hire new staff. Your agency will want to know what you hope to get out of this collaboration, and why you chose them as a potential partner.
Your goals will also help the creative team determine the full scope of your project. New website functionalities and integrations can make doing business a lot easier, and thethe team should know what works best.
How Much Time Do You Have?
In order to ensure a successful collaboration, both parties must be crystal clear about timelines. Say you’ve got an event planned in your future. Do you need your new website launched before then? If so, be sure to bring this up during your consultation.
Something else to consider when thinking about timelines: feedback. You’ll need to factor in time on your end for reviewing mockups and drafts. Include ample time for sharing your feedback and reviewing revisions. Be as honest and upfront about your schedule.
Running your business is your priority, of course. Keep in mind, though: you’ll be working with another business whose priority is to deliver a top-notch project to you, their client. Use your consultation to get a sense of what’s expected of everyone involved.
But Really, What Do You Need?
As I mentioned earlier, you’ll be chatting with folks who are experts in their field. They’ll know all the bells and whistles necessary to bring your project to life. Ideally, your consultation will include a discussion of specific content and resource requirements. Make sure there is a clear understanding of who is responsible for each item. This will not only help your agency partner draft an accurate proposal, it will give you a better idea of what you may need to contribute.
This sounds like a lot to consider, huh? It can be… but finding the right team to bring your vision to life is worth the effort.
If you’ve got big marketing goals for your business, you know we’re ready to help! Jump on a consultation call with us to get started!
