Many tangible and intangible factors go into the decision making process when hiring a consultant. Having a systematic approach to finding a consultant and knowing the questions to ask can help save you time up-front and headaches later when you choose the right consulting firm.

A number of critical factors where consultants differ include:

? Project Management providing deliverables on time

? Client Service clear two-way communication

? Adaptability can handle fluid situations and changing needs

? Customized Solutions - ability to understand your business model and unique needs

? Years of Experience

? Technical Knowledge (if applicable)

? Industries Served

? Consulting Fees

? Education

? Personality

While all the above are important, a special emphasis should be made on the last item. No matter how qualified a consulting firm is if you cannot work closely with them, communicate your needs and feel like you are understood you will not feel comfortable relying upon their advice. And you will not receive the maximum benefits for your consulting dollar.

Once you have a "pool" of consultants, the next step is asking the right questions. The goal is to get responses that make you feel comfortable. Before you decide to hire a consultant, prepare your list of questions. This can be an informal process or something more formal such as an RFP (Request for Proposal) where the approach is to ask each firm to respond in writing to a preset list of questions with the goal of having a comprehensive and apples-to-apples comparison. This allows you to compare potential firms on a more objective basis.

Your list of questions will vary depending upon your needs, your industry and your particular company. Use the following 10 questions as a guide or as a basis to form your own RFP. Ask each consultant you are considering the same questions. The following serves as a baseline to build off of with more specific questions that are tailored to your exact consulting need. Before calling the consulting firm it is always a good idea to check out their website, this will allow you ask these questions with a deeper understanding of who this particular firm is and can serve as a reference while asking these questions.

Remember you are the client and the one who needs to feel comfortable.

1. Does your website cover your background and methods comprehensively?

2. What makes your firm ideally suited for this project?

3. What differs in your approach from your competition?

4. How will you keep me informed and keep yourselves on target?

5. If selected, when could you begin? When do you expect to complete this project?

6. How much will it cost in consulting fees? Are there any additional fees such as travel expenses, creative design, programming, etc?

7. What results can I expect? Are you able to adapt if our needs change during the project?

8. What kind of support do you provide after the project is completed? How long?

9. Do you offer a guarantee or warranty of your services?

10. Specifically, who will be involved in this project? What can you tell me about their backgrounds? Who will be the main point of contact for me?

In addition, there are questions you should be asking yourself.

? Does this firm's values match those of my company?

? Do I feel comfortable accepting advice from this person?

? Does this consultant really listen?

? Will this consultant understand my business?

? How will my staff react to this person and anyone else involved?

? Were the verbal answers I received in line with their website?

With this guide as a basis you are sure to start on the path towards finding the right consultant.