Last week I experienced one of the most productive meetings I can remember.

I am not being overly dramatic; it was an experience of being completely on the same page with a client in regard to their goals and designing a plan to meet those goals.

I know that I can serve them well and they will take ownership of their marketing strategy with my assistance. A marketer’s dream.

Our meeting was a kick-off Discovery session where they share information about their brand, and how they do business, and I listen so that I can help them put a marketing strategy in place to reach their target audience with new strategies.

Why was it such a great meeting?

Because they know their brand, their audience, their messaging and they are completely open to taking on some risk and exploring new ways to reach out in their market.

It was exciting. Their enthusiasm, candor and realism about their brand was refreshing. They know what they do well. They know how they differ from their competitors. They know what they want to achieve with marketing. Game on!

But they are also realistic about their weaknesses and more than willing to address those. Absolute candor about strengths and weaknesses is imperative for developing a marketing plan that will make a difference in your business.

Here are some questions I use with clients during the Discovery process:

• What are some adjectives you would use to describe your brand?
• What would your clients say about you? (If multiple audiences, break that out)
• What do you do very well?
• Where can you improve?
• How do you currently reach your target audience? How is that working?
• Are you comfortable exploring social media marketing? If so, let’s go deeper and identify the best tool for you.
• What marketing tactics do you currently use?
• What is your marketing budget?
• What are your marketing goals? (Identify at least 3 key goals)
• Can we speak with some clients for testimonials?
• Let’s talk about your tagline, mission, vision. Is there clarity and consistency?
• Let’s explore content ideas … visuals … who is managing the marketing process?
• Where do you want to be a year from now with marketing?

Anything you would add to these questions? Whatever you do, don’t skip the Discovery process when working with marketing and creative teams. It is essential for us to get to know your brand intimately so we can serve you well.