Sam J. Adams CPA, P.C.

Even the best performing businesses have room for improvement. That’s where a business development consultant can come in. Whether it’s for public relations, editorial services, training or another part of a business’ overall strategy, business owners can take advantage of what consultants offer.

What Do Business Development Consultants Do?

Business development consultants offer business owners and their officers a fresh perspective on important business decisions. Examples include whether it’s better to make a product in-house or purchase it wholesale from a supplier. Other potential uses for a consultant include taking a different approach to training; increasing worker engagement; improving employee-to-employee communication; or effectively restructuring compensation and benefits for workers.

Consultants Looking at the Root Cause of Inefficiencies

A consultant can add value to each project by looking into the true cause of problems, not merely symptoms. Business development consultants who explore what may have worked temporarily or what approaches have failed in the past can provide insight into how the company is failing to address the cause of the primary problem.

Providing Value Beyond the Immediate Need

Consultants don’t just provide solutions to acute problems. Business development consultants also help clients develop systems to work through future roadblocks, such as making the wrong hires or correcting supervisors and employees with less than ideal behaviors.

One example is when a series of poor candidates are hired within an organization. After the intake of a candidate’s resume and a preliminary questionnaire or self-assessment, the problem could lie in how in-person interviews are conducted.   

When it comes to creating an interview for candidates, if the organization focuses too much on getting as many points of view as possible, it may unintentionally lead to selecting a candidate who is not the best fit. By obtaining the input of multiple people, accomplished through a group interview, a desire for uniformity takes precedence over choosing the best candidate for the role. A business development consultant might suggest a different way to hold interviews that would be more effective for temporary and long-term staffing.

One way a consultant may try to fix a spate of bad hires is to have potential employees interview with the immediate supervisor. Once a primary candidate is selected by the department supervisor, he or she may participate in a final group interview for the organization’s confirmation.

This example demonstrates how an organization can work with a consultant over a set period of time, and then apply his recommendations going forward once the consultant is gone. The new interviewing method can be tested to see how an initial one-on-one screening with the hiring manager may improve performance of newly hired candidates versus a group screening model. It can allow an organization to improve its interviewing process based on a trial-and-error results.