A plan you can use

Figure out what to do next.

You’ve got ideas. Maybe too many. You could fix the website, run ads, post more, or try something else entirely. I help you look at your business, your customers, and what you’ve already tried, then decide where to put your time and money.

Working with business owners and teams nationwide.

When everyone has an idea and you need a next step.

We can work through the choices before you spend more money or add more to the team’s to-do list.

01

Owners making a decision

You want another set of eyes before committing more money, people, or time.

02

Teams doing plenty of work

People are busy, but it’s hard to say which work will bring in customers.

03

Businesses trying something new

A new location, offer, competitor, or goal has made the old plan less useful.

Before we add more work

Start with a few useful questions.

The answers help us decide what needs attention first.

One distinctive orange chair stands among rows of black folding chairs.
01

Where are people getting stuck?

Are they finding you, understanding the offer, reaching out, buying, and coming back?

02

Who is most likely to choose you?

Which customers need what you offer, and why do they buy?

03

What can we stop doing?

Where are you spending time or money without enough to show for it?

04

What needs fixing before we do more?

Can the website, follow-up, and team handle the customers you want to bring in?

When it becomes useful

Does this sound familiar?

  • You’re doing plenty, but aren’t sure it’s helping.
  • There are more ideas than time or money to try them.
  • People have trouble explaining why a customer should choose you.
  • Your website, email, social, and ads tell different stories.
  • The current plan asks more of your team than they can do.

What I look at

Follow the steps your customers take.

  • What you sell, how the business makes money, and what you want to change
  • Who buys, what they need, and why they choose you
  • What your website and other materials tell people
  • How people find you, reach out, buy, and come back
  • Your SEO, email marketing, social media, advertising, budget, and team

What you get

A plan and help putting it to work.

Hands select an orange card from a working arrangement of blank planning cards.
  1. 01

    An explanation of what seems to be getting in the way

  2. 02

    A short list of what to work on first and what can wait

  3. 03

    Clearer wording for your offer, website, or ads where needed

  4. 04

    A marketing plan that fits your customers, budget, and team

  5. 05

    Next steps with people responsible and a way to check results

Talk it through. Then get started.

We look at what’s happening, choose the next steps, and make sure the work fits your team, time, and budget.

01

Talk about the business

We look at your customers, what you sell, your goals, and what you’ve tried.

02

Find where people get stuck

I look for what stops people from finding you, choosing you, or buying.

03

Choose what comes first

We weigh the likely benefit against the cost, time, and people available.

04

Get it done

We agree on the next steps, who will do them, and how to see whether they help.

What working together looks like

You work directly with me.

A torn-paper collage pairs a listening ear with a crowd of megaphones.

We start with a conversation and the information you already have. I’ll talk with the people who know the business, look at what customers see, and review the numbers available.

You get a plan you can use in the day-to-day work. As your marketing consultant, I can stay involved on a monthly retainer, help your team, and do the work we agree on.

Relevant experience

I’ve led teams, built websites, worked on customer acquisition, coordinated outside help, and run an agency. That helps me judge what a plan will take to carry out.

Questions worth asking before you start

What does a marketing strategy consultant help with?

I help you decide who you’re trying to reach, why they should choose you, and which work deserves your time and budget. Then I can help with the website, SEO, email, social, ads, or follow-up the plan calls for.

Do our numbers need to be perfect before we start?

No. Bring what you have. Customer conversations and your team’s experience help too. I’ll be clear about what we know and what still needs checking.

Will we work on every kind of marketing?

We’ll choose what seems most useful for your business. That also means deciding what can wait.

Can you help do the work?

Yes. I can work with your team and existing providers, complete agreed work myself, or help bring in a specialist when needed.

Start with the real business problem

You don’t need to know what to ask for.

Tell me what’s happening, what you’ve tried, and what you want to change. We’ll talk it through and see whether I can help.

Start a conversation →

Help that stays with you

Someone who stays
with the work.

I offer focused projects and monthly support for businesses and their teams. I get to know the business, help you decide what to do next, and stay involved in getting it done.

Start here

Bring one real question.

A website that isn’t bringing in calls. Ads you’re unsure about. Customers who aren’t coming back. In an introduction, we’ll talk through the situation and see whether I can help.

If there’s a fit

Agree on the work and fee.

We’ll agree on what needs attention, what I’ll do, how we’ll work together, and the project or monthly fee before we start. Ad spend and outside costs are discussed separately.

As we work together

Get it done. See what happens.

We make the first changes, check whether they help, and adjust. I can do the work, help your team, or coordinate with people you already use.

Tell me what’s going on

No preparation needed. The first call is a conversation about your business and whether working together makes sense.

Direct to Phil

What’s on your mind?

Send me a message here. I’ll reply by email.

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From Phil Carpenter · Free, every week

One useful idea
each week.

The Hidden Lever Weekly Brief. Free, from Phil.

Simple ideas for helping people find your business, choose you, and come back. I’ll explain who each idea might help and how to give it a try.

A taste of what’s inside

Before you buy more leads, look at the last ten that didn’t buy. What happened after they reached out? If good inquiries are going quiet, your next growth move may be a better follow-up process. I’ll show you what to look for and how to test a change.

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