Using a Business Consultant

How can a small business achieve big-business results without spending a fortune on expensive employees? In many cases, the answer is to engage the services of outside consultants. As a business owner, you don’t need full-time staff to cover every operation and function. But you do need to know how to tap into additional resources when necessary. That’s where consultants can be of assistance and value.

Reaching for a consultant when problems arise has become a natural exercise for American business. When you're not feeling well, you call for the services of a doctor. If your car isn't running right, you take it to a mechanic. When businesses encounter a problem, whether in advertising, accounting, computer use, sales, or customer relations, wise business owners are seeking the advice of those with a background in the field. To be successful, a business must keep abreast of the ever-changing world in which it operates. The consultant helps businesses of all sizes make the transition between their present level of operation and the more successful level needed to maintain and grow their share of the market.

Using the right consultants can be a cost-effective way of addressing a wide-range of business issues and operating problems, or the means to elevate a business to the next level. But what should you look for when selecting a business consultant? Here are some suggestions:

1. Experience – Your consultant should be a seasoned business person, who has experienced the difficulties of running a business and can successfully find hidden opportunities.

2. Resources – Your consultant should have access to a wide range of resources and be able bring together the expertise needed to improve the business.

3. Ethics – Your consultant should adhere to a professional code of business practices.

4. Value – Your consultant must provide value, such that the business receives greater benefit than the cost of the services.

5. Real-world – Your consultant should help the business achieve its goals using practical and pragmatic methods.

6. Tailored – Your consultant should provide advice that is customized to the business’ unique issues, opportunities, and specific circumstances.

7. Long-term – Your consultant should be able to step away from the daily flurry of activity to think both strategically and tactically about the goals of the business.

8. Client-focus – Your consultant will provide useful assistance if he/she listens to and cares about the people running the business.