Why you need a business consultant? by Terry Albert

As an executive consultant, I provide my expertise to a company or organization to help them solve a particular problem. My responsibilities vary depending on the client’s needs and the details of the project or contract. The work will include gaining an understanding of the business, analyzing the problem, and providing recommendations to resolve it. The advice and expertise help companies or organizations improve their business performance in terms of operations, profitability, management, structure, and strategy. I coordinate all aspects of projects and programs- leading project timelines and deliverables, funding, contract execution, operations, vendor management, staffing and recruitment, budgets, strategic goal setting, and reporting. Begin the consulting process by first meeting with all of the stakeholders, typically, senior management. If senior management is unavailable, talk with as many direct team members as you can to get the full scope of the project. The meeting is to fully understand what the expectations are and to attain any other pertinent insight or information that would be essential for meeting the deliverables of the contract or project. The objectives for a project vary. For a recent project, the need was to provide hot-delivered meals to the faculty and staff of Phoenix House NYC facilities. Multiple meetings (via phone and email) were held with facility directors, the CEO, COO, and CFO to determine the logistical needs for each facility. Considerations for food restrictions, number of needed meals, facility limitations, and vendor requirements –local businesses- had to be discussed and agreed upon. A successful project is when the client gets what they have hired the consultant to deliver. Another measure of success is when the client wants to hire the consulting company again for future work. I have learned over the years that there is no one method that can be used with every client. They (clients) all have different needs and it takes several meetings before and most definitely during the work to ensure I stay on task. I provide project updates to the client. Oftentimes updates may be daily and/or weekly. The qualifications to begin a career as an executive consultant usually include a bachelor’s degree, although some employers may prefer a master’s degree in business management or a field related to their industry, such as marketing, technology, or finance. Succeeding in this job, one must have strong communication and project management skills and be customer service focused. Do what you say you can and will do.