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Hiring A Consultant: Tips for getting the most from a consultant.
- When to hire.
Consider a consultant when you have a problem that requires specialized
knowledge, or for projects that require skills outside your business'
normal functions.
- Know the problem. Identify the problem before seeking a consultant.
- Selection. Make sure the consultant has the skills and attitude that's appropriate for the job.
- Specialists. Find a consultant with
expertise that matches your needs. Ask other professionals for
referrals. You can always resort to the yellow pages.
- Check references. Get a list of clients for whom the candidate has performed similar services.
- Interview them. Make sure the consultant
is going to be directly involved in your project, rather than delegate
it to an associate. Also, they should adapt their knowledge to your
unique business problems, ask relevant questions and have good business
sense.
- The relationship. Choose a consultant with whom you can maintain a peer relationship. Make sure you'll have a meeting of the minds.
- Clarity. Get a clear, detailed
description of the work to be done. Ask the consultant to provide a
detailed project plan. Make sure you understand what result the
consultant is promising.
- A written contract. Is the quoted price
firm or an estimate? Identify checkpoints such as completion of phases
or tasks throughout the project, and tie consultant's payments to major
checkpoints.
- A team approach. Be collaborative. Get
your employees involved. Not only will you keep the consultant's hours
down by leveraging your own resources, but also the project will be
more successful if employees are part of the process and support it.
- Be responsible. Hold up your end of the
bargain. Understand at the beginning of the project what the consultant
expects from you. If you don't have time to work with the consultant
throughout the project, appoint someone to be the project liaison.
- The buck stops with you. Remember that
you're the decision-maker. The consultant's job is to provide you with
what he or she believes are your best options and as much information
as possible to help you decide what's the best solution for your
company.
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White Papers |
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| Knowledge is power itself. |
| Francis Bacon |
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