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Often when businesses face a change in direction, they look to a business consulting company for help. Finding a consultant who can honestly deliver that help with knowledge, efficiency and integrity can be a challenge. If you think your business could benefit from the help of a consultant, here are some things to consider when interviewing potential candidates.
First and foremost, a consultant must be able to listen. If a person can’t take the time to listen to what you have to say, it is highly unlikely they will ever understand your needs and objectives well enough to help you. Unfortunately, there are consultants out there who talk the talk but fail to hear what others have to say.
A management consultant should offer you a service, not a product. You are searching for help with problems within your business and you need someone who will work to solve those problems, meet the needs of the assignment, foster morale, or help plan new agendas. Be wary of someone who wants only to sell you this program, or that book, or this software. While all of these are great resources to have, a consultant must also provide guidance and teaching first.
Be wary of a consultant who boasts that “I can turn your company around” or some such exclamation.
A consultant’s job is to empower your management and employees to implement change, make wise choices and design a plan to reach goals in the future. A wise consultant will help you to recognize how the company got to where it is and demonstrate how to make the right choices to accelerate improvement.
Obviously you will want to work with a consultant who has had plenty of diversified experience. A big caveat here is to avoid the temptation to search out a consultant with experience only in your industry. In order to be truly effective a consultant must be able to offer a wide range of approaches to problem solving that can only come from having worked in many different situations.
When your business is failing, the last thing you or your employees need is someone telling you what a mess you’ve made of things or point out all the wrong choices you’ve made. If a consultant starts out telling you things like, “Boy, have you been doing things the wrong way” or is very patronizing, saying things like, “Let me tell you how it should have been done,” you should definitely end the interview then and there.
Last but not least, a potential consultant will come to you with an open mind, waiting until all of your concerns and issues have been presented before offering any advice at all. If a consultant appears to arrive at your door with a readymade, cookie cutter, one size fits all attitude to improvement, that is not the consultant you want!
Rachel Clarkson
Rachel Clarkson helps small business owners to grow their companies, increase revenues and become great leaders. Rachel’s articles can be found at the OneCoach blog: http://www.OneCoach.com/blog
Topic starter
Posted : 27/02/2010 4:56 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
Thanks for this very informative about [COLOR=gray]human resource consultant and other factors.[/COLOR]
Posted : 27/07/2011 11:53 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
Very informative.. thanks 🙂
Posted : 28/07/2011 1:47 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
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Posted : 29/07/2011 8:08 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
Now I'm sure you have come across a billion reviews of Big Commerce out there.
Is it the same old jargon that you are hearing time and time again?
Posted : 30/07/2011 6:02 pm
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
Hello friends.....
What a great job. I agree completely. Focus will be on the fact that a company can have or ought to have done so effectively, how they do things, "because that's the way I always do." In order to grow quickly learn from their mistakes and look ahead. I also like your site. Special Topic: more business, more money, more life.
We look onward to new jobs.
Thanks for...
Posted : 03/08/2011 12:00 pm
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
Helpful post i like this post. Man i think A good consultant has built relationships with other companies and businesses and will not hesitate to use these relationships to get best solutions for your company. You don’t need a consultant that opts for a cookie-cutter methodology but one that is flexible, changes his tactic and uses everything he got to make it happen.
Thanks for...
Posted : 18/11/2011 11:18 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
I believe that we are facing a serious problem that we use so many conventions to test something, however, at last, some is fit for that position with what were listed above, but declined, what was the reason?
Posted : 25/11/2011 3:00 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
Getting a thoughtful analysis of your business from a 3rd party consultant can be just what you need to take your company to the next level. You're right to suggest that there can be a fine line between confidence and boasting when a consultant offers you their experience to improve business. If you are consulting yourself trying to give constructive criticism and offer significant input needs to be tempered with tact.
However, the specialized experience that a consultant brings to the table will hopefully be more then just agreeing with the status quo. After all, if you're already doing everything right you may not need a consultant at all.
Posted : 29/12/2011 4:44 pm
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
I like this post. Man i think a Good consultant has built relationships with other companies and businesses and will not hesitate to use these relationships to get best solution for your company.
Posted : 23/01/2012 7:33 am
Re: How to Identify an Outstanding Consultant
That's a good post, hiring a best consulting company is tough job. But your post makes it bit easier for many. Thanks again for the share.
Posted : 12/11/2014 11:01 pm
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