In the modern world of business, consultants play a very important role, in everyday functioning as well as for specialized projects. The primary role of a consultant is to provide information to a client in order to solve the problem being faced by the client. This problem solving is often done after a complete diagnosis of the problem and by making recommendations based on the diagnosis. Consultants are often extended in the role of implementing the recommendations and consensus building.

Therefore consultants are essentially professionally qualified and experienced people or firms that work in close tandem and in a mutually beneficial relationship with the client based on mutual trust and confidence.
Even as a business may have expertise in certain fields, there is generally requirement for outside expert advice. Companies and corporate often seek independent, unbiased and justified reasoning and advice which is not always available from within an organization due to multiple reasons. In such cases, corporate and business turn to professional advisors and consultants for expert and unbiased advice that are most often tailor made and specific to a particular problem.

While making a choice for a professional consultant business and corporate generally look for an individual or a group that has an impeccable character and reputation. It is important that the clients view a consultant to be willing to put the best interest of the client ahead of their own.

“One of the most important aspects while business chooses a consultant is that the consultant must be willing to tell clients things that they need to hear, but may not want to -- even if doing so means that the consultant loses business. The consultant must care deeply about her or his clients,” says Lee Iwan, former President of Mutraleon and founder of the Iwan Consulting Group, a company with over 30 years of experience that specializes in facilitating contacts between Mexico and interested international companies.
Business and corporate look for consulting firms that have years of experience behind them and know their subject well.

“A good consultant should have experience with the challenges or opportunities you and your company are facing. She or he may not know your specific company or industry, but you and your people know your company and your industry quite well, don’t you? What the consultant brings to the table is experience in addressing the types of issues you face,” says Denver Abernathy, founder of Promethius Consulting with field experience of 20 years.

Consultants also required to possess creative problem-solving skills as clients often hire consultants for solving of problems that are not of common occurrence but for special needs.

“Mental equipment -- the successful consultant has outstanding analytical skill and the ability to synthesize his thoughts readily in reaching conclusions. He is a quick and effective learner -- imaginative and creative,” says Marvin Bower, the patriarch of McKinsey & Company that began as a small firm and later grew out to be an enterprise of global operations.

When choosing a consultant, make sure to hire superior problem solvers.

Consultants essentially work in close coordination with clients or their representatives and hence there is regular and constant communication between the client and the consultant. Hence while choosing a client, one has to make sure that the consultant is articulate and the firm or the individual is known for possessing unusually strong communication skills, both orally and in writing.

Financial advising firms like Goldman Sachs, Duff & Phelps, Deloitte, KPMG and Merrill Lynch are examples where great importance is given to communication skills of a consultant, especially with the client.

“We look for a special type of consultant to fit in, in our firm. Ideally we are looking for someone with a consulting profile, someone thoughtful and an excellent communicator. However, it must be someone who has the tendency to go beyond simply ‘scratching the surface’ and get to the core of an issue,” says Henk Oosterhout, Managing Director at Duff & Phelps, the leading global valuation and corporate finance advisor. This quality is most important for financial consultancy as finance is the most critical element of business.

Oosterhout says: “At Duff & Phelps, we serve our clients in a continuum, however our focus is very strongly linked to valuation and finance matters. Because we are so specialized, we are able to dig deep and offer the skill set to tackle any complex issue our client might encounter. We are not an advisor that you can call for anything, but rather a specialized council that you can call for activities that really need a close eye and a tailored approach.”

Another important aspect that clients tend to look for while selecting a consultant is the ability of the firm or the individual to have interpersonal skills. For any consultation process to be effectives, it is critical that firms and private consultants have mutual respect and trust. This aspect of a human relationship can only be developed through excellent interpersonal skills.

Deloitte believes that their consultants should be straightforward in their approach to their clients and be free and frank with the clients to that a personal rapport is built up between the two. This, the global consulting firm believes, forms that basis of a long standing and sustainable client-consultant relationship that is mutually beneficial.

Consultants are required to provide smart solutions in complex situations and clients have to be convinced to implement the solutions. This is only possible through a complete candor relationship without which there would be hindrances in the attempts by the consultant to help client’s business.

“Across the globe, for each asset, each service, and each industry we now have highly specialized experts, thanks to whom we’re able to provide a sophisticated expertise on almost every specific issue. Generally speaking, we always mobilize ‘the’ perfect expert on each engagement, no matter where he’s based around the world. We are committed to deliver the best service to our clients,” says Yann Magnan, head of European Valuation Practice at Duff & Phelps.

The words of Don Hofstrand, consulting specialist at Iowa State University, are good enough to conclude the discussion about choosing the right consultant. He says: “A consultant who is involved during the development of the entire project may be worth more than one who will quickly disengage from the project. Consider avenues such as alliances, equity positions based on performance, royalties or other financial partnerships with your consultant to solidify their commitment to your project”.

Hence personalized approach, commitment, truthfulness, trustworthiness and transparency are the values that help clients choose the right consultants.