How does a scientist hire a sales manager? How does an engineer hire a vice-president of marketing? Or, how can a software developer hire a great business consultant? By seeking the advice of business consultants before hiring.

Step #1: Understand the Process
Hiring, whether it is for a permanent placement, or for a short-term project, is, like anything else in business, a process. By first understanding the process, you can easily maximize the results that you get from hiring a business consultant.

Step #2: Set Your Goals
The first step in the process is to set the goals you are trying to achieve. . Hiring a management consultant to "fix your revenue problem" isn't going to be productive. However, if you need help in identifying the goals or prioritizing them, perhaps hiring a consultant to help you set your goals is a good thing to do. Maybe this needs to be your goal. Are you trying to increase sales, increase visibility, or understand the legal labyrinth of personnel laws? Be able to state clearly and concisely what you need to do before you start your search.

Step #3: Start the Search
How do you find the type of consultant that you need? Probably the best way, according to many in the high tech industry who have hired consultants, is to go by referral basis. Do you know someone who has had similar business challenges and hired a consultant to help solve them? If you can't find referrals, look in the yellow pages under Consultants - Referral Services. For example, the Society of Professional Consultants offers a no cost referral service that can supply highly skilled professionals from their ninety members in Massachusetts with just one phone call. Many other organizations offer similar referral services, as a service to their members.

Step #4: Screen the Candidates
Hiring a consultant is similar, in many ways, to hiring an employee. However, you incur much less risk when hiring a consultant, because, in the worst case, you have a temporary, project-based relationship, that may meet, exceed, or, in some cases, not meet your expectations. In the best case, you gain a valuable business advisor who can be your ally for many years, and return, many times over and above, in insightful strategy, increased revenues, decreased costs, or improved operations, what you pay for the consulting.

Look for qualifications from a consultant just like you review a prospective new hire's resume. A qualified consultant will have an in-depth backgrounder. Read it, ask questions. What has the consultant accomplished for other clients. How, when, and in what time frame? What is his or her level of expertise with particular subject areas? What is their work style? Do they work alone or with partners? If the latter, find out about the other professionals with whom they work. Would you feel equally comfortable with their partners or only with the one consultant?

You will probably gain the most from the relationship if you hire a consultant who is familiar with your industry. You want someone who understands the challenges that you face on a day-to-day basis. For example, if you are in a high technology sector, hire a consultant who works primarily in high-tech, not in the food and beverage industry. Although it sounds trite, if a consultant you hire has worked in your industry for years, not only will they require less time to learn about your industry, they will also have valuable contacts that you may need. You can't put a price on the value of people knowing other people. One of my clients once had an offer to sell their company to the founders of one the largest software companies in the world. I had worked for the prospective buyers in the 1980's, knew them well, and was able to offer advice to my client during the negotiations.

Step #5: Make a Choice
When you find a consultant with the right qualifications, and the personality to confront the tasks at hand, ask for a proposal. I try to discourage prospective clients from bidding out jobs to too many consultants. I don't know of any reputable consultants who want to get into a bidding war with other consultants. Highly skilled consultants are not going to significantly over-price or under-price their services. They are going to ask a fair price for a set of tasks and deliverables, and can generally work within a client's budget to achieve a defined set of results. The range is wide, and consultants may work on an hourly, per diem basis or project basis. Many will price the work to accommodate client needs.

Step #6: Set Well Defined Project Plans
If you've chosen a skilled consultant, you will know right away from their proposal or letter of intent. It will clearly delineate the agreed upon project or set of tasks and the intended results. The pricing will be clearly stated. The proposal may be as brief as one page or many pages in length, but there should be no doubt in your mind that you both understand what the task at hand involves. Then, work to the best of your ability to help the consultant who you have hired succeed. Provide them with time and information that they need to know about your business, and you will reap the benefits of a great business relationship!

This article was prepared by Lisa Hebert, president of Bridge Consulting, Inc., a professional services firm in Lexington, MA specializing in marketing strategy, planning and implementation for high-technology companies.