I follow a lot of business gurus and most of them offer consulting services for startups. Some come in the form of a direct consultation, others offer classes and communities for you to join. The question that always nags at me: Is it worth the price?
That nagging question always stopped me from signing up for anything up until this point. Then this happened on twitter.
Twitter Convo with @Pracly
I went to their website to check it out and found a landing page with an email input box. No other info, so I threw my email in the box. Next, they contact me and asked me to fill out a survey about what I specifically needed help with. I said “sure!” But I also informed them that my startup budget was very small and I probably wouldn’t be able to pay for their services. I didn’t want them to waste their time on me since I had no intention of paying.
They reassured me that the first call was free with no strings attached. So I decided to give it a try. My call was last Thursday.
So How Was The Call?
The call was great. They made the expert (@faheems) aware of my business and situation before the call, so I didn’t have to waste a lot of time telling him what I was trying to do. My needs were digital marketing on a tiny budget.
My fear was that he would tell me, “you need to give engaging content to attract customers, then you can occasionally pitch to them.” I was afraid of this because I’d read it a million times online. He didn’t do that.
He actually showed me different ways to use facebook. He introduced me to facebook groups. He showed me strategies for getting other people to my page. We discussed content strategies for my website and how to launch a google adwords campaign. He gave me suggestions on tools to improve my effectiveness as well as links to some great content online. He gave me some new ideas on who to target to get my leashes out there in the public eye.
We spoke for an hour and I took notes feverishly. By the end of the call, I had a strategy in place for the next 4 to 6 weeks. All I have to do now is execute.
Will I Do Another Call?
I think the call is worth it. In a few weeks I plan to do another one. For the second call, I’ll probably only need a half hour. I want to make sure I have a chance to implement and use everything he told me before we speak again. I want to come to a new call with new questions and new roadblocks – not the same ones I was dealing with last time we spoke.
Here is how I view the value of a business consultation:
Effect of Consultation on Business Growth
You could probably get there by yourself. You could probably learn all this stuff from trial and error and reading lots of business blogs. The problem with being inexperienced is it is hard to abstract the messages in blogs and advice and actually apply it effectively to your business. That’s where a consultation comes in. They’ve seen it done in many businesses and can tell you how to apply it in yours.
Good luck! and if you’re curious about it, talk to the folks at http://www.pracly.com/ (No, they aren’t paying me for this post.)
If you have any specific questions about the consultation, please leave a comment!
Get Back On 