Spent $500 on a local business consultant and it was a total waste

I hired a guy from Troy to help with my small cafe's marketing plan for a month. He basically just gave me a generic report I could have found online and didn't understand the area at all. Has anyone had a good experience with a consultant who actually knows the Detroit market?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie_clark12d ago

Same thing happened to me with a "marketing guru" from Southfield. Paid $400 and got a binder full of stuff like "post on Instagram more" and "run a special on Tuesdays." No real strategy for my area either. @walker.michael is right about asking for a refund, that's what I ended up doing after he tried to use the same coupon idea he pitched to a pizza place in Ferndale. Real Detroit experts would know the difference between customers in Grosse Pointe vs Hamtramck, not just throw generic tips at you. Feels like half these consultants just google "small business advice" and print it out.

walker.michael1mo ago

What did the report even say? I'd ask for a refund since he clearly didn't do the local work you paid for.

the_grant1mo ago

Ugh that's the worst. Got burned by a "social media expert" last year who just recycled the same advice for every city. Total waste of money.

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