Know Your Value as an HR Consultant

Welcome to 2023 !

‘Know your value’, that’s the motto I’m leaning on as we have moved into the new year, and one that I’m always trying to make sure my clients understand too.?

As HR consultants, we bring a lot to the table: knowing exactly what will help you feel more confident in your pitching, as well as help you price more fairly once you’ve found that new client.?

Here are 10 ways in which a consultant can bring value to a client, versus an in-house HR team, starting with the more personal:?

??Experience

Consultants usually have a wide-reaching wealth of experience to bring to a team, the impact of which is sometimