Jennifer Kovach Explains How to Find the Best Match Between a Consultant and Your Company

When your business needs external help, it can be difficult to decide which consultant is right for you. There are dozens of different types of consultants, all of whom have special strengths and focus areas.

Jennifer Kovach of Filter Communications explains the process of finding the right consultant, from the early stages of selection to the work that they can perform for your business.

1. Look at Their Qualifications

First, you will want to look at your prospective consultant’s qualifications. You will want to know whether they have a college degree, usually in business, communications, economics, or computer science.

You will also want to know whether consultants can back up their academic qualifications with sufficient real-world experience. An experienced consultant like Filter Communications can guide you through solving various business issues like sales and marketing problems and many more.

2. Assess Their Knowledge Level

Consulting is a highly specialized profession. While consultants can often offer their services to a variety of businesses, most have specialty categories that they prefer to work with. They bring in extra help where it is needed the most and guide companies to the best possible results.

3. Look At Their Communication Abilities

A consultant needs to have excellent communication skills to be successful. Having poor communication skills is a red flag that you should not hire a particular consultant. They need communications skills to determine exactly what your business needs from them and how to explain the changes you need to make in order to help your business be more successful.

4. Ask for References

Anyone can put up a website and market themselves as a business consultant since there are no defined professional certifications for this line of work. You will want to talk to other clients and find out how the consultant’s services worked to help them solve a particular problem or improve their general operations.

5. Know What Type of Help You Need

When you hire a consultant, it is not wise to request help with every aspect of your business. You should have a basic understanding of what kind of services you need your consultant to provide for you. Some of these services can include executive coaching, reducing turnover, and leadership training.

Specialist consultants like Filter

Communications can help with certain areas of your business. It helps a great deal if you have a clear idea of how your consultant can help you and what tasks they need to perform to bring your business up to par.

Of course, there are times when you don’t know why your business isn’t performing as it should be. These are times when a general business consultant might be able to audit your operations as a whole and see how they can help you pinpoint your problem.

6. Understand Your Contract

You will need to have a complete understanding of your contract terms and what they require both parties to do to get results. Some consultants charge by the hour, while others require a long commitment for your project’s duration.

“Instant consultants” have the shortest contract duration, but they may cost more than a long-term consultant. No matter which type of consultant you choose, you need to know how much it will cost and what services your fee will cover.

7. Understand the Consultant’s Approach

Some consultants operate traditionally, with a large team of talented individuals collaborating on your project. Having a large stable of in-house talent means that traditional consulting is quite expensive. Some consultants hire mostly freelancers, meaning that the consultants will have a more varied approach and that you may get a more well-rounded solution to your problem.

The drawback of freelancers is that they are not bound by contract to work for your company. They may decide that your project is not for them and move to another. It is harder to convince a freelancer to stay than it is to sign a contract with a company with a large number of in-house personnel.

8. Commit to the Time Needed

You will need to commit to the time format put forth by your consultant. Some consultants want to have face-to-face or online meetings once a week, once a month, or less frequently. You need to commit to the number of meetings the consultant needs and the time your company needs to work on your new skills.

Choosing a Consultant

Jennifer Kovach wants business leaders to understand how important it can be to choose the right consultant. This article has provided food for thought when it comes to choosing the right consultant for you.

Most importantly, be aware that hiring a consultant won’t mean an instant turnaround in your business unless you are willing to do the work based on their recommendations. Consultants can’t do your work for you, but they can show you the best way to accomplish your goals.