3 Questions to Ask Yourself if You’re Considering Working with a Consultant
Consultants are a great way to reach your goals when your capacity is limited for a season, or in a particular area. This article is meant to give you a few things to think about if you need some help bringing your big idea to life or taking it to the next level.
So, let’s jump right in!
According to NAICS, consultants are people with highly specialized skills or training who offer professional or technical services to other entities.
Figure out if you need advice or services
You’ll get the most out of your consultant if you can answer this question-
1) “Do I need someone to give me a plan to execute or help me execute the vision?”
I’ve seen organizations spend thousands of dollars on a consultant only to end up in the same place because they didn’t know that they didn’t just need a plan, but someone who would stick around to help them apply best practices.
Wanna avoid this pitfall?
Wrestle honestly with your need so that you don’t spend money on a plan, only to be left to do it all yourself with the same constraints that caused you to reach out in the first place.
Make sure their expertise aligns with your needs
If you’re thinking about a consultant, either you, a loved one, or members of your team have some general idea that you need help and, likely, what you need help with, give or take.
So now it’s time to ask yourself:
2) “Does the person I’m thinking about working with have education or experiences that align with what I need help with?”
Then make sure any consultant your consider has education or experience that touches on your pain point. And if they have both, great!
Don’t be afraid to ask for things like:
Resume
References
Specific examples of how they might address one pain point you face
Pick a person you can trust and personality you can work with
Have an answer for questions 1 and 2? Great! Let’s move on to my last tip for today, which is equally important.
3) “Do I trust the person I am considering working with? Am I willing to take their advice, and can I work with their personality and work style?”
Why? Because you will get the most out of your consultant if you let them do their job, trust their ideas and your vision, and use your voice. Working with a consultant will be the same dance you do in any relationship that matters: you give and take, know each one’s strengths, and weaknesses, express your needs, execute, discuss, adjust, and repeat.
