Helpful tips when hiring  a Business Consultant for your  Irish Business?

As someone who has run their own business in the past, two things used to worry me about hiring a business consultant for my business:

1. 1.Was it going to cost me a fortune?
2. 2. Would I be able to get rid of the them if I felt it wasn’t working for me?

These are completely reasonable  concerns and unfortunately there are many consultants out there who are vague about their pricing, who are vague about they’ll actually do for you and cannot give you a reasonable timeline for how long you need to work with them.

As a business owner I wanted to know that a consultant…

I’m now working on the other side of that fence as a business financial performance consultant and I can see why these questions can sometimes be hard to answer from the consultants perspective.

So in this article I thought it would be helpful to outline a few helpful tips for business owners to help them get the help they want and need.

Most consultants and coaches have an option to schedule a free discovery call with them. This is a vital first step. I know as business owners you are short on time but these calls are typically only 30-45 mins.

My own personal reticence to book these calls was that I was going to get a hard-sell and get roped into something I wasn’t sure about but the reality is that without speaking to someone you have no idea how they can help you and a phone or Zoom conversation allows you to see if their personality and style is a good fit for you.

There is nothing wrong with simply saying at the end of this call- “Thank you so much for your time – I have scheduled a few of these calls over the next week so when I have spoken to everyone I will be back in touch”  

A lot of business owners know they want to change up something but are just not sure what that something is! That’s absolutely fine- that’s absolutely normal. Business consultants and business coaches are trained to ask you questions that will help you get that clarity you need. So again these discovery calls are a valuable use of your time. They’re called discovery calls for a reason!

Business owners are sometimes under the impression that every consultant they speak with will want to sell to them. That’s simply not the case. Most consultants have done their time working with either the wrong people or the wrong type of business and are not keen to do it again. Each consultant has their own strengths and weaknesses, as all humans have, but they also know those strengths and weaknesses very well, so if they feel they are not the right person for you they will say so and often they will recommend someone else who they feel might be a better fit.

So the discovery call is working for both parties

1. 1 If we were working together, what would that look like?
2. 2. What would be the estimated costs ?
3. 3. Can you give me an idea of how long it would take?
4. 4. hat obstacles could crop up that might interfere with that?

The consultant may not be able to answer all of these questions on the spot. They might want to take some time to think through what you are asking. That’s fine.

I know after I have spoken to a potential client on a discovery call I agree that I will send them a summary of  what I have interpreted from the call, how I feel I could help them and why.

I include in this proposal an outline of expected costs and a timeline. I often arrange another call to discuss these and take further questions.

I take no offence at all if the business owner does not want to work with me and I never feel there is any obligation on them to hire my services.

The cycle of enquiry, proposal, follow-up is how we as business consultants do business.

So I suppose in conclusion, my point is to start talking to business consultants and don’t be afraid to say yes to the right person and no to the wrong person. If you don’t reach out at all then nothing will change for you and your business.

Remember we all have our strengths and weaknesses and its vital to be able to get help with the parts of your business that need it.