If you’re anything like me, you read blog posts for tangible tips that you can implement immediately. You jot down a few notes, use them in your next meeting or project, and reap immediate benefits from what you just read. Essentially, you are being as efficient as possible – learning quickly and asking the right questions. Walk away today with 3 bullet points that will help you transform your next consultant hiring process. You will also gain an understanding of how to save your organization time and money with the help of a consultant.
#1 – Hire a Consultant With Similar Values
This may feel obvious, but you want to be sure you are working with a consultancy with similar values to you and your organization. At TSI, we consider this the forgotten dimension of hiring a consultant.
Here are two quick questions for you to find out how compatible you are: how do your organizational values match up with the values of the consulting firm? How does the firm demonstrate its values?
Organizations that miss this evaluation process component risk poorly completed projects. In turn, poorly completed projects lead to an increased risk of projects not completing on time, on budget, or without error.
As a result, organizations end up spending more money to complete projects or fix errors, ending up over time and over budget.
Hiring a consultant who has similar values to your organization helps to assure that your projects are completed well and are cohesive with your current values.
#2 – Take Control of the Conversation
In the past, we have heard from more than a few clients that past consultants have come into their organizations and dominated the conversation around solution design. As a result, the consultants fail to take client feedback and insight into account. This resulted in the client’s team (in your case, you) feeling like their solution was pushed upon them. This is as opposed to the solution being developed with them.
So what happens next? The client puts the prior consultants’ findings on a shelf. They then will not look at the findings unless prompted to do so. As a result, the solution is not fully implemented.
And what does that mean? You guessed it. Time and money are wasted.
Hiring a consultant who includes you in the conversation around solution design helps to assure that you felt it was created specifically for your organization, instead of neglecting to use a solution that was pushed on your team.
#3 – Read the Reviews When Hiring a Consultant
Raise your hand if you always read the reviews before purchasing a product or service…just me?
Although you can find some people who simply want to blow off some steam on the internet, many reviews are quite helpful! They offer information around details that the maker or organization may have not known to include. They also testify to how valuable the product truly is.
So when it comes to hiring a consultant or utilizing their services to ultimately save time and money, reviews serve the same purpose.
When reading the reviews of a consultancy, there are a couple things to look for.
1. Collaboration with The Consultancy
As we discussed in point #2, YOU need to be able to take control of the conversation. If there is not a sense of collaboration and understanding, your project will not be successful.
TSI worked with us to complete a strategic technology assessment, which included the difficult task of coordinating and articulating our vision and strategy for new technology.
– Sara Barr, The University of Chicago
2. Mention of Time or Money Saved
Let’s cut to the chase. You just want to know if you can save time and money with a consultant. The best way to find out is to see how the consultancy you’re exploring has saved other organizations time or money.
Dan and the team engaged, were sensitive to how they approached our
– Mike Orscheln • Former CEO, Phonak Hearing Systems USAteams, and were tough-minded with my leadership team and me around ways we could deliver more effective service at a lower cost.
Every time they were on/under-budgeted timeline and costs. They were professional, hardworking, completely objective,
– J. Brodsky, High Growth Telecommunications Companyand helped us in ways that I did not originally anticipate. I would highly recommend them.
Discover More Ways a Consultant Can Collaborate With Your Team
There are other factors that go into hiring a consultant to work with your team, but these 3 points are a great way to assure that how you are doing it aligns with your organization, as well as saves you time and money.
As your organization brainstorms its next project, discover 7 additional things to consider in the process. These 7 considerations help you further understand the timeline and develop expectations.