The systems of a marketing consultant

I used to be a waiter at a decently high-quality restaurant.

But here’s the thing: I was not good at it.

I was constantly running around confused about what I should be doing next. As soon as things got busy, I spent the rest of the night reacting.

It wasn’t good.

By the time I greeted customers, they had often been waiting a few minutes and were ready to order their mains in case they never saw me again.

I got the job because I had built up several years of bartending experience and was familiar with how things worked generally.

I was a good bartender. I was not a good server.

The difference between those two seemingly similar roles is one thing: systems.

I didn’t have a system for being a waiter. I had a solid one for being a bartender, though. While they look like similar jobs, they’re not.

It’s no different with consulting. If you have a methodology or system for delivering client work, things go smoothly. Clients are happy. They stay a long time. You get results.

If you don’t have a good system, all of these areas suffer.

There are two ways to develop a system with your consulting. The first way is to learn the hard way. You go through it, figure things out as you go, and piss a few people off along the way.

The other way is to learn from someone who already has a system.