Hiring a Consultant – Mistake or Opportunity?, by Nickolai Vasilieff, copyright © 2011.

All rights reserved. No reproduction or publication is authorized without written permission by

the author. Download is for personal use only.
Vasilieff Consulting Newsletter©
Analyze – Plan - Achieve©
Nickolai Vasilieff
nick@vasilieffconsulting.com
http://www.vasilieffconsulting.com

HIRING A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT –

MISTAKE OR OPPORTUNITY? ©
I just finished searching the web for business and marketing
consultants, and even
as a professional Business Consultant, I was left confused
and skeptical. The profession seems to be filled with those who
over-promise, have little experience, and some who only want to
sell you anything but knowledge based on experience. Fortunately,
under the rubble, there are those who have spent a lifetime in business and who are
practicing professional consultants with a great deal to offer the right customers. Since
this is my business, I decided it might be time to offer my observations on why you might
need a professional consultant, and how you can benefit.
I will start by saying that I’m not familiar with consultants in general, I only know
what I do and how I do it. I am a Business Development, Marketing and Sales
Consultant. I specialized in helping small to mid-sized companies by reviewing their
current activities and providing strategic planning and implementation guidance in my
areas of expertise. My goal is to help companies grow by understanding where they are
today, where they want to go, and exactly how to get there.
Having said that, let me provide my guidance on why you should hire a business
consultant and what to look for.

1) EXPERTISE: The single most important reason to hire an

outside consultant is to bring in expertise that you do not
already have in house.
Most people have a background in their industry, and
many have experience in two or three industries. Some people
even have experience with 10 or 15 products, but knowledge,
experience and hands on management of a broader range of products, from over a
hundred companies, and building marketing and distribution in diverse markets
such as North America, Europe and Asia is experience few people have.
When you look for a consultant you want someone who has a breadth of
knowledge and experience that exceeds that which you already have. Along with
bringing a new or different perspective to your analysis and strategic planning, a
consultant should bring knowledge that is outside the scope of your current
environment.
By bringing in someone with a wide range of knowledge and experience
in their area of expertise you supplement your current knowledge base. Most
companies already have excellent people on staff performing their duties in the
 Hiring a Consultant – Mistake or Opportunity?, by Nickolai Vasilieff, copyright © 2011.
All rights reserved. No reproduction or publication is authorized without written permission by
the author. Download is for personal use only.

areas of business development, marketing and sales. Limitations occur because of

the ‘box’ in which we work. You and your staff are running full speed ahead to
keep up with the demands of your business. In many cases, you are putting out
fires as quickly as they ignite (if you’re lucky). This environment dictates that you
focus on the job at hand. When you and your staff meet, you are discussing real
problems that need immediate solutions. There is little time to research what other
companies are doing and what is successful or not for them.
A consultant should bring an ‘out of the box’ perspective to your table the
moment they walk in the door. They may not understand the minutia of your
business immediately, but through discussion and some research they will bring
new perspective and ideas to your problem solving process. Their expanded world
view will open new doors of opportunity for your organization and offer ideas
that have proven successful in other environments.

2) ECONOMICS: The second most likely reason to hire an expert

business development consultant is saving money.
Hiring the expertise you need for every aspect of your business
development process is not only impractical, but also impossible.
When we need professional expertise we either outsource or
bring on new staff. Today, in this economy, hiring new staff is a
luxury most small business cannot afford. Outsourcing is a good
alternative, and in the case of consultants, a highly cost effective alternative.
In addition to bringing immediate knowledge, consultants bring all the
benefits of outsourcing. Taxes and benefits are the responsibility of the consultant
and never carried as overhead by the company. Costs are controlled and can fit
your budget. Hiring and firing are as simple as picking up the phone. No job
search, no severance. Consultants are usually available when you want them and
expendable when you do not. For many that description is a little uncomfortable,
but a professional consultant is an independent business person (or company) who
works at the pleasure of YOU.
In addition to all the benefits of outsourcing, a professional consultant brings
immediate payback. Duplicating the expertise of a good consultant might require
3, 5 or even 8 different positions to be filled by experienced managers. Each
position requires training and integration into the organization. One expert not
only provides the knowledge base of those positions, but also hits the ground
running.
In my two day consultations, I spend the first day reviewing past business
development activities and materials. During this review I am making suggestions
and developing new ideas for the company. By day two we’re into strategic
planning and those new ideas and procedures are being integrated with current
company knowledge and procedures. The company is getting immediate payback
on their investment in me.
Finally, regarding a good consultant’s hourly or daily fee. My experience is
that they are usually priced at the level of a senior partner in a law firm or
 Hiring a Consultant – Mistake or Opportunity?, by Nickolai Vasilieff, copyright © 2011.
All rights reserved. No reproduction or publication is authorized without written permission by
the author. Download is for personal use only.

regional accounting firm. When compared to the cost of hiring that same expertise
on a long-term basis, they are almost always a bargain.
When hiring a consultant, clearly define your objectives and identify the
deliverables he or she will provide. Always receive a firm bid quote. Then
consider; can we do this in house? If so, what is the cost in using our own
manpower, including the cost of pulling that manpower off other projects? If not
(which is usually the case), then ask if the deliverables and benefits are worth the
cost?

