With my background in marketing and advertising, I can go fundamentally anyplace I want to in the industry. I have worked on market research marketing, viral merchandising, guerrilla merchandising - you name it, I have done it. The only thing that has continually held me back is that I'm not a team player. I'm incredibly independent and driven, but I do not tend to use my capabilities for leadership. You see, I'd rather not have to work with other individuals. I know what a project needs intuitively, and I can generally get it done best without outside help.
With some of the companies that I worked with, this held me back. Working as a marketing guide, however, it has become an advantage. You see, with
niche marketing consulting, people want to see that you possess a driven, self-directed attitude. A niche marketing advisor is a kind of subject matter authority. You are supposed to come in to the company, listen to their issues, and formulate a marketing strategy custom altered to their needs. People don't want to see you hem and haw endlessly, waiting for feedback from various committees - they wish 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 technique. Either way, by that point your work is done.
Of course, there are many niche marketing advisor agencies that work in a more structured way than I do. Many of these consulting firms have greater brand awareness, and so can lure in some big accounts that do not notice me. Nonetheless, I do quite well as a freelance marketing advisor. You see, when you are working with a business guide, it isn't the company that they come from that is important, but the guide him or herself. Now and again the very fact that I am able to run the business on my own without the assistance of a merchandising firm actually attracts clients. They want somebody self-motivated, directed, and decisive. That is exactly who I'm.
Of course, merchandising consultants differ greatly in their approaches. Some of them are very careful, 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 toward the latter approach, my goal has always been to combine the two. It is never a great idea to ignore info that you can utilize, but it is also important to trust your own instincts.
