Want to Go From Good to Great? Hire (The Right) Consultant

“Hiring a (consultant) is an investment into the success of your business. Even if your business is the best, it can be better. As consultants, we help businesses to be better. We add immense value. With our insights, we are able to give quality guidance … and ultimately provide resources to help them make better choices.”

Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr.

Hiring a marketing, communications, or public relations (PR) consultant isn’t just about outsourcing a task — it’s about finding a strategic partner who can clarify your voice, amplify your message, and align your visibility efforts with your long-term goals. But not all consultants are created equal.

So, what really makes a marketing or comms consultant effective? Whether you're a business looking to hire support or a communications pro honing your craft, here’s what separates the Good from the Great.

Bad consultants are like bad therapists. They state the obvious, only repeating your problems back you instead of actually helping you solving them.

1. They Start With Strategy, Not Tactics

An effective consultant doesn’t rush to post, pitch, or publish. First, they find out:

• What are your goals?

• Who are you trying to reach?

• What’s working (and what’s not)?

They understand how brand awareness, lead generation, nurturing, and retention work together — and they map content, messaging, and outreach accordingly. Great consultants help you cut through the noise by clarifying your positioning, audience, and voice — and only then building a plan.

Tactics without strategy are noise. Strategy ensures every action moves the needle and builds toward long-term brand equity. You need a strategic and sustainable ecosystem, not a one-hit wonder.

A good comms person is both a brand steward and a strategic partner. Someone who challenges your thinking, ask the right questions, pokes holes in the plan and pushes you to be better.

2. They Listen Deeply and Ask the Right Questions

Consultants aren’t just here to give answers — they’re here to uncover what you may not yet see. The best ones are equal parts analyst, coach, and translator. They create space for your vision and voice to surface, while filtering out distractions.

A good comms person asks a LOT of questions. Not to be difficult, but to fully understand and foresee any of the potential issues, anticipate questions from audiences/media, and help C-suite leaders think through problems from all angles. Every smart question leads to an essential data point.

Look for someone who’s more curious than charismatic. You want someone who’s genuinely invested in understanding you — not just impressing you.

“A consultant to be worth his salt must give honest judgments not necessarily those which he thinks the clients would like to hear.”

Andrew Thomas

Strategy = deciding what to do and why. Operations = building systems and processes. Execution = doing the actual work These are all separate but interdependent needs to clarify.

3. They Balance Strategy with Execution, Vision with Implementation

You need someone who can both draw the map AND help you walk the path.

Many consultants are either great visionaries or flawless executors — but rarely both. An effective marketing and PR consultant bridges the gap between big-picture thinking and day-to-day action.

They are versatile leaders who can zoom out to craft campaigns aligned with your brand’s evolution and zoom in to write a headline, prepare a spokesperson, or optimize a press release.

Strategy without execution often leads to confusion or inaction, and Execution without strategy leads to ineffective work. A good consultant will stay equally involved with both processes, and will do so with clear communications and strong boundaries.

There must be a clear bridge from strategy to execution through referral partners (OBMs, VAs, doers/implementers) or hybrid retainers. Otherwise, the gap between plan and action will only continue to grow and amplify problems.

Unpopular truth: Being a little annoyed or frustrated with your comms person is a GOOD thing! It means they are pushing you out of your comfort zone, challenging you to think about things through a different lens or perspective which will ultimately translate to growth and expansion.

4. They Tell the Truth (Even When It's Uncomfortable)

Great consultants aren’t "super-nice yes people." Instead, they bring respectful honesty to the table because ultimately they care more about Results and Impact than Likeability.

If your comms person is doing the following you’ve probably hired the wrong one:

• always smiling and nodding along

• never pushing back or disagreeing

• never coming with new ideas

• never "pestering" or following up

If you're seeing these behaviors, sorry- you don't have an invested and dedicated strategic partner. You have an admin.

If your message is unclear, your audience confused, or your campaign unrealistic — they’ll tell you with care, courage and compasssion- not criticism. Over time this kind of honesty builds TRUST and protects you from costly missteps or preventable mistakes.

A good PR or comms partner isn’t there to flatter and blow smoke. They’re there to challenge the status quo, poke holes in the plan, and push you to change what’s needed before it becomes a problem.

5. They Build Your Capacity, Not Dependency

A lot of marketing services operate like a black box. You hand things over, content appears, results may or may not follow, and you’re left without a clear understanding of what’s actually driving them. If the relationship ends, so does the momentum.

A great consultant parternship is built differently. It is education-based, which means:

• You’re not just getting deliverables—you’re gaining clarity and capability

• I don’t just make decisions—I show you how those decisions are made

• I don’t just execute strategy—I help you think strategically

Because of that, you leave with more than assets. You leave with:

• A deeper understanding of your audience and messaging

• The ability to evaluate what’s working (and what’s not)

• Language you can reuse, adapt, and evolve

• Confidence in your own voice and direction

This doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. It means you’re no longer dependent on someone else to understand your own business.

