Using a freelance marketing consultant & trust

[richard256]

Hi. I've joined a sort of portal where you publish your marketing requirements and you end up with a marketing freelancer.

I think I have a very good product idea and it would be costly I think if my idea was ever passed on by the consultant, despite a confidentiality agreement in place (as there would be).

Is it risky, do you think, to engage a marketing freelancer, rather than say a marketing consultant who is part of some marketing outfit esconced in some commercial district of town/whatever? Thanks.

 

[AllUpHere]

Any marketing professional worthy of the title probably won't be on such a portal. As you can imagine, those of us who are any good, don't need to scratch around for work.

What kind of help are you looking for?

 

[richard256]

My product is a physical one, and it would be good if the consultant/advisor/mentor has knowledge of the board game market. And ideal if they were esconced near me (Near Wakefield). Because then I could have face-to-face contact. I have Googled and have some links saved in my browser. Nothing decided yet about how to proceed.

 

[AllUpHere]

Non disclosure agreements and such like have their place, but I'm inclined to agree with you that finding someone you can meet face to face will be the way to go. At the end of the day, if you want someone who you think you can trust, do it the old fashioned way and meet up for a chat and see what they are like. For general advice or a bit of guidance, a consultant on the end of the phone is fine. If you want to build a relationship over a longer period to work together and build a business, find someone you get on with.

 

[Lee Oakley]

Hi. I've joined a sort of portal where you publish your marketing requirements and you end up with a marketing freelancer.

I think I have a very good product idea and it would be costly I think if my idea was ever passed on by the consultant, despite a confidentiality agreement in place (as there would be).

Is it risky, do you think, to engage a marketing freelancer, rather than say a marketing consultant who is part of some marketing outfit esconced in some commercial district of town/whatever? Thanks.

Hi Richard,
I dont know what portal you refer to but there is quite a bit of risk involved in engaging with freelancers who offer their services on such portals as the focus seems to be on cost, rather than quality e.g. Fiverr.

If trust is a huge concern, and I share your caution as im involved in highly technical R&D projects with EU funding were competitors are keen to learn your secrets so I know a fair bit about IP security if ever you want an informal chat.

Personally, if you dont have any IP yet (or its difficult to secure) I would prepare a brief overview that doesn't give the game away (and may even be about a fictional idea instead of your real one) but can give potential consultants enough to start a conversation about the possible routes to market and general marketing ideas for you to sound them out and see if you would want to work with them.

This way you can engage with a few possible candidates to interview them as such but hold off until you have found a professional you think you can trust and would like to work with.

 

[richard256]

I wish I could go to CIM and find a marketing consultant who specialises in board games, but I can't do that.

 

[AllUpHere]

I was a member of the Chartered Institute, but gave up renewing as I was thoroughly unimpressed with most of the members. In my experience the CIM qualifications prepare you to work in a corporate marketing department, but not much else. My impression was that all the Chartered institute members were all made from the same 'mould', with similar experiences and knowledge. That's fine to work in a marketing department, but of little use to an entrepreneur needing a bit of original thinking.

Whilst Chartered Institute qualifications do provide a basic competence, they are far from a guarantee of quality advice.

 

[richard256]

I think the above post is very insightful. Good stufff. Makes you think.