When you have finally made a decision to hire a consultant, how do you find them?
Ask. Ask Intuit. Ask Google. And ask for referrals.
For me, I ask others in the industry for a referral, knowing that they won’t take giving a referral lightly because the outcome directly reflects back on them. Then I do my own research. I interview the potential consultant and ask for references. I also ask for examples of their work.
The final thing I do before hiring a consultant is go back to the reason I’m hiring them. Do I think this person can give me the honest perspective I need, and do the work that needs to be done to meet my business objective?
In the end, hiring a consultant, like hiring anyone else, is a leap of faith. You have to follow your gut. Like hiring a full-time employee, you still need to invest the time in finding the right person and learn a bit more about what they have to offer.
My next blog post is on the details of the hire.
