How do I prepare for a marketing consulting project?

Define clear, measurable goals before the first call — not directions like 'grow more', but specific targets with deadlines. Gather baseline data (revenue, leads, budgets by channel). Clarify internally who makes decisions and what the available budget is. Arrive with three concrete questions you want answered. Clients who do this get results significantly faster and at lower cost.

What data should I gather before starting a marketing consulting engagement?

Prepare revenue trends for the last 12–24 months (by product line or segment where possible), your current marketing budget broken down by channel, the number and source of new clients per quarter, conversion rates at each stage of your sales pipeline, and any available campaign performance data. Website analytics — even basic pageview and traffic source data — are also helpful.

Who should be involved in a marketing consulting project?

Before the project starts, clarify who the primary contact is on your side, who has final authority over budget and strategy, and which other departments (sales, product, leadership) need to be included. Good strategies frequently fail not because of poor content but because of internal resistance that wasn't anticipated. Mapping this out upfront saves weeks of delay.

How long does it take to see results from marketing consulting?

With good preparation, meaningful results typically emerge within 3–6 months. Simon Förstemann's client engagements have achieved +74% revenue growth over 16 months. The preparatory work — clear goals, baseline data, aligned stakeholders — is the single biggest variable that determines how quickly a project gains traction.

How to Prepare for a Marketing Consulting Project

Q: Do I need perfect data before the first consulting session?

No. Gaps in your data are themselves useful information — they reveal where measurement needs to be built. What matters more than complete data is honesty about what exists and what doesn't. A consultant without any data is navigating without a map, but rough data is far better than none.

Q: Should I share my budget before the consulting starts?

Yes — being open about budget saves both sides time. A consultant who doesn't know the realistic budget range cannot give appropriate recommendations. Clients who withhold budget information often receive recommendations they can't implement. Clarify internally: what can be invested in consulting fees, is there a separate implementation budget for campaigns and tools, and who needs to approve spending.

Key Takeaways

— Get four things in place before the first session: measurable, time-bound goals; baseline data; a stakeholder map; and an honest budget range.
— Replace vague directions like "we want to grow" with concrete targets such as "+30% qualified leads in 6 months" — in 7 of 10 first calls the stated goal is only a direction.
— Bring revenue trends for the last 12–24 months, channel-level budget, and conversion data; perfect data isn't required — gaps are useful information too.
— SME consulting engagements with Simon Förstemann typically run £3,000–£25,000; with good preparation, meaningful results usually emerge within 3–6 months.

Why preparation makes the difference

To prepare for a marketing consulting project effectively, you need four things in place before the first session: measurable goals, baseline data, a clear stakeholder map, and an honest budget conversation. Without these, even the best consultant is working with one hand tied behind their back.

Most small businesses and SMEs enter consulting engagements with a rough sense of what they want — but without the documents, data, and internal alignment that make effective collaboration possible from day one. That costs time: the consultant's time, the time of internal stakeholders, and often the time that delays growth.

Simon Förstemann, growth strategist with 14 years of experience across 6 ventures, has conducted hundreds of conversations with business owners — as a consultant and as a founder on the other side of the table. The quality of preparation is a direct predictor of the quality of results. Not because poor preparation produces poor consultants, but because it slows down the shared work and drives up cost.

Step 1: Define your goals clearly

What do you want to do differently, know, or have decided by the end of the consulting project? That question sounds simple — it isn't. The most common answer in first conversations is: "We want to grow" or "We want more visibility." Those are directions, not goals.

Concrete goals are measurable and time-bound:

"+30% qualified leads from the UK and EU markets within 6 months"
"A clear positioning for our new product segment by Q3"
"Deploy our £120,000 marketing budget more efficiently — same output, 20% lower cost"
"Make a decision: build our own sales channel or go through partners for the Swiss market"

If you can answer three questions before the first call — What do you want to achieve? By when? How will you measure success? — you're starting from a significantly stronger position.

Quotable fact In 7 out of 10 first conversations, the stated goal is a direction rather than a target. Turning "we want to grow" into "+30% qualified leads in 6 months" is often the most valuable work of the entire engagement — and it takes 20 minutes.

Step 2: Gather your baseline data

A consultant without data is a navigator without a map. The data foundation is the bedrock of any good marketing consulting engagement. Pull together the following before your first session:

Revenue trends for the last 12–24 months (by product line or segment where possible)
Current marketing budget and how it is distributed across channels
Number and source of new clients per quarter
Current conversion rates at each stage of the sales pipeline
Marketing team org chart (if one exists)
Past campaigns with available performance data
Website analytics — at minimum, pageviews and traffic sources

No data perfectionism required You do not need to deliver a complete dashboard. Even a patchy data picture is useful information — it shows where measurement needs to be built. What matters more than complete data is honesty about what exists and what doesn't. Gaps are data too.

Step 3: Align your stakeholders

Who in your organisation actually has decision-making authority? Who needs to be involved? Who could block implementation? These are not political questions — they are operational ones. Good strategies fail far more often due to internal friction that wasn't anticipated than due to flawed content.

Clarify the following before the project begins:

Who is the primary point of contact on your side?
Who has final authority over budget and strategy?
Which other departments (sales, product, leadership) need to be included?
Are there internal resistances or existing assumptions that could shape the project?

Simon Förstemann The most productive first conversation I've ever had started with the words: "I have all the relevant numbers here and three specific questions." In 30 minutes we covered more ground than in some two-hour project kick-offs with no preparation at all.

Step 4: Have an honest budget conversation

An open conversation about budget saves both sides time. A consultant who doesn't know the realistic budget range cannot make appropriate recommendations. And clients who withhold budget information often receive recommendations they cannot implement.

Clarify internally before the first call: What can be invested in consulting fees? Is there a separate implementation budget for campaigns and tools? Who needs to approve that spending?

Simon Förstemann works with SMEs and small businesses that typically invest between £3,000 and £25,000 in a consulting engagement depending on scope and duration. Knowing your number upfront means the first conversation produces a realistic plan — not a wish list.

The complete preparation checklist

Goals written down in measurable, time-bound form
Revenue data for the last 12–24 months available
Marketing budget and channel breakdown known
Lead and conversion data available, or gaps clearly named
Decision-making structure clarified internally
Budget range for consulting and implementation defined
Three concrete questions formulated that you want answered

Initial Consultation

Come prepared to the first conversation

Bring your numbers, your questions, and an honest read of the situation. Thirty minutes can go a very long way when both sides arrive prepared.

Book a call →

30 minutes · free · no obligation · directly with Simon Förstemann

About the author

Simon Förstemann

Growth strategist & marketing advisor with 14 years of experience. 6 ventures founded, 3 exits, Red Dot Award and German Design Award winner. Works 1:1 with decision-makers — no agency, no workshops that lead nowhere.

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