4.3 The Consultancy Model

For the Community Consultancy/Employer Rounds course, the consultancy model is designed to provide experiential learning opportunities for students while assisting small businesses and non-profit organizations with their marketing needs. This model can be outlined as follows:

1. Client Engagement and Needs Assessment: Students, as consultants, engage with real clients, which may include small businesses and non-profit organizations. They work closely with clients to understand their marketing challenges, objectives, and needs.
2. Mentorship and Faculty Guidance: Faculty members serve as mentors and guides for the students throughout the consultancy projects. They provide expertise, supervision, and support to ensure that the projects progress effectively.
3. Project Research: Students conduct comprehensive research, which may include market analysis, competitive analysis, and other relevant research activities to gather insights into the client’s industry and marketing context.
4. Solution Development: Based on their research and analysis, students develop actionable marketing strategies and recommendations tailored to the client’s goals. These recommendations are designed to address the specific marketing challenges identified.
5. Client Collaboration: Students work closely with clients to refine and finalize the proposed marketing strategies. Collaboration with the client ensures that the solutions align with the client’s preferences and constraints.
6. Implementation Planning: Students assist the client in creating detailed implementation plans, outlining the steps, timelines, and resources required to execute the marketing strategies effectively.
7. Execution and Monitoring: Students may support the client in implementing the marketing strategies and continuously monitor the progress. Adjustments are made as necessary to achieve the desired outcomes. This process often comes later on when we bring clients back for a second or third round of projects.
8. Feedback and Evaluation: After the implementation phase, students and clients assess the outcomes and evaluate the success of the marketing strategies. This feedback loop helps identify areas for improvement and opportunities for further collaboration.
9. Knowledge Transfer: As part of the experiential learning process, students gain practical marketing skills and knowledge that they can apply to future endeavours. This knowledge transfer is a key component of the model.
10. Documentation and Reporting: Students document their research, recommendations, and project activities. This documentation serves as a record of the project’s activities and outcomes and may be shared with clients.
11. Professional Development: Through this consultancy model, students not only gain valuable practical experience but also develop skills in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and project management, which are essential for their future careers.