Most people who hire a consultant do it at the worst possible moment: when something is already going wrong and the decision has to be made quickly. That is when the fee feels justified and when the judgement is worst. This page is about how to tell a consultant who will earn their money from one who will produce a deck.
Be specific about the problem before you look for anyone
“We need help with marketing” is not a brief, it is a feeling. “Our cost per lead has tripled since March and we do not know which channel caused it” is a brief. The second one is answerable, the fee can be judged against the answer, and it filters out anyone who wants to sell you a general engagement.
If you cannot write the problem in one sentence with a number in it, the useful next step is usually a week of your own analysis rather than a consultant.
What to ask before signing
- What does the end of this look like? A good answer describes a deliverable and a date. A bad one describes a relationship.
- Who actually does the work? The person who sells is often not the person who delivers. Ask to meet whoever will.
- What would make you tell us not to do this? Anyone who cannot name a scenario where their own service is the wrong call is selling, not advising.
- What do you need from us? Engagements fail more often from the client side than the consultant side, and the honest ones say so up front.
Structure the first engagement small
A short, paid, well-defined first piece of work tells you more than any number of reference calls. It also costs a fraction of a retainer you cannot get out of. If the work is good, extending it is easy. If it is not, you have learned that cheaply.
The fee is not the cost
The real cost is your team’s time in meetings, the decisions deferred while the work runs, and the opportunity cost of the thing you did not do instead. A cheap consultant who takes six months of attention is more expensive than an expensive one who takes three weeks.
If you are earlier than that and still working out what the business is, our pieces on growth and understanding your customers are the better starting point.