Best value

How do you get the most value out of working with consultants? Finding the right consultant and managing the relationship can be tricky, but our experience as consultants (and as clients) tells us that – with good planning and a sound partnership approach – working in this way can be enjoyable and productive for everyone involved. What follows are some top tips to guide you through the process. They’re not all ours; we’ve hotly debated them with team members at the hub and with clients. Let us know what we missed…

Identify who and what you need: Think carefully about your needs, and the kind of consultant you require. Do you need strategic advice or project management support? Ask others with similar needs who they used. Get buy-in from relevant colleagues and stakeholders: ensure everyone agrees and understands what the consultant will do. Work out the internal resource implications: what information will the consultant need, who will be their main contact, who else will be involved, how much time will it take? Plan accordingly.

Provide a clear brief: Make sure your application pack includes a clear brief. Be clear about consultancy aims, expected outputs and time-frame. Don’t be too prescriptive: you want to see how applicants would tackle the project, and be able to compare different approaches. You need to test applicants’ knowledge, networks and approaches, so don’t supply a detailed methodology.

Decide on a budget: Experienced consultants cost more than less experienced ones or project managers. Also, most projects are ‘scaleable’; an ‘in-depth’ version might cost £20K but the ‘light touch’ only £10K. Agree what support you need and research its cost. Budget for what you need. Spend wisely. Include your budget in your application pack: this helps everyone to understand what’s required. Omitting a budget means you’ll end up with proposals based on a variety of budgets, and won’t be able to compare ‘like with like’. You’ll also have to decide whether to ask ‘over-budget’ applicants to re-frame their proposal (incurring delays and extra work), or risk not seeing their ‘on-budget’ proposal – which could be just what you want. Be clear about detail. Does the fee include travel and expenses? What about VAT? The clearer you are, the fewer calls or emails you’ll field.

Make the interview work for you: Always make sure you interview the person who’s actually going to do the work. Make the interview work for you; what do you need more detail on, or confirmation of? Plan accordingly; use questions, scenarios, presentations. Get references, check feedback on client servicing and ability to deliver on time and to a brief. Gut instinct can be useful here too.

Look for appropriate expertise: Always pick a consultant with relevant experience, skills and an understanding of your sector. Test how up to date these are. Ensure they ‘speak the right language’. If they can’t communicate effectively with people in your world, the chances are they also won’t ask the right questions, astutely analyse responses or come up with appropriate solutions. Your consultant needs to get inside key issues, read between the lines, and bring a breadth of experience and real analytical ability. You’re paying for specialist expertise, so get it!

Set up a contract: Make sure your agreement is properly contracted. Some consultants have a standard contract, which could save you time. Read it carefully, particularly sections about intellectual property and confidentiality. Include relevant break clauses, so there’s an agreed process for either party to withdraw if necessary. Take legal advice if you’re not sure.

Make a plan: Agree roles and responsibilities at the outset. Identify the right balance between working together and giving the consultant space to be objective and ‘follow their nose’. Agree a project plan, including appropriate review points and milestones. Try not to be too prescriptive. Most consultancies start with a theoretical approach; this may change, so use review points to monitor the project and agree any amendments. You both need to be honest and objective: honesty on both sides is crucial. Speak up if things don’t feel right or you’re not getting what you need. You’re part of the same team, so you need to work together. Working with a consultant can be unsettling. Often they’re brought in to resolve complicated situations, highlighting issues that your organisation might rather ignore. Be prepared for things to get difficult before they get better, and for frank, maybe difficult, analysis. This is sometimes just what a client needs. Provide objective and honest feedback: their analysis might be difficult, but is it fair and accurate? Does it provide workable solutions?

From consultancy to action: Use the work done by your consultant to move forward. Don’t consign it to SPOT (Strategic Plan on a Top Shelf) status! The real work begins as the consultancy finishes; you’ll need to plan for action. Acting on consultancy findings is exciting, but can also be challenging. Very few people enjoy change, and it’s not surprising that some organisations stall at this stage. Ask your consultant to help. At the hub we include a ‘soft landing’ at the end of projects, where we work with clients to translate recommendations into a timetable and allocate responsibilities. One client recently told us he keeps our report on his desk and uses it everyday. He’d decided that made it a SPOD!

Consultancy is partnership: Consultants can’t make decisions for you: they’ll advise, present options and make recommendations, but ultimately the decisions are yours. Consultants can’t do it alone. You have unique insider knowledge; it’s your responsibility to apply this, helping to turn theoretical recommendations into practical solutions. Sometimes it can feel as though consultants simply tell you what you instinctively knew. Congratulations on your strategic thinking and gut instinct; enjoy the boost to your professional confidence.

Unfortunately, gut instinct isn’t enough for stakeholders: they want objective assessment. Consultants will relocate you to so-called ‘blue skies’, and ask you to flex your strategic muscles. Make the most of this opportunity – enjoy the flight! Remember, you may end up developing a longer-term relationship with your consultant, becoming ‘critical friends’. Like most people in the creative sector, we’ve got lots of ‘critical friends’ – in fact, it’s how we ended up setting up the hub together five years ago.