How to Find the Right Consultant for Your Business Project
If you need to hire a consultant
for your small business, it can
be a daunting task. You may need
the services of a lawyer, an
accountant, a software designer,
a graphic designer or a network
engineering company. Or maybe
you just need a trainer for a
week to teach your staff better
customer service techniques.
Whatever your consulting needs,
you can make your project more
successful, with a few simple
guidelines.
1. Be sure to interview a number
of consulting companies and
service providers before you
choose. You’ll find that your
perspective changes as you talk
to more people and, while the
first company may be the one you
choose anyway, you’ll feel
better having looked at more
options. You wouldn’t buy the
first house you saw with your
realtor, would you?
2. Write down your expectations
and preferences. Even the
simplest thing can be a deal
breaker if it is something that
is important to you. Ask them
how they deal with their
clients, how many times a week
they talk to their clients, if
they work onsite or in their own
office, whether they produce
written reports to keep you
updated on status and
activities.
3. Ask for references on similar
projects and call the references
with a list of questions you
want answered. Don’t just let
the conversation go in any
direction. Be sure you get the
information you need to make the
decision. Don’t be afraid to ask
challenging questions about the
consultant. For example, did the
consultant bring the project in
for the same price, and on the
same schedule as the customer
was originally quoted? If not,
why not? If you are calling a
consultant just because your
friend used them, don’t take
that reference as ‘good enough’.
Do your own homework and
research. You’ll be happy you
did!
4. Spend some time documenting
your requirements, and planning
the project. Be sure your
expectations are well-conceived
and reasonable. Don’t look for
someone to complete a year long
project in three months. You may
find a consultant who will say
they can do it, but you are
bound to be disappointed with
the results.
5. Include your personal
preferences for working style in
your expectations. Do you prefer
someone who talks a lot and
keeps you in the loop, or do you
want someone with a no-nonsense
approach who says very little,
but gets a lot done?
6. Will you need the consultant
to work with other staff
members? Are there people in
other offices they will have to
meet and with whom you will
expect them to work closely? If
so, include those people in the
interviews so that everyone
agrees on the consultant you
choose. If you have the final
decision, be sure your staff
understands why you chose a
particular consultant. You don’t
want this to turn into a power
struggle.
7. If you expect resistance from
your staff when you bring in an
outside consultant, don’t
sabotage the project upfront. Be
sure the consultant knows what
the issues may be and that they
are prepared to address them. Be
sure the person or company you
choose can deal with controversy
and recognize and defeat
problems without turning them
into arguments or being
undermined in their progress on
the goals you have set for them.
Don’t avoid dealing with your
problems by giving them to an
outsider, or you will fail every
time.
8. Find out if the type of
project or work you are planning
to give this consultant is their
specialty or just a side line.
You want someone who knows what
they are doing and you want to
be sure that the staff they
assign to the project are
equally as skilled.
9. Plan for the interviews and
keep notes on your findings so
you can get together with your
staff and discuss each candidate
after the interviews are
complete. You would be amazed at
how quickly we forget just who
promised what deliverables, when
we are talking to three, four or
five companies or people about
the same project.
10. Sign a contract. Be clear
about the terms and conditions
for the budget, the schedule and
the tasks you want accomplished.
Have a lawyer draw up a standard
contract for your signature so
that the contract will consider
all obligations and be
enforceable if the consultant
does not deliver the goods.
These are just a few of the
things you should consider when
selecting a consultant. If you
give it some thought, I’m sure
you can come up with more. The
most important thing is to
choose the consultant as if you
were hiring a person on your
staff. Make sure you can work
closely with that person and
that you feel you can develop
trust with them. You may feel
you don’t have the time for this
level of scrutiny, but your
project will be more successful
if you approach the process in
this way.
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