Question

Topic: Strategy

Consultant / Expert Of The Beauty Industry

Posted by Anonymous on 10/8/2004 at 1:20 PM ET 25 Points
Our company is looking for a consultant who is an expert of the beauty industry.
1. Any information on how to find a qualified expert will be appreciated.
2. What can we expect to be charged for such consulting services?

Thanks so much.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Blaine Wilkerson on 10/8/2004 at 1:41 PM Accepted
    I think you will have a difficult time finding a marketing expert who specializes in one industry (except for sports, media, celebrity, and the like).

    We (marketers) most often participate in a wide variety of projects from a varying niche. It usually comes down to problem solving; assessing the situation, audience, budget, product(s), and current/previous marketing attempts in order to develop an appropriate plan of attack. Therefore, for example, one does not necessarily have to be a computer expert in order to help a computer company. Make sense?

    My clients range from Toys and Artificial Intelligence to IT Corps and NASCAR teams. The broad spectrum allows us to experience the habits, trends, and audiences of various industries, and allows us to remain non-bias towards a particular product. The advantages of retaining such a consultancy will help you gain an outside perspective and fresh ideas spawn from creativity and careful assessment.

    We happen to have a beauty "specialist" onboard, and would love to discuss the opportunity to work with you. Feel free to contact me for more information (just click on my name).

    Good Luck with your endeavors!
  • Posted on 10/8/2004 at 5:25 PM Author
    Thank for responding to my request.

    To clarify: we need a business / marketing consultant who has a background and expertise in beauty supplies industry (personal care, cosmetics, salon, spa, etc.) who can help our company explore opportunities in entering the industry as a reseller (not a manufacturer). Currently we are focused in a different industry, but are looking into diversification.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 10/8/2004 at 9:22 PM Member
    mmacaione

    Which country is this project focusing on?

    From the sound of it, the consultant would need to be acquainted with the geographic/demographic specifics as well as a vertical specialist.

    Remeber, this is a very cosmopolitan forum.

    Marketing sans frontiers!

    ChrisB
  • Posted by telemoxie on 10/9/2004 at 5:30 PM Accepted
    Have you checked our Redbooks, which is probably available at your local business library, or have you signed up for a free trial of their online version at www.redbooks.com? This is a leading resource for the marketing/advertising agency - and you can search on the basis of areas of specialization, although many of the listed companies may be too large or expensive for your tastes.
  • Posted on 10/10/2004 at 7:13 PM Accepted
    FWIW, I would say it's more important to find a consultant with a strong track record of helping companies enter new markets than one who has specific industry expertise. The industry specifics are relatively easy to learn/pick up, but the experience of entering new and unfamiliar industries/markets is something you only get by doing it many times ... and being able to generalize from the learnings each time, so the next time you are able to keep the best and discard the rest of what you've learned.

    That said, we have HBA experience and might be interested in your project. Feel free to contact me by using the email address in my profile. If we don't think we're right for this, we can refer you to others with even deeper experience in HBA. Are you interested in mostly the US/Canadian markets, or elsewhere/global?
  • Posted on 10/10/2004 at 7:23 PM Member
    You also asked what you can expect to pay for the expertise you need. That's almost impossible to answer, because it isn't clear exactly what it is you want the consultant to do.

    If you want a few days of a person's time to do a "brain dump" and tell you everything he/she thinks you need to know, you're probably looking at something in the $5-10,000 range (USD).

    If you're looking for someone to join your management team for several months, and/or manage the expansion project for you, you could be at a level 10 x that amount.

    It's a little like asking, "How much will dinner cost me?" The answer is quite different if you're eating at McDonald's or at a 5-star restaurant ... and it's different if you want dinner just once or if you want it every night for a year.

    And I've assumed US/Canada orientation. I can't speak for Europe, Asia, global. The expertise may well vary by geographic location.
  • Posted on 10/11/2004 at 3:27 PM Author
    Thank you for your responses, I find them very helpful.

    The market is primarily the US (possibly Canada).

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