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Process Used to Hire Consultant
How to Hire the Best Consultant
The
following process used to hire
consultant will
help you hire the best consultant to achieve your goals,
regardless of what type of consultant you're looking to hire.
There are
literally
thousands of
consultants in the marketplace, in every industry and niche
imaginable. You can find consultants to help your pet behave
better, or
consultants to help your Fortune 500 company increase profits.
Knowing when and how to hire the best consultant will
help you save time, money and effort. Here's a summary process used to
hire consultant (click on each item or scroll down for more detailed
information):
Before even
considering a consultant,
determine what exactly it is you would like to gain. Do you want
to save time? Do you need to save money? Make more
money? Understanding your objectives up front will help you find
the best consultant to help you with your particular needs.
Know
thy
industry. Ask a
potential consultant
what their expertise or background is in their industry or niche.
Have they published any articles or books? Get references from current
or past clients. Any consultant you hire should be considered an
expert in his or her field.
Bigger is Not
Always Better
There are large consulting firms in
the marketplace that cater to just about every business need (they can
help you improve your processes, increase your bottom line, reduce
costs, etc.) These large conglomerates are well-known, and often
very expensive. BEFORE using one of these firms, you should do
the following:
- Find
out who
EXACTLY will be
working on your account and their credentials Just as you would
check the credentials of an individual consultant, find out what
criteria the consulting firm uses to recruit consultants working for
them.
- How
will
performance be measured?
Make sure the contract or agreement with the firm includes
accountability and performance measurements expected from the
consulting firm. For example, if one of the objectives is to
reduce an interval by 20% or XX number of days within a certain
timeframe, include this in the agreement, and also include consequences
if the objectives are not met. If the money you're paying the
consultants can't be measured in REAL
DOLLARS, or obvious results (e.g.
your pet is better behaved), then you are wasting
your money.
- Inspect
what
you Expect -
Don't just assume the consulting firm is doing what they're supposed to
be
doing. In order to ensure compliance and performance, you must
have someone from your company inspect the results. One way to
ease this process is by asking the consulting firm to generate weekly
or monthly reports showing results (make sure this is part of the
initial
agreement).
Set Objectives and
Timeframes
As
discussed in the
previous section,
make sure you set specific, measurable goals to monitor
performance. Let's face it, you're hiring the consultant to
either save you money, time or make some type of improvement. The
value you
gain from the consultant based on his or her performance
should at least meet the
amount of money you put in. One way you
can measure this is by looking at the total of the results expected
(say an increase of profits over 12 months of $24,000). Then look
at how much the consultant is charging you, and for how long, (say
$12,000 over a 12 month period), and subtract that from your total
results. Using this example, you would net $12,000 profit over
the 12 month period ($24,000-$12,000=$12,000). The methodology
can get complex when you factor in multiple years of profits or
savings, but understanding what you're paying for is key for any
process used to hire consultant.
Setting timeframes for your particular project will also help ensure
measurable success. Knowing when and what to expect will help
both you and the consultant determine how well they are doing.
There's a new trend
with some
consulting firms where you pay based solely
on performance. In
other words, you only pay based on results. An example of this is
telecommunications cost
reduction. Some of these firms collect a percentage of any
savings they find after they
have implemented and validated the savings
for you. Although the percentage of savings might be high, it is
truly a win-win situation.
You are still putting more money to
your bottom line even with the percentange that the consultant
collects. Think about how much revenue you would have to make up
for the amount the consultant could save you.
Many smaller consulting firms
specialize in providing services to niche markets (small businesses,
certain types of businesses (e.g. dental offices), etc.) Because
these smaller firms specialize in niche markets, they usually know that
market inside and out.
Find out from any trade
associations you
belong to in your industry, or from colleagues, if they have used a
consultant in the area you need help with. Often they can refer
you to a consultant who specializes in your field.
A consultant should
provide some type
of guarantee for their work. Any good consulting firm will
provide some type of guarantee to ensure you achieve desired results.
Not every situation is ideal for both
parties. A good consulting firm should offer a free, initial
consultation. During this meeting, you and the consultant should
determine if the consultant can help you with your need.
If
the consultant is not a good match for you, they should let you know up
front and offer recommendations or provide names of other consultants
who may be able to better help you. You risk wasting a lot of
time and effort if you hire a consultant who cannot truly help you with
your particular needs.
Where do I find a
Consultant?
There are many ways you can find
consultants to help you. One of the best ways is to ask for
referrals from other people or businesses that have used
consultants. Another way is to check with your local Chamber of
Commerce or Better Business Bureau for names of consultants. The
internet is also a great source for finding consultants. You can
check with E-work Markets (www.eworkmarkets.com) where consultants
actually pay for membership, but persons or businesses seeking
consultants don't pay anything to post their projects. There are
also consultancy organizations in just about every industry (search
your industry - for example, consultant AND
telecommunications). You
can also check with trade associations in your industry to see if they
know of a good consultant.
In closing, make
sure you understand
the process used to hire consultant explained above. Understand
why you need to hire a consultant, set specific objectives up
front, and make sure you receive value for the money you put in.
Hiring a consultant can help you improve your bottom line, reduce
costs, or help your pet behave better!
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© 2006 Pax Telecom Consulting,
Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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