When Is the Right Time To Hire a Consultant

Our CEO on hiring a consultant: “The earlier the better, but it’s never too late.”

Among the first decisions you’ll need to make when launching a complex new initiative are whether to hire a consultant and when to bring them in on the project.

The answer to the second question is easy.

“The sooner the better,” says Rachel Formaro. “Chances are we have experience in the type of project you’re working on—we know what the roses and the thorns are. The sooner you bring us on, the better you can leverage our strengths.”

Rachel is quick to add, however, that there’s never a bad time to bring in a consultant. “I’ve had clients call me in the thick of a project going sideways who have said, ‘I know we should have called you sooner, but . . . .’ At this stage, a consultant can help with anything from course correction to reenergizing the team.”

But how do you know if you need a consultant in the first place? Rachel outlines several scenarios in which bringing in outside expertise might be the optimal move:

• When the new project goes beyond business-as-usual operations.

If your team is already fully allocated, adding a complex project to their workload could negatively impact employee engagement. A consultant can help day-to-day productivity and employee satisfaction remain high.

• When speed is key.

For example, if the SEC initiates a new policy, and you must have compliance within a tight turnaround period, an experienced consultant can help you swiftly and expertly meet that deadline.

• When expertise is outside your in-house domain.

Sometimes, our clients have neither the expertise nor the bandwidth to implement a new project, such as creating desktop tools for sales communication. We can handle intricate implementations and provide training to key personnel.

• When it’s time for some fresh thinking.

Sometimes you get so close to your own work that you can’t see a different way of doing things. Getting an outside perspective can be helpful without putting pressure on the existing teams.

• When you need more confidence than uncertainty.

Integration, remediation, migration—even thinking about such tasks can cause gray hairs and sleepless nights. By bringing in experts, you can reduce risk and rest easy knowing you’re on the right track.

Whether you need a consultant right now, or you want to be ready for new challenges on the horizon, find out how Collabry can help. Get in touch.