Is a CRM consultant cheaper than an agency?

It depends on the work. A consultant usually costs less for a defined job, like an audit or a plan, and an agency is built for ongoing volume. Compare what each would deliver, not just the day rate.

Can a CRM consultant work with our agency?

Yes. Setting the plan and briefing the agency is a big part of the job.

What's the difference between interim and fractional?

Interim covers a gap for a set period. Fractional is ongoing and part-week. Both are senior CRM leadership without a permanent hire. More on interim and fractional CRM leadership.

Should we hire a CRM manager instead?

If the work is five days a week and steady, yes. An interim lead can keep things moving until they start, and leave a plan for them to pick up.

CRM agency, consultant or in-house? How to choose

The short answer

Need a lot of making and sending? An agency. Need someone to work out what to make and send, and why? A consultant, or an interim lead if it's ongoing. Need it done five days a week for years? Hire in-house. Plenty of businesses end up with more than one.

What a CRM agency, a consultant and an in-house team are each good at

A CRM agency: Capacity. Design, build, copy and sending, done by a team, often across several channels at once. Best when you know what you want made.
A CRM consultant: Judgement. Working out what the programme should do, finding what's broken, and setting a plan your team or agency can run. Best when the question is what to do, not how much of it.
An interim or fractional lead: Leadership for a while. Someone senior running the programme part-week, briefing the agency and the team, then handing over.
An in-house hire: Continuity. Someone who knows your customers and your business every day. Best when the work is big and steady enough for a full-time role.

How to choose

Do you know what needs doing?: If yes, an agency or your own team can build it. If not, start with a CRM audit, so whoever builds it builds the right thing.
Is it a gap, or for good?: A gap, like a lead who's left, a launch or parental leave, suits an interim CRM lead. For good, hire.
Who will brief the agency?: Agencies do their best work with a clear brief from someone on your side. If nobody has the time or the experience, that's the gap to fill first.
How will you know it's working?: Whoever does the work, agree the few numbers that matter and keep a control group. The Holdout Calculator works out how big it needs to be.

Where LEDRAN fits

LEDRAN is a specialist CRM and lifecycle practice, not an agency, and I do the work myself. That can be a CRM audit, a programme build with your team or agency, a platform migration, or interim and fractional CRM leadership. If you need an agency's capacity as well, we'll brief them together.

Ash has a knack for asking ‘why’. Why is the customer seeing this? Why now?

Ciaran Macdonald, worked with Ash at two agencies

Questions about choosing CRM help

Is a CRM consultant cheaper than an agency?: It depends on the work. A consultant usually costs less for a defined job, like an audit or a plan, and an agency is built for ongoing volume. Compare what each would deliver, not just the day rate.
Can a CRM consultant work with our agency?: Yes. Setting the plan and briefing the agency is a big part of the job.
What's the difference between interim and fractional?: Interim covers a gap for a set period. Fractional is ongoing and part-week. Both are senior CRM leadership without a permanent hire. More on interim and fractional CRM leadership.
Should we hire a CRM manager instead?: If the work is five days a week and steady, yes. An interim lead can keep things moving until they start, and leave a plan for them to pick up.

CRM agency, consultant or in-house hire?