Partnering with a consultant can be a true game-changer because it leverages the consultant’s knowledge and experience to give your organization a boost. Whether you are working with a consultant to identify inefficiencies in how you run your business or looking to revamp your branding, one thing remains consistent: You have to pick the right consultant to get the results you want.
But where should you start? Look to match your needs with the consultant’s experience, communication style and unique specialization to ensure a good fit with your organization and team members. And – above all else – make sure you leverage referrals.
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1. Experience
When you hire a consultant, you’re looking for an expert. To quote the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an expert is “one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject.”
Mastery of a subject takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. This is something business leaders learn all too well as they put in countless hours to grow their brand and navigate the ups and downs that come with entrepreneurship.
It stands to reason, then, that if you’re looking for a consultant with true mastery of their field, they need to have ample experience in the area you need their help with. While there’s not necessarily a hard and fast number of years a consultant needs to have logged in their field of expertise, Malcolm Gladwell’s best selling book Outliers argues that true experts have at least 10,000 hours of experience in their field.
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But just because someone is an expert in a certain field does not mean they will make a good consultant. Consultants also need key soft skills that will allow them to formulate strategies and effectively communicate with their clients — such as creative thinking, curiosity, time management, problem-solving and a collaborative mindset.
2. Communication Style
It doesn’t matter how experienced a consultant is — if their communication style is a poor fit for your own, your partnership is doomed from the start.
This encompasses several areas. First is that consultants should be able to explain their insights and recommendations in a way that you and other leaders within your organization can understand. If they deliver everything in a mess of jargon, you’ll have a hard time actually putting their recommendations into action.
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Then comes their organization and methods of communication. Do you prefer to receive information via email? Is your consultant working on an important project that requires regular meetings with the entire team?
This methodology needs to be figured out before you enter into a partnership with a consultant. Setting clear expectations for communication upfront helps keep everyone aligned and on track with the big picture goals.
More importantly, it enables leaders to worry less about managing the relationship with the consultant. When you are able to free up your time to focus on the areas that lie within your own realm of expertise, you double the potential power of a consultant partnership.
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3. Specialization
Even within a broader niche, looking for consultants who specialize in serving your specific industry can make a big difference for your outcomes. While a generalist consultant can still provide quality work, it’s worth the extra time and energy to to do a little digging into their background so you can pick a consultant who has experience in your industry or specific use case situation.
Stephen Kurtz, president of Total IT makes this point come to life. As he explains, “IT companies often focus on individual industries, because they can have vastly different tech and cybersecurity needs. For example, look at the healthcare industry. Industries like healthcare have unique use cases and challenges that a generalist might not even be aware of. When you take time to find a consultant with a unique specialty that matches your needs you will more often than not get support that is better tailored to your specific application. This can be especially valuable in areas where compliance is a major concern.”
Kurtz offers a good piece of advice. “When interviewing consultants, take time to find out what type of clients or industries have they worked with in the past. If they’ve worked with organizations similar to your own, they will likely be better equipped to address your challenges.”
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4. Referrals
One often overlooked practice for finding a consultant is checking referrals. If you aren’t lucky enough to get a direct referral from someone you trust, make sure you ask the consultants you are considering to provide references from their own clients.
In the digital age, there’s really no excuse for not evaluating a consultant’s reputation with current and former clients. Online review sites like Google My Business and Yelp have leveled the playing field in putting this information out there. These are good starting points, but don’t let them keep you from asking for references after you meet with a consultant. A quality consultant should have no qualms over providing a few references.
By reaching out to a consultant’s references, you can get a more in-depth picture of what it is like to work with a particular consultant — pros and cons, work style, and so on. Sometimes, a qualified consultant might not be the right fit for your organization because of a mismatch in work and communication preferences, and that’s okay. By contacting referrals, you can identify potential issues that might hinder your partnership.
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Make the Most of Consultant Relationships
The best consultants don’t just bring specialized knowledge and rich industry experience. They seek to work as true partners with your business, helping address the pain points that caused you to seek them out in the first place. By doing your due diligence to select the right consultant from the start, you can build a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship.
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