How to Successfully Hire a Business Consultant

For many organizations, hiring a business consultant can be the first step in enabling change. Consultants are recruited for their expertise in specific business areas, along with the objective view that they can bring to longstanding or new issues and problems.

The consultancy market is often very competitive and, even within niche areas of expertise and knowledge, it can be difficult to find the right consultant. Bringing in external consultants is never cheap and, if you are to ensure that you are making best use of your available budget, there are a number of key steps that should be undertaken.

Planning the scope of work

Many consultant contracts fail because the business has no clear vision of what it wants the consultant to deliver. Recruiting a consultant to "improve customer service" for example is simply not specific enough, and is unlikely to deliver a positive outcome. Consultants are best applied to a problem statement, such as, "Why do so many of our customers cancel their contract after twelve months?" This gives the consultant a very specific area to focus on. What you must then also define is a set of objectives, against which the consultant will be measured. Planning the work in this way ensures that both parties understand exactly what is expected.

Widen your search

Like any other kind of business, consultants like repeat customers and will work hard to maintain relationships in a way that sees them recruited by the same business over multiple projects. This may be effective for your business, but it always pays to consider a range of different firms. Identify potential consultants through advertisements, searching online and networking. Word-of-mouth is a very powerful tool in consultant circles. A strong recommendation from one of your peers is a good indication of a quality supplier.

Interview them like anyone else

Consultants should still be appointed following an interview process. Some businesses put work out to tender and then evaluate the bids based on the company. In fact, it is the individuals that may be working within your business that are key to the success of the project. Ensure that you have had the opportunity to meet the specific consultants that will be working with your business and feel free to interview them as you would any other candidate.

Measure the success of previous ventures

To establish the value that a consultant may bring to your business, you should aim to evaluate their previous work and projects. This can help you identify similar projects, where the consultant can apply learning and best practice from experience. If, for example, you are looking for support in reviewing your contact center operation, then you should ensure that the consultant that you intend to work with can demonstrate recent knowledge of the industry. One of the key attributes of a good consultant is up-to-date commercial awareness, so you should be looking for evidence of this.

Understanding the exit strategy

Consultants should be looking at what they can deliver, and how they can equip your business for success after they have finished an assignment. It is vital that change is bedded into business-as-usual operations and that the consultant has a clear strategy to help you achieve this. Consultancy is only effective where it supports sustainable change, and you will need support to deliver it.

Consultants can offer a huge boost to your business by applying skills and experience that you simply do not have in-house. It does, however, represent a significant cost to your business, and you must therefore ensure that you are spending the money on the right consultant for the objectives that you wish to achieve.