Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Consultant | Business 2 Community

Many companies turn to consultants when they don?t have the staff to handle a particular need, but there are many other solid reasons to consider employing a consultant. Hiring a consultant could be just what your company needs to recharge, think outside the box or explore a new approach. Here are Crunch Consulting?s top 5 reasons to hire a consultant:

1. Fresh Thinking- Bringing in someone new who hasn?t lived and breathed your business every day is bound to give you a new perspective. A consultant is going to ask questions and look at your business from a different lens. A consultant also brings learnings and knowledge from other client work and other categories that just may lead to that out of the box idea you have been seeking. Hiring a consultant to lead a brainstorming session for your employees is a great way to recharge and excite your team and break out of a rut of ?same old same old? thinking. If you are looking to launch a new campaign or product, a consultant could help you uncover a brand new approach while also getting your team inspired and onboard.

2. Relieve your Overworked Staff ? If you are like most companies these days, you?ve had to layoff staff, eliminate positions or freeze hiring. You?ve kept your best and brightest stars, but you are also asking them to work more and in some cases do the job of several employees. Over time you run the risk of burnout or running off the very people you want to keep. Bringing in a consultant to help out with a project or take on some work for a period of time is cost effective and a good way to show your employees that you respect what they do and realize sometimes they need a break! Letting your staff take a vacation, reclaim their weekends, or just leave work at a normal hour again will go a long way to building good morale and acknowledging their extra effort. Good employees often leave jobs when they don?t feel appreciated. Bringing in a consultant to help out is one way to show your appreciation during a particularly busy time.

3. Special Project ? As a company you may be curious about trying out a new form of marketing or maybe a ?new to your company? way of working. Hiring a consultant to lead and possibly teach your employees about a different expertise is a great way to ?try it? before you make a full investment. You may decide to utilize a consultant to set up and a manage a blog for your department or to define a new target and create a plan to reach this new audience. Using a consultant allows your staff to continue to pursue their work while exploring a new possible area at a low risk and low expense. The results, however, could payoff handsomely!

4. Have Budget but Can?t Hire ? I have worked for companies in the past where departments were limited to a certain head count. While we may have had extra budget and the work to justify it, we simply could not hire another employee. Use that budget to bring on a consultant to assist your team and handle specific needs or projects. You many choose to have a consultant on retainer working a set amount of hours per week or month and responsible for a predetermined workload. Your consultant will function just like a member of your team and may even join in on staff meetings. You will save the expense of benefits such as healthcare and vacation time and keep your head count in check.

5. Tryout for a Permanent Position ? As any HR director will tell you, finding qualified staff and hiring new employees can be quite costly. There is the search and recruiting phase, interviewing process, offer negotiation, and initial training. After all of that, sometimes employees that seem perfect just don?t work out. Hiring a consultant is a low risk way to test out an possible future employee. Best case scenario ? you find a star who is just what you want and need and works well with your team. Worst case scenario ? it?s not a fit, you spend a little bit for a project, and then part ways. Consider hiring a consultant like a tryout for a full time position. It is important, however, to determine if the consultant you are working with is interested in full time employment with your company. Many are quite happy working on their own while others use consulting as a means to open doors and try different companies before committing to a full time position. Have the conversation early on if you are looking for a full time employee in the long run. That way neither of you are disappointed at the end of a successful project.

These are just five reasons out of many to consider hiring a consultant. Working with consultants can be a low risk, low investment option that yields a high return. Next time you find yourself stuck, understaffed, or wanting to try something new ? consider bringing in a consultant like Crunch Consulting, LLC.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/strategy/top-5-reasons-to-hire-a-consultant-0257989

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