You can find marketing consultants in all types of industries and medical marijuana is no exception. With this relatively new field exploding across America, the demand by entrepreneurs for cannabis marketing consultant is growing exponentially. However, finding the right consultant for your needs is no easy task. This is because the sale of medical marijuana and CBD oil is a relatively recent market that has varying rules and regulations depending on local, state, and federal laws.
Proper knowledge of such laws along with the right guidance will help entrepreneurs avoid potentially expensive legal issues. Plus, a good consultant will help you market what you offer more effectively. The key is finding the right cannabis consultant that not only provides the right guidance but fits your budget.
Being such a new market, there are unfortunately many people who call themselves consultants that are either woefully underqualified or worse, seek to take advantage of your money. What follows are a few tips that will help.
Tips
Everything starts with your business plan, how you intend to market your product, and ensuring that you follow local, state, and federal regulations.
Build a List
The first step is to find the consultants who specialize in the cannabis marketing field that are in your region of the country. It is possible to work online with a consultant, perhaps desirable depending on your circumstances. However, it is comforting to have them nearby, so you can visit face-to-face when convenient.
You can start your search online and build up a good list of consultants that meet your market niche. Do not worry about narrowing the list just yet, you simple want to find enough to make a good selection. This is where you include recommendations from friends and those in the industry.
Understand Your Niche
Ideally, a consultant provides the exact guidance you need in areas that require the most help. If you are knowledgeable and up-to-date on the current laws, then a legal consultant might not be as valuable to you compared to one who better understands marketing or cultivation. So, understand your strengths and weaknesses along with your specific niche and find the consultant that works best for you.
Beware of a consultant that markets themselves as a one-stop-shop for all your needs, legal, cultivation, and marketing. You may find that they have some general knowledge, but not the specific assistance that you need to succeed in your business.
Understand What Success Means to You
If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll never get there. So, you will need to understand what success means to you. Do you intent on growing your company in a certain direction, perhaps you want to place a limit on your growth, or maybe you want to expand beyond CBD or cannabis-related products. Before you settle on a choice for your consultant, you will need to know what success means to you.
Once you have a goal in sight, then you make a serious attempt to narrow the list of candidates. Having a specific goal of success will help you considerably in finding the right person. So, be sure to conduct a review of what you want before you can hire the best for your needs.
Get References
Once you have narrowed your list, this is the time to get references from previous and current clients. You’ll want to talk to them about their experiences with the consultant. Keep in mind that you will only get references from those who are enjoying a successful relationship with them, so you will not get a complete picture.
However, you can weed out consultants who provide false or questionable references and hear from those who work with them. This will give you a better idea of how they might work with you in your efforts to succeed.
Face Time
You’ll want access to the cannabis marketing consultant in terms of email, chats, and face-time. Preferably, you’ll want to have the ability to meet with them face-to-face either at your location or theirs. Having enough face time with a consultant is vital to understanding the concepts, laws, and marketing aspects in medical marijuana, selling CDB oil, and the like.
Every minute of face time is worth several minutes of chat or email, especially when it comes to explaining concepts, so you can fully understand them. If they cannot offer much in the way of face time or prefer to use other means of communication, then you might want to cross them off your list.
Conflict of Interest or Spreading Themselves Too Thin
A good consultant will have a healthy client base. However, you do not want a consultant that is either spread too thin or has competing interest. For example, in many states the number of business licenses for the sale of marijuana, either open or medical, is restricted. If a consultant has a relationship with other businesses. You are licensed in your area or seeking them out, then a conflict of interest may be present.
Basically, hiring a consultant that works with the competition in your area. Might result in the distribution of your proprietary information, either willingly or accidentally. However, you should expect that a consultant will be advising businesses in other areas. That do not represent competition to your own. Those you can keep in mind to hire for your needs.
Final Meeting
When you have narrowed the list to just a few, it’s time to have the final conversation with them to make your choice. Hiring a cannabis marketing consultant means finding someone where you can establish a good rapport. Remember that your relationship need not be perfect, but it does need to be clear and you should connect often.
In the emerging industry of marijuana and CBD-related products for medical or recreational use, having the right consultant by your side can make all the difference. You want someone who is knowledgeable about the industry, understands your goals, and provides expert advice in the specific areas where you need assistance.
