I wish I had a nickel for every conversation I’ve had with a client who told me in January:
- We hired our marketing agency because our account exec is overweight – so she really gets it.
- We hired our web developer because he has a bad knee – so he really gets it.
- We hired our law firm because the partner we work with competes in triathlons – so he really gets it.
And then by June said:
- Help! We fired our marketing agency because our account exec never met deadlines.
- Help! We fired our web developer because he was difficult to work with.
- Help! We fired our law firm because the partner we work with never returns phone calls.
When you hire outside professionals, you are hiring them for two reasons:
- Their expertise in the subject-matter of their profession
- Their expertise in the processes, procedures, methods and best practices of their profession
Don’t hire them simply because they have an affinity for health and wellness or share similar goals or challenges with your customers. Hire them because they are excellent marketers, web developers, or attorneys.
In fact, you’d be smart to avoid outside professionals who just l-o-o-o-v-e what your business does. It affects their objectivity. They confuse their preferences, issues, beliefs, and worldview with those of the real business leaders (that’s you and your team) and your actual customers.
Capable professionals can quickly “get” enough of what’s important about your business to do their work brilliantly. It’s why they’re professionals.
Do you really think that every marketer at Procter & Gamble loves the products they market? Of course not. But they’re masters of marketing as a profession, and they understand the processes and methods necessary to execute marketing strategies.
Capable marketers can elicit what’s important about your business from you, your staff and customers. They don’t have to live the health and wellness problems you solve.
Same goes for web developers, attorneys, accountants, and any other outside professionals you hire.
