Finding the right business consultant

Chemistry: Meet with the prospective consultant several times before hiring. Ask yourself if you see the other person as a peer and a potential partner? If you don't respect them, or see them as merely a vendor or subordinate, don't hire them. You don't need another employee; you need a business partner for a particular issue.

Demeanour: The individual should look professional and act accordingly. Don't worry if you get their voicemail because good consultants should be busy. The key is, do they get back to you promptly? Their language should be clear and articulate.
Proposal: The consultant should provide you with a proposal that is based on achieving clear business outcomes, and not on merely delivering technology or methodology. In other words, running focus groups or delivering training programs is simply a task; improving sales results or enhancing customer satisfaction is a business outcome. Achieving the former and not the latter is worthless.

Fees: The consultant should provide a fixed fee for the project. Hourly rates are not as effective, because there is a meter running for as long as the consultant is working. With hourly rates, there is a built-in conflict of interest, since the longer the project takes, the more the consultant is paid. Insist on a fixed fee, or at the very least a cap on the hours.

Every business reaches a point where an outside opinion and/or a breath of fresh air is required. A good consultant is someone you'll hate to see go when the project ends on time, and who you'll want to invite back at the first appropriate new challenge. The best advice I can give in choosing a consultant, is to use your judgment: is this someone you would trust with your wallet?

—Dr Alan Weiss, Summit Consulting Group www.alanweisslive.com. Dr Weiss is a world-renowned speaker, author and consultant based in New York. He is holding a one-day Value Pricing Workshop on Tuesday 7 October at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney. To register or find out more, visit www.alanweisslive.com