Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant

Hiring a business consultant can be the first step in maximizing the success of your organization.  At Global Resources, we provide an objective and comprehensive analysis of the business to give an unbiased view of its strengths and weaknesses. 

If your company is ready to progress forward with the professional assistance of a business consultant, it is important to hire the best consultant for the job. Here are some questions we suggest asking prospective business consultants:

1. How many professionals work at your firm? Business consultants fall essentially into two categories: Solo-practitioners and team players. Understanding the difference between working with a consultant who is on his own or a company which has a team of professionals with experts with experience in a variety of fields will help you evaluate what you need and who offers the best opportunity for you to gain the professional help you deserve.  
2. Will you sign a letter of confidentiality? Will you refrain from working for our competitors?  Ask all consultants to sign a letter of confidentiality. You and your staff must feel free to discuss business subjects with your consultant and trust his or her discretion. If you feel uncomfortable, you won't discuss matters candidly, which will affect the outcome of your consulting engagement. 
3. Ask how many clients do you work with at the same time?  Will you return phone calls or emails the same day? The number of clients a consultant can serve well varies with the kind of service provided and clients involved. But some general rules apply: You want to have same-day response to questions or problems. Be sure to ask about their practices for personal follow through when working with you and their follow-up for client services.  
4. Will you teach us to do this work for ourselves and become self-sufficient? By making training part of the consultant's job, you can limit the chance for the unnecessary expense of the consultants doing what your own employees could be doing, once they are properly trained by the consultants you hire. Establish a schedule within which the consultant can accomplish the goals you have established for the project. 
5. What kind of documentation will you give us when the project is completed? Keeping a paper trail of the work a consultant does for you accomplishes several ends-all of them good. Documentation will usually give you some forms and tools that you can use for continuous improvement and allows you to keep a record of the analyses made of your company and the responses you've taken. 

To learn more and / or to schedule your complimentary appointment with the business experts at Global Resources LLC, call us at 855-338-0266.