At some point in the growth or even start-up of your company, you may want to hire a consultant to educate or guide you. You may rightly want the consultant for their expertise in myriad disciplines like advertising, management, a specific industry, social media, branding, etc.
No matter what purpose, the major thing to be aware of in hiring is to make sure that the person you interview will be the one you will be working with. Often, the person you interview will be a senior member of the firm with excellent sales skills. However the person who will be doing the job for you will be a newer hire with less experience and one whose chemistry doesn’t suit you. There is nothing wrong with meeting with that senior member as long as you also have an in- depth discussion with the firm member who will be doing the work. This also applies when hiring a lawyer, accountant, or other professional.
It is very common for consulting firms to send out their best salesman to secure the account and then later figure out who will do the work. This could be okay, but many times you will be disappointed and out a chunk of cash.
Great advice! A sa consultant myself, I’ve found a few wrong-teurns businesses can take that will leave them with a bad taste in their mouth. One is to make sure that their cunsultants and freelancers are offering something value-added. Look for specific expertise that your consultant or freelancer is providing with the package–e.g. not just writing but maybe even graphic design; not just communications consulting but social networking strategy development, etc. Thanks for your thoughtful post and your blog –Daphne
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