In the article titled Five Tips For World-Class Service, the first tip offered is to "Hire consultants wisely". Many business owners hire consultants who don't know much about the business they want to consult. It's not so much about knowing the industry, but more about the actual business and its culture. In essence, they are joining your team - albeit temporarily - but they will be working for you nonetheless. Find someone who truly has your best interests at heart.
As a business owner, how many times have you hired a consultant or contractor based on price? As a business owner myself, I know I've been guilty of doing this. In the end it ended up costing me even more time and money because I had to redo the project. It took away from the time I could have been spending building relationships with my customers!
Read the whole article, Five Tips For World Class Service (free subscription)
Many small businesses -- because they often don’t have the technical knowledge and therefore don’t think they can gauge what will make a good technology provider for their firm – decide to hire the cheapest consultant because they are thinking of the services as a commodity rather than a professional service. When I advise small businesses on this topic, I often find the problem is that they don’t know what questions to ask people they interview. The most important thing to think about when hiring a consultant is that you are looking for someone that can give you technology solutions through a “business” filter. That’s why, you’re right, it’s essential to find someone that really understands your particular business challenges and can work to solve them through your computers and other technology used in your offices. And the best consultants are going to be those that don’t stress above all else the fact that they offer the “cheapest” anything. The best are going to be those that focus on the benefits they bring to your business.
Posted by: Computer Consulting Kit | October 29, 2007 1:15 PM | Permalink to Comment