As a business we currently work with clients all over the United Kingdom, and see distance has no barrier to providing excellent business support for companies looking for help. In fact, our closest current client is actually a 100 miles away from our office!
Historically, companies looking for support from a business consultant may have looked for either a local expert or someone who was known to the business already. However with the improvement of technology to provide communication methods such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, there is no reason why a consultant based in John O’Groats couldn’t support a business in Land’s End, providing they had the relevant skills to help them.
It is important for any business looking for the support of a consultant to identify the best person, based on their experience of dealing with the specific challenges they face, irrespective of location. If there is a need to have a physical meeting, this will always be planned (for us, despite the fact that we are based in Cambridgeshire, we have regular face to face meetings with our clients in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Merseyside).
Therefore the key things to think about before engaging with a business consultant are, in order of importance:
- Do they have the requisite skills and experience to help you with your challenges?
- Are they available to provide the support that will help you for the time you need and when you need it?
- Do you feel that you can engage with them? (do you “click” – this is hugely important for longer term assignments)
- Do they have any experience of your industry (or similar)? (this is not vital as companies face similar problems irrespective of the industry they are in)
- Are they available to provide support online, over the phone and face to face if needed?
- Are they approachable beyond the terms of the agreement (if you have a quick question, will they respond)
- Do they explain what you need to do in a clear, concise and effective manner?
- Can they offer examples of similar projects where they have been successful previously?
