What I think about business consultants

Business consultants drive business by asking questions entrepreneurs can’t answer. 

Here are a few choice ones:

• Is your process optimal?
• Are you getting the most out of your sales team?
• What are you doing to improve on your company culture?
• What is your strategic vision?
• Do you have a mission or purpose?  Does everyone at your company know it?
• What is it your employees know about the company that you don’t?

Many of these consultants are the most entertaining and thoughtful people imaginable. 

A while back I saw the 2016 Leadership Circuit Speaker of the Year.  He spoke for a solid 3 hours.  I sat on every word.  His use of video, audio and handouts mesmerized me.  His stuff was easy to remember and the names were catchy.  I was jealous of his charisma.  I wanted to have a beer with him.  He was funnier than me, smarter than me, more successful than me, and I wanted to be a part of it.  I wanted to prove to him and myself that I was that self-actualized, wise, and able. 

His fee for a 1-day workshop for my team was $17,000 plus expenses.  I really thought about it.

I’ve seen enough speakers that I have created a rule to cover my impulsive nature.  I have to wait a couple of weeks.  If I can’t shake the speaker’s message out of my head, then it’s time to reach out and try to make something work. 

I’ve spent that much on a consultant for a 2-day gig and felt I got every penny out of it.  I’ve spent $4000 for 3 hours and wondered why I’m so stupid to make that decision.

Some questions to ask yourself before hiring a consultant?

1. Do you have a problem that can actually be solved?
2. Your team will see consultants like the Bob’s from Office Space.  It had better be good, as you will face scrutiny for spending company funds that could be going to better coffee in the kitchen and open bar at the holiday party.  Are you prepared for the scrutiny?
3. Are you prepared for the fact that the subject will mean more to you than others?
4. When the speaker leaves, is there a chance that NOTHING will come of it?
5. Is the consultant taking advantage of a weakness or fear you have?

The soft fuzzy interpersonal ones had very short term effects.  I love that shit but not everyone else does. 

The consultants who have an extremely narrow specialty will be worthwhile if there is indeed a problem that can be solved.  We hired a compensation expert and that was expensive but worthwhile.

The best guy we hired HELPED to reverse an internal culture issue.  Team members regularly beefed about customers and industry partners being stupid, demanding, lazy, and so forth.  The consultant very creatively managed to get our focus turned around on the needs of the customer, instead of their shortcomings.  We soon discovered that our customers indeed were kind of stupid, but only because they were not trained to understand what we were doing. 

I capitalized HELPED earlier because that consultant gets paid whether the message sticks or not. 

Someday I’ll have show notes and share some of the stuff we’ve self-performed.  As a teaser, think Myers Briggs.  That was a hoot.

Until next time,