Why don't consultants publish prices?

Because the scope changes a lot from business to business. Even so, a consultant should be able to give you a fee or a range after a short conversation.

Is a cheaper consultant worse?

Not necessarily. Assess what you get, the relevant experience and the clarity of the proposal, not just the fee.

Is it worth it for a small business?

It is when it saves more than it costs: in badly used ads, lost time or wrong decisions. If you can't see that saving, it probably isn't the right moment yet.

Can I start with something small before committing?

Often, yes. Starting with a fixed-scope diagnostic is a way to see what working with someone is like before taking on monthly support.

What is a fractional CMO?

Someone who leads your marketing for a few hours a month without being hired full time. It makes sense when you need ongoing decisions and coordination, but the business doesn't yet justify a head of marketing on the team.

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Pricing·5 min read

Updated 1 November 2026 · Andreia Cirne

How much does a marketing consultant cost (and what to assess)

The honest answer is that it depends, but there are ways to tell whether a price makes sense before you sign. What shapes the fee and what to ask.

It is one of the most searched questions and one of the worst answered. Some websites give round numbers with no context, others hide everything behind price on request. Neither helps someone who is trying to decide.

I won't give a single number, because there isn't one. I will explain how the price is put together, so you can assess any proposal, including mine.

The three most common formats

Most proposals follow one of these formats:

Hourly: you pay for time. Useful for one-off questions, risky for projects, because there is no clear limit.
Per project: a fixed price for a defined outcome, such as a diagnostic or a plan. You know up front what you pay and what you get.
Monthly retainer: a monthly fee for ongoing support. It makes sense when there is a plan to carry out and decisions to make every month.

What makes the fee vary

Two proposals with the same name can have very different prices. The usual reasons:

Scope: looking at one channel is different from looking at all of your marketing.
Depth: a brainstorming session isn't the same as data analysis, conversations and a written plan.
Involvement: advising once a month is different from coordinating a team or suppliers.
Experience: years of practice in a sector reduce diagnostic time and the risk of expensive mistakes.

What a diagnostic usually includes

If the proposal is for a diagnostic, check that it includes these parts, or why it doesn't:

An initial conversation and a questionnaire about the business, the clients and what has already been tried.
A review of the website, Google profile, social channels and whatever data exists.
Conversations with clients or the team, where they make sense.
A written document setting out what is holding things back, the priorities and the order.
A session to present the findings and decide the next steps.

What you are really paying for

You aren't paying for hours. You are paying for decisions that stop you spending money in the wrong place. Good consultancy should be compared with the cost of carrying on as you are: months of ads with no return, a website rebuilt without fixing the problem, an agency hired for the wrong thing.

The cost of not deciding

This cost rarely makes it into the sums. If you spend money on ads every month without knowing what they bring in, after a year you have paid for a diagnostic several times over. The same goes for a website rebuilt twice or weekly hours on platforms that bring no clients. The useful question isn't how much the consultant costs. It is how much carrying on without deciding is costing you.

Questions to ask before accepting a proposal

Ask for clear answers to these questions:

What do I get at the end, in writing?
How long does it take and how much of my time will it need?
How will we measure whether it was worth it?
What isn't included?
What happens afterwards?

How to compare two proposals

Put them side by side and compare more than the final figure:

What you receive in writing at the end.
How much of your time each one needs.
Who does the work: the person you spoke to or someone else.
What happens if the result doesn't work for you.
Whether the proposal talks about your business or could have been sent to anyone.

Warning signs

Be wary when you see:

Promises of guaranteed results.
Identical packages for completely different businesses.
A price sent without a single question about your business.

How to prepare for the first conversation

The clearer you are, the more accurate the proposal. Bring answers, even rough ones, to these questions:

What you sell and who to.
Where your clients come from today.
What you have tried and what happened.
How much you put into marketing today, in money and in time.
What you hope will be different six months from now.

How it works in my case

The first meeting is free and is there to see whether it makes sense to go ahead. The marketing diagnostic is paid work, with its scope and fee defined after that conversation. Ongoing support is adjusted to the involvement needed, with a recommended minimum of three months. Training depends on the number of hours, the format and the number of participants.

Common questions

Why don't consultants publish prices?: Because the scope changes a lot from business to business. Even so, a consultant should be able to give you a fee or a range after a short conversation.
Is a cheaper consultant worse?: Not necessarily. Assess what you get, the relevant experience and the clarity of the proposal, not just the fee.
Is it worth it for a small business?: It is when it saves more than it costs: in badly used ads, lost time or wrong decisions. If you can't see that saving, it probably isn't the right moment yet.
Can I start with something small before committing?: Often, yes. Starting with a fixed-scope diagnostic is a way to see what working with someone is like before taking on monthly support.
What is a fractional CMO?: Someone who leads your marketing for a few hours a month without being hired full time. It makes sense when you need ongoing decisions and coordination, but the business doesn't yet justify a head of marketing on the team.

Who writes this

Andreia Cirne

Marketing consultant and certified trainer (CCP) based in Faro. She spent almost six years at a digital agency managing marketing projects, websites and teams, and providing marketing consulting to each client. Today she works directly with service businesses and trains teams so they can do the work without depending on anyone.

Read about my path

You don't need to know the full scope to ask for a fee. That is what the first meeting is for, and it is free.

Let's bring clarity to this