Whether you are in need of an IT consulting firm, management consulting firm, or any other type of business consulting, hiring the wrong firm is one of the most costly business decisions you can make. You identified a business challenge that requires outside assistance, and a misstep in identifying the correct partner has further delayed a solution. The time and energy expended getting back on track imparts a huge financial and mental impact on your business. A problem you thought was well on its way to being remediated is now more glaring than ever.

This scenario can be avoided in the vetting process if you do your homework and are mindful of these questions to ensure value in the partnership between the business consulting firm and your company.

Does Your Consultant Know More Than You Do?

If you didn’t have a deep understanding of the ins and outs of your business and industry, you wouldn’t be enjoying the success that you are. The purpose of a consultant is to help build on the knowledge you and your team possess and provide a fresh set of eyes and new ideas. You should feel confident that your chosen consulting firm can save you weeks, months, or even years providing an optimal solution to your specific problem.

The consulting firm must be able to do this constructively. Steer clear of consultants who oversell. While it’s important that they explain their expertise and establish credibility in their subject matter, they shouldn’t overpromise and present themselves in a condescending fashion. They should be willing to learn how your business operates and provide specialized solutions within that framework. Your consulting firm should know more than you do in their area of expertise, but they should recognize, understand, and appreciate your success while providing their knowledge and experience to move your company forward.

How can you be confident that your business consulting firm has the knowledge, experience, and skills you need? Ask. Uncovering important information about a consulting firm’s history, process, and successes will give you the confidence you need to make a selection and move forward.

Here are some questions that will help identify the top consulting firm for your business:

1. How long have you been consulting?
2. Have you worked with other clients in our industry?
3. Have you ever encountered a problem similar to ours before? What was your solution?
4. What is your process like?
5. What results can I expect and how soon can I expect them?
6. What resources does your firm have available to ensure our problem is solved?
7. How will you get up to speed in our practice?
8. Do you have references from previous projects?

Asking these questions in addition to the specific business-related questions you have will enable you to determine the level of knowledge of the business consulting firm you are interviewing relatively quickly. If you are not convinced a management consultant or firm brings the knowledge or experience you need to the table, then move on to your next prospective consultant until you get the answers you need

Can Your Consultant Teach?

You’ve heard the idiom, “if you give a man a fish he eats for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he eats for life.” Your consulting firm should not simply be providing an answer, they should be providing a process and a long-term solution. Regular contact with your consultant will taper off as the project reaches its conclusion. Will you be left with more knowledge than you had so that the resolution of your business problem is sustainable?
A good indicator of a consultant’s ability to teach is how they answer your questions in the vetting process. Short, condescending answers demonstrate an unwillingness to develop your knowledge. Taking the time to slow down and patiently explain concepts in an understandable way shows a desire to ensure you are 

gaining the knowledge you need to move your business forward. A good consulting firm wants to solve your problem quickly, but also wants to ensure you have learned what you needed to learn to positively impact your business for years to come.

Does Your Consultant Listen?

Your consulting firm must have the skills and experience necessary to solve your problem. It is more important that they actually take the time to listen to you and your team to fully understand what that problem is. If you don’t feel like you are truly being heard when you ask questions or raise concerns in the vetting process, it is likely this prospective partner will not be the right one for you. Your business challenge is specific to your business and requires a specific solution. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to consulting.

Fruitful discussions drive success in a consulting partnership. You and your consultant may not always be on the same page about what is best moving forward. If you have concerns it is imperative that you feel comfortable expressing them. Your consultant should address these specifically by incorporating them into the plan, or explaining how the current plan addresses them. You should not release your concerns until you are comfortable you are on the same page with your consulting firm moving forward.

Will Your Consultant Respectfully Disagree?

You are hiring a business consultant to overcome a specific challenge and move your business forward. This should not be an adversarial process, but on occasion, disagreements may arise about what the best next steps are. When this happens, you need more than a “yes” person telling you what you want to hear. You need a consulting partner who is willing to have these difficult conversations and make sure you see the discussion from all sides.