An effective consultant educates and empowers you and your team. They share knowledge, build infrastructure, and leave you stronger than when they arrived.

Their legacy is long-term, sustainable systems that keep running long after they’ve gone.

A good comms person isn't content with waiting and watching. They're hands-on and proactive.

Unpopular truth: The best marketing support is not “done-for-you, don’t worry about it”. It's "I’ve got you—and I’m going to make sure you actually get it too.”

6. They Care About Impact, Not Just Impressions

Great consultants measure success not only in clicks and coverage, but in meaningful outcomes:

• Are the right people finding you?

• Are you building trust and recognition?

• Are your communications aligned with your mission and values?

They know visibility is only powerful if it leads to real connection, credibility, and conversion.

A good comms person...

• think several steps ahead on how that campaign/strategy/launch is going to work.

• follow through with an idea or plan for the work to be successful. 

• leave every meeting with clear and solid next steps

• consistently scan your audience, the news cycle, and analytics for potential problems or red-flags.

• think critically, adapt quickly

• identify gaps in your systems, structures and processes

• spot safety concerns and reputational risks that others have overlooked

• stay compliant, aligned, organized, and focused on the mission or goal.

• tell the right story to the right people — with purpose, presence, and power.

  
  

A good consultant knows how to balance patience and professionalism with proactivity. You can expect consistent, well-timed check-ins and follow-up to maintain accountability and momentum on all sides.

“A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then keeps the watch.”

Joining the Team?

Hiring someone who has been a consultant is not about simply filling a role or "reducing overhead". It is about adding someone with a rare mix of resilience, leadership and proven success to move an organization forward with clarity and efficiency.

Once a consultant, always a consultant. Bringing a "former" consultant in house full-time can be one of the smartest moves an organization makes because they bring all of the transferable skills, and external perspective, wisdom and wide range of corporate and non-corporate experience with them.

These professionals have seen how different organizations approach similar challenges and yield similar patterns to avoid common mistakes.

• They’re used to accountability

• They're flexible and adaptable

• They're results and impact-driven

• They're wired to solve problems.

• They're used to communicating expectations.

• They can assess situations quickly, gather facts, and make decisions with incomplete information.

• They can deliver outcomes in short timelines, often with limited authority and shifting priorities.

• They can manage themselves and foster healthy power-dynamics with supervisors

• They understand what drives efficiency, where communication breaks down, and how to get buy-in from multiple stakeholders.

  
  

Hiring a consultant isn’t just about temporary help — it’s about adding fresh visioning, strategy, systems and accountability for the long haul.

My work is about empowering people, not just executing. It's about long-term value and guidance - not quick wins, and transformations, not just transactions.

Marketing Mentor vs Comms Consultant

Lately I have been loving the term "marketing mentor" instead of "consultant" Here's why:

1. It signals Partnership, not Hierarchy

“Consultant” can feel transactional or top-down. In contrast, “Mentor” feels collaborative, human, and trust-based. It implies: I’m with you, not just advising you.

2. It appeals to growth-minded clients

A consultant fixes immediate issues, while a mentor builds confidence, clarity, and independence that translates to longer-lasting value. Mentorship attracts clients who truly want to learn, evolve, and build long-term capability—not just outsource.

3. It feels more personal and accessible

“Consultant” can sound very corporate, expensive, or distant.“Mentor” feels approachable and relational. Lower intimidation = higher connection.

A typical marketing consultant tells you your problem and how to solve it (with resources you don't have), while a marketing mentor helps you understand the problem, the solution, and is there to support you every step of the way.

Reminder: The goal of a consulting partnership isn’t just short-term results. It’s long-term clarity, autonomy, and sustainability.

Find a Partner, Not a Performer

At its best, hiring a marketing or PR consultant is like inviting a wise, well-networked guide into your business. They’re not here to dazzle and then disappear — they’re here to walk beside you, holding the blueprint and the keys simultaneously.

I am a marketing coach and consultant, but not the kind that tells you what you already know or gives you a laundry list of unrealistic ideas that you don't have the resources to execute.

What makes my approach different is simple: I don’t just do the work for you—I teach you how it works and why it matters. I don't just optimize for speed and output, I optimize for understanding and empowerment—so the work continues to serve you long after our time together ends.

If this resonates, I’d love to hear about your vision. Stop guessing what will grow your business. Reach out and let’s explore how we can bring it to life by elevating your brand and marketing strategy in a way that actually works for you. Book your free discovery call today!

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Erin Ratliff is a holistic business coach and consultant specializing in organic growth + visibility for heart-led soul-preneurs and energy-sensitive self-starters in pursuit of personal and planetary healing.

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