by Victoria Duff

     This article was originally published in The Productivity Institute (PI) Newsletter

There comes a time when every executive or entrepreneur realizes that he needs help – the kind of help that nobody in his company can provide.  Usually it is a task that requires specialized expertise and he either doesn’t have the proper skill set or has no time to devote and can’t spare any of his employees for the job.

When you define what you need and hire a well-regarded consultant to fill that need, you not only get the task done properly but you save a lot of money and anguish.  On the other hand, the wrong consultant hired for a vague reason can cause a lot of expensive damage, and waste valuable time.

Define your need
First:  Ask yourself what you want to happen that isn’t happening.  If you are in doubt about the true source of poor performance or cannot decide where change is needed, you might want to ask for a short review and recommendations from the consultant you are considering hiring.  You should expect to pay for this, but it will allow you to evaluate the consultant’s work before committing to an extensive engagement.

Second: Ask some questions.  Asking the right questions of people who are close to the problem will give you an idea where the source of the problem might lie.  A good way to limit consulting costs and increase the likelihood of a successful project is to know exactly what you want the consultant to accomplish and be able to describe that goal during your initial consultation. 

Third: A large national consulting firm is not necessarily your best choice.  You might be better served by an independent consultant who has experience in your industry and who specializes in small or mid-size companies.  Such a consultant usually has experience gained in a large company but can customize her services to suit the needs of your company, while a consultant from a large national firm will most likely present solutions that involve proprietary packaged services offered by that firm. 

Look for skills
Using a consultant referral service is a good way to find a choice of consultants - particularly one that constantly rates consultants; however, it is not necessarily to your advantage to deal with referral services that encourage consultants to bid for jobs based on price.  While you may need to keep costs within budget, your aim is to find a professional with the right set of skills, not simply the lowest price provider.  All good consultants will try to cooperate with you if you tell them your budget.   Do not fall for a sharp sales pitch or the least expensive fees.  Look for consultants that have been pre-vetted by a person or service you can trust.  An outstanding consultant might charge a little more but the added value she brings will prove the bargain.

Never forget you are hiring a professional for his or her skill and experience with subject matter that you may not have mastered.  Let the consultant demonstrate what he knows.  You should not feel as though you need to learn how to do the consultant’s job.  The most important way to assure you will have a good experience hiring a consultant is to look for someone who can display skills.  A promise of great results is merely a sales technique.  What you are looking for is years of work experience that demonstrate mastery of a skill set.  A good consultant should be able to describe his procedures for discovery, how he manages the project, and how he expects to provide your solution.  Such information from a prospective consultant allows you to make an intelligent decision based on facts rather than sales tactics.   

Victoria Duff, founder of Southern California-based aBusinessPlan.com, is a widely acclaimed start-up facilitator, enterprise analyst, strategic advisor, venture finance catalyst, investor liaison, author, and speaker.  Her depth of experience lends itself well to efficiently providing solutions to over a decade of happy repeat clients.  Her advisory practice can be found at:  www.aBusinessPlan.com  Ms. Duff is available on a retainer or project basis vduff@abusinessplan.com .