1. Don’t Hire a Jack of All Trades
When hiring a consultant, you want to hire somebody that’s an expert in the area that you need help in. For example, if you need help with social media don’t go to an Internet marketing firm that can only offer you basic advice. Find a social media expert that has a depth of knowledge and experience that can only be earned by specializing in that topic.
2. Create a List of What You Need and Expect from the Consultant
Before hiring a consultant, you should create a list of the things you need and expect from the consultant. Write down the most important questions you need the answers to. Make sure you understand all the details of the problems or challenges your business is facing. If you don’t prepare beforehand, you’ll end up wasting time during the consulting session.
3. Find a Consultant that Can Work with You Long Term
Some consultants only offer IT advisory introductory consulting sessions to lead into their marketing services. Others may be too busy to work with you regularly. You need to find a consultant that can work with you for the long term and is willing to commit to helping you get results. Sometimes the only way to really dig deep into finding solutions is to work with a consultant through multiple sessions.
This is also important because you may eventually want to hire the consultant to work on site for management, analysis, etc. Consultants are usually working while involved with multiple clients, so you want to confirm whether or not the consultant can invest the time and energy required for your project. Also, you want to make certain of this early on rather than later if your ultimate goal is to hire a consultant on site.
4. Prepare Your Hard Data
If you want to get the most out of working with a consultant, you have to do your part. Make sure you prepare all the relevant data to help the consultant understand your situation. For example, if you need help with SEO, make sure you have data that shows your traffic sources, conversion, link profile, etc.