Marketing Consultancy

Looking for Surrey-based marketing consultants?

At Extended Thinking, we combine marketing expertise with a strong business development focus to help businesses create more opportunities, strengthen valuable relationships and achieve sustainable growth.

Based in Godalming, near Guildford in Surrey, we work with established B2B businesses, professional firms, organisations and individuals that sell expertise, both locally and across the UK.

Our approach goes beyond recommending marketing activities. We take time to understand your commercial objectives, identify where the best opportunities lie and develop practical strategies and plans that make the most of your relationships, reputation and resources.

And we don’t just leave you with a plan. We can provide the hands-on support, independent thinking and momentum needed to turn ideas into action.

How our marketing consultants help businesses grow

We help clients:

• Attract new customers and opportunities by identifying where to focus their marketing and business development efforts
• Strengthen customer relationships to generate greater loyalty, repeat business and opportunities for growth
• Build visibility and reputation with the people and organisations that matter commercially
• Develop practical marketing and business development plans that reflect their ambitions, resources and priorities
• Make more of their networks and professional contacts to create valuable connections, referrals and introductions
• Turn plans into action through practical implementation support, project management and accountability

Our support can range from strategic advice and planning to helping deliver specific marketing activities, such as events, content and communications.

We can also act as an independent sounding board, helping you challenge assumptions, explore new ideas and decide where your time and resources will make the greatest difference.

Marketing expertise with a business development focus

Good marketing and effective business development work best when they’re connected.

Your marketing activities should help you reach the right audiences, communicate your value and create opportunities for meaningful conversations. Your business development efforts should then help turn those conversations and relationships into commercial results.

That’s why our work often extends beyond traditional marketing consultancy into areas such as:

• Business development strategy & planning
• Customer & relationship growth
• Ideas into action
• Networking & community building
• Visibility & reputation strategy
• Winning new business

We tailor our involvement to your needs, whether you require help with a particular challenge, an important project or ongoing support.

Get in touch

Contact us on 01483 429111 or helpinghand@extendedthinking.com for more information.

Frequently asked questions about our marketing consultancy

1. How do you develop marketing and business development plans for your clients?

We start by understanding your business, its commercial objectives and the opportunities and challenges that could affect your growth.

Depending on what you need, this might involve conversations with key stakeholders, workshops, customer and market research, competitor analysis, or a review of your existing marketing and business development activities.

We assess where the greatest opportunities lie, which audiences and relationships matter most, and how your marketing and business development efforts can work together more effectively.

We then translate these insights into a concise, practical plan with clear priorities, actions and responsibilities. Our aim is to develop something your business can realistically implement, rather than a lengthy document that gathers dust.

2. Do you just provide marketing plans or can you help us implement them?

We can do both. In fact, helping businesses turn their plans and ideas into action is an important part of what we do.

Some clients need a clear strategy and practical recommendations they can implement themselves. Others value ongoing support to keep projects moving, coordinate activities or provide additional expertise and capacity.

This is particularly helpful for businesses with limited internal marketing and business development resources, or those with busy teams who need an extra pair of hands to maintain momentum.

3. Do you work on a project or retainer basis?

Both. We recognise that businesses have different needs, priorities and budgets, so we offer flexible arrangements.

You might need support with a specific project, such as developing a business development plan, strengthening your market positioning or delivering an important campaign.

Alternatively, we can provide ongoing support over an agreed period, helping you progress priorities, maintain momentum and respond to new opportunities.

We don’t believe in tying clients into unnecessarily rigid arrangements. We aim to provide the right level of support as your requirements evolve.

4. What sort of issues and opportunities do businesses typically come to you with?

Clients approach us for a wide range of marketing and business development challenges. For example:

• “We’re doing plenty of marketing, but we’re not generating enough of the right opportunities.”
• “We need a clearer business development strategy and a practical plan to make it happen.”
• “We have valuable customer relationships, but we’re not making the most of them.”
• “We want to raise our profile and reputation with the right audiences.”
• “We attend networking events, but we’re not seeing enough commercial value from them.”
• “We have good ideas, but not enough time or resources to put them into practice.”

Sometimes clients know exactly what support they need. At other times, they value an independent perspective to help them decide where to focus.

5. What results have you generated for clients?

We’ve helped businesses attract new customers, strengthen existing relationships, improve their market positioning and deliver marketing and business development projects that support their commercial objectives.

Our work has also helped clients win valuable new business, raise their profiles, build professional networks and turn plans into practical action.

Just as importantly, clients value having someone who understands their business, brings fresh thinking and helps them get things done.

You can read more about our clients’ experiences on our testimonials page.

6. What specialisms and expertise do you have?

We have particular expertise in supporting B2B businesses, professional services firms and organisations that sell knowledge, expertise and specialist services.

These businesses often depend on strong relationships, trust, reputation and the ability to demonstrate value. Their marketing and business development challenges can differ significantly from those of businesses selling consumer products.

We understand the importance of longer buying cycles, multiple decision-makers, referrals, professional networks and developing relationships over time.

Extended Thinking is led by Michelle Daniels, a Chartered Marketer with extensive experience in senior marketing and business development roles.

We combine this experience with an independent, commercially focused approach to help clients identify opportunities, make informed decisions, and achieve practical results.

7. How well do you know Surrey and its business community?

Extended Thinking is based in Godalming, near Guildford, and has strong connections across the Surrey business community.

Since our foundation in 2008, we’ve engaged with local business organisations, professional networks, and business development initiatives. This includes supporting networking and relationship-building activities that bring local businesses and professionals together.

Our local knowledge helps us understand the opportunities, challenges and connections that matter to businesses operating in Surrey.

While we’re proud of our Surrey roots, our work isn’t limited to the local area. We support businesses and professional firms across the UK.

8. What added value do you bring to clients?

Clients often tell us they appreciate our commercial outlook, proactive approach and our ability to turn ideas into action.

We don’t simply respond to the immediate brief. We take an interest in the wider business, challenge assumptions where appropriate, and identify opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.

We also recognise the value of bringing people together. Where appropriate, we make introductions, share useful insights, and help clients build relationships that could benefit their businesses.

Above all, we aim to be practical, collaborative, and easy to work with, providing the support needed to make meaningful progress.

9. What should you look for in a good marketing consultant?

A good marketing consultant should bring more than technical marketing knowledge.

They need to understand your business, your customers and the commercial outcomes you’re trying to achieve. They should be able to look objectively at your challenges, ask useful questions and recommend practical approaches that fit your resources and priorities.

Experience matters too, particularly the ability to recognise what is likely to work in different business situations and adapt as circumstances change.

At Extended Thinking, we believe the best consultancy relationships combine independent thinking, relevant expertise and a shared commitment to getting things done.

Let’s talk about your business

Whether you need a fresh perspective on your business development activities or want practical support to move an important project forward, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

Get in touch for an informal conversation about your business, the opportunities you’re looking to develop and how Extended Thinking could help.

Call us on 01483 429111 or email helpinghand@extendedthinking.com.