3) USABLE DELIVERABLES: You want a deliverable that can be used over a long
period of time throughout the organization.
In most cases, you hire a business development consultant to help you
solve a specific problem or more often help you define a plan of action for taking
you where you want to go. In such cases, you want someone who can deliver in
writing a road map for future activities. To do this, they must be able to guide you
through a careful and thorough review process in which both you and the
consultant identify what is working and what is not, and where the holes are in
your present plan.
A good consultant will then be able to lead a strategic planning process in
which the consultant, you and your staff collaborate on developing an expanded
plan in which your ideas and wishes are combined with the consultant’s to create
a plan that is much better than anyone alone could create.
Finally, a qualified expert consultant will be able to create a written plan
that includes a full marketing plan and budget that can be used as a guide, a road
map if you will, to take you where you want to go.

This document should not be an academic study, but a dynamic real-world

document that reflects the hands-on expertise of your organization and the
consultant, and is used, reviewed, and updated on a regular basis.

4) CONFIDENCE: You want experience that commands attention and respect, and
communication that instills confidence.
When you bring in a consultant you are asking your organization to defer
in some ways to that individual. Recognize that this is asking a lot of both
yourself and your associates. You have worked hard, you have experience, and
you and your associates have managed to get your company this far without the
help of a consultant. The obvious question is, “why do we need one now?”
The individual you hire must be in a position, because of experience and
knowledge, to answer that question through their actions and their
communication. That does not mean the consultant will act strong, tough, or lord
over anyone. Quite the contrary. Most good consultants place themselves in a
support role, and will use the current organizational knowledge and practice to
lead the analysis and planning sessions in new directions.
At the same time, all good consultants can lead the charge when needed.
They are direct and honest in their observations and opinions. Their job is not to
 Hiring a Consultant – Mistake or Opportunity?, by Nickolai Vasilieff, copyright © 2011.
All rights reserved. No reproduction or publication is authorized without written permission by
the author. Download is for personal use only.

please you, but to tell you what they see and what they think – that is what you
pay them for.

You may not hear what you want to hear, but if the consultant is any good,
you will hear what you need to hear to move your company forward.

5) OBJECTIVITY: You must have objectivity that ensures the advice you receive is
in YOUR best interest.
You want a consultant that is objective with no conflicts of interest or
hidden agendas. In order to give you the valuable information you’re paying for,
your consultant must have only one allegiance – you.
This doesn’t mean that the consultant you hire hasn’t, or won’t in the
future, work for companies in your industry. In affect, that experience and
diversity of knowledge is what gives them value. It does mean that they sign a
confidentiality agreement; they do not discuss or disclose any proprietary
information to anyone outside your organization; and they are not in any way
obligated to another company in any way that would degrade their work for you.

What you want is someone who has the experience to be called an expert, and
professional ethics to match their expertise.

6) HANDS ON EXPERIENCE: Finally, you want someone

who has experience in the field. As a small business
manager you need experts who understand the challenges
you face, and who have had to meet and solve those
challenges.
As a small businessman in my first company (a
drafting and engineering company) I hired someone who
had been a high level manager with a very large
engineering firm. I thought they would bring expertise in how to run my business.
What I got was someone who was used to managing assistants and departments,
but who had no real knowledge of how to get the job done. In other words, he
understood big business and big budgets, but he didn’t know how to roll his
sleeves up and deal with my problems. After spending much time and money, I
finally realized my mistake. After that, I made sure the advisors I hired had hands-
on experience in running a small business.
When you hire a business development consultant you want someone who has
been there, built and managed companies, analyzed markets, and implemented
and managed business development, marketing and sales campaigns in a wide
range of markets for diverse products, for small to mid sized companies. You
want a professional consultant with hands-on experience who understands your
problems and can offer real world advice and solutions.
The best way to ensure you have an experienced professional that can truly
help your organization is talk with them. A qualified consultant will have a history
that speaks to your market, will have references, and will be able to communicate
 Hiring a Consultant – Mistake or Opportunity?, by Nickolai Vasilieff, copyright © 2011.
All rights reserved. No reproduction or publication is authorized without written permission by
the author. Download is for personal use only.

with you in a way that tells you they know what they are talking about. You will
hear their competence in their answers to your questions and in the questions they
ask you.
What I suggest is after you read their materials, visit their website, and
complete your due diligence, call the individual(s) you think are qualified and talk
with them. Ask questions specific to your business and industry, and listen
carefully to the answers. If the answers are full of fluff and hyperbole know that
the service you receive will likely be the same. If, on the other hand, you hear
information that feels real, has substance, and reflects an understanding of the
subject, you may have found someone who can truly help you shortcut the
learning curve of building your business, help you reduce costs, and help you
significantly move your business development forward.

Some final comments about hiring a business development consultant:

Consultants may be experts, but they won’t know everything about every
industry. In most cases, you will know your industry and business better than they ever
will. What a good business development consultant brings to your table is a diverse range
of experience that can apply to your situation. They bring new ideas, and the ability to
think outside of the box, which, when combined with your specific company knowledge,
catapults your organization forward. Don’t expect them to know upfront all your industry
statistics or demographics, that they can obtain through research. What they will know is
how to solve the broader questions of where you want to go and how to get there.
Professional consultants are full time and have been for a long time. They are not
part time consultants and not ‘between jobs.’ Their expertise is born of long term work
and effort, and it is displayed in the service they provide you.
The best consultants work on a fee basis, with costs quoted and known upfront.
Proposals should be in writing and itemized to identify a projects objective, scope, and
timeline. Transparency and no-surprises are good by-words.

Good luck and good marketing.

For PR and article samples, or more information visit my website at

www.vasilieffconsluting.com. If I can be of assistance in any way, please contact me at
nick@vasilieffconsluting.com or my representative at Third Party International, Inc.
Cheryl Teigen at cherylt@thirdpartyintl.com 800-417-8909.