Don't try to manage complexity in a vacuum.

I know. You have no time. Your marketing budget is spoken for, or maybe you don’t have much of a marketing budget this year. You already have a marketing firm. You don’t want to suffer through a high-pressure sales session. It’s easy to come up with reasons NOT to meet with that marketing consultant who requests your time.

But there are at least three reasons why you SHOULD meet with a good marketing consultant.

1) Marketing has changed drastically even in the last two years. If you’ve been trodding more or less the same path for the last couple of years, there’s a better-than-even chance you’re not up to date on something you ought to know: how to use social media press releases to improve your Web site rankings, how to narrow-cast your updates to immediately support sales efforts, how to cut expenses by leveraging new interactive advertising techniques, how to direct mail to smaller audiences for better results… and lots more.

2) A good consultant will clue you in to very specific programs that are working for other companies. Maybe you’ll learn something new about affordable search engine optimization (SEO), advertising on Facebook, targeting top prospects by holding private events during trade shows, customer loyalty-building programs, opt-in email campaigns, company blogs, or who-knows-what. You’ll get the inside scoop quickly and painlessly.

3) Networking with people who have services you may someday desire – even if you don’t want them today – is forward-thinking. To be an executive or business owner with vision, you need inspiration. Personal relationships provide a source of inspiration you’ll get nowhere else.

Remember, you can set the ground rules for this meeting. For example, prior to agreeing to meet, specify: You have 30 minutes. You’re not in the market to buy services today. You’d like this to be a discussion rather than a sales session. You name it.

Have a great meeting.