This should be handled professionally and tactfully. A consulting firm that shoots down your points without really hearing them will likely not be a productive partner. Implementing a sustainable solution that meets your long-term business goals is going to require a tremendous amount of shared thoughts and some give and take. If you don’t believe the consulting firm you are considering will provide this, it is probably best to go in a different direction.

How is the Business Consulting Firm’s Reputation?

In today’s business climate there should be no shortage of references and testimonials available on the management consulting firms you are considering. Their website is a good source for portfolios, former clients, and understanding their expertise, but other sources will give you deeper insights into the firm. Be meticulous. Check them out on LinkedIn and any other social media they participate in. See if there are Google reviews or previous customers sharing their experience in any other way. Additionally, check your network. Being able to bounce questions off someone you know will be exceptionally valuable in helping you make an informed decision.

You could ask your contact the same questions we are suggesting you ask prospective management consulting firms here and see how the answers line up. It is unlikely a consultant would be intentionally dishonest to win your business, but their perception of how they work through your business problem to obtain your desired outcome may differ from an actual customer’s experience.

Will the Consultant Fit Your Company Culture?

Hiring a business consulting firm is the quickest way to fix your problem, but the consultant will still be working with you and your team for a while. Since the feedback and insights your team provides will be invaluable in devising and implementing a plan to overcome your business challenge, you must be confident that the consultant you hire will facilitate positive, productive interactions. Ask a consulting firm about their process to get to know the staff and identify key sources for the information they need. The best business consulting firms have a process in place for this that has been successful in the past.

If you do have a contact who has worked with the firm in the past, they would be an excellent source to ask about culture fit and staff interaction. While this may not seem important for a temporary situation, a good rapport and positive relationships with your team will decrease the time it takes to achieve the desired outcome and will make overall adoption of the implemented solution more likely.

How Experienced Is The Consultant In Your Industry?

A follow-up question to this one might also be: “Is experience in my industry vital to what I need to accomplish?”. Certain specialized industries like healthcare or finance may require someone who understands the nuances and regulations on privacy and security. If this is the case, then you need to investigate and understand the consulting firm’s track record of performing this type of work to ensure the provided solution will be compliant with industry standards.

If your vertical is not heavily regulated, would a fresh perspective from a different background be beneficial? An outside set of eyes may see something that could get overlooked or taken for granted by someone who has worked in the industry for years. A consulting firm with a track record of success across many verticals could be the perfect answer. Be sure you understand what their process for learning your industry will be like, and be prepared to provide any resources the consulting firm may request.
Are You Confident In Your Consultant’s Plan?

At some point in the discovery process, the prospective consulting firm will give you an overview of their process and a general idea of how they plan to go about providing a solution to your business problem. You need to believe in the approach and be confident in the people providing the solution, and the solution itself.

An effective project plan will evolve throughout your project, but should always contain a few mandatory items. First, the problem should be clearly defined along with a synopsis of the solution. Second, the steps to resolution should be clearly defined. Finally, the project plan should display a clear timeline that helps you understand when you can expect your problem to be solved and the solution to be fully integrated.

If you are skeptical from the beginning, you will likely be skeptical throughout the relationship with the consulting firm. That type of business relationship is not effective for either of you. If you are not comfortable with any aspect of the approach to the solution in your business consultant’s outline, ask questions until you are.

Establishing this confidence at the very beginning of the relationship will ensure that your chosen consulting firm can hit the ground running on day one of your project and get your solution implemented as quickly as possible.

Hiring the right consulting firm is a huge decision that impacts your business in many ways. Focusing on these six questions throughout your vetting process will keep you pointed in the right direction. Ultimately, communication is key. If you are very transparent with your consulting firm and they are receptive and responsive to your questions, you can anticipate a valuable business relationship and expect a powerful, sustainable solution to the business problem you are looking to address.

 

If you have business challenges, Donyati has guided some of the world’s largest corporations through complex and high-profile technology implementations. We specialize in well-known enterprise business technologies with in-depth knowledge of many other products and solutions. Please contact us today and let us show you how partnering with Donyati will move your business forward.