Introducing a New Service: Putting the Cart Before The Horse?

If you work for a firm that is contemplating offering a new service, consider using the expertise of your marketing director from the beginning. While a new service may seem like a good idea, you may not have the market for it. It’s also a good idea to have a clear strategy as to how to get the market it once the new service is in place, and this is where your marketing director’s knowledge will become invaluable.

Don’t surprise your marketing director with the news of, "We’re introducing this new service. We need you to get the word out." You will be blindsiding the person who should have helped discern whether or not this is a good idea to begin with.

Often, people think of marketing as a creative function only. While creativity is a great tool for a marketing professional to have, market research is a big part of making the marketing magic happen.

Have your marketing director consult with you on different ways to decide on how successful the new service can be. If you are figuring on tapping your current client base for a new service, surveys and focus groups will be a great way to start. After all, you need to find out if this is something your clients need and not something you just think they need.

Once it has been decided that yes, there is room for this new service in your firm, discuss a strategy and budget. Having the marketing director come back to you after the fact with a plan and budget based on no information regarding the usefulness of this service is a nightmare. Your marketing person won’t have solid information to base a strategy on and may find themselves railroaded into producing a plan to appease what the partners think is important. While intentions may be good, this is a plan for failure.

Allow your marketing director to offer solutions based on goals for success. Have this person involved from the beginning. There may be additional education or certification that professionals have to get before offering a new service. Before you invest the time and money into the start-up process, have your marketing director do some digging to make sure this is a service that will keep in line with your business strategy goals.