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With some of the companies that I worked with, this held me back. Working as a marketing consultant, however, it has become an asset. You see, with market consulting, people want to see that you have a driven, self-directed attitude. A marketing consultant is a sort of specialist. You are supposed to come into the company, listen to their concerns, and formulate a marketing strategy custom tailored to their needs. People don't want to see you hem and haw endlessly, waiting for feedback from various committees – they want to see you come up with a decisive plan of action. Then, it is up to the company to implement it or to try their own strategy. Either way, by that point your job is done.
Of course, there are many marketing consultant agencies that work in a more corporate way than I do. Many of these consulting firms have greater brand recognition, and so can draw in some big accounts that don't notice me. Nonetheless, I do very well as a freelance marketing consultant. You see, when you are working with a business consultant, it isn't the company that they come from that matters, but the consultant him or herself. Sometimes the very fact that I am able to run the business by myself without the backing of a marketing firm actually attracts clients. They want someone self-motivated, directed, and decisive. That is exactly who I am.
Of course, marketing consultants vary greatly in their approaches. Some of them are very cautious, driven by all of the scientific data they can get their hands on. Other ones are impulsive, trusting their gut instincts above all else. Although I tend towards the latter approach, my goal has always been to combine the two. It is never a good idea to ignore data that you can use, but it is also important to trust your own instincts.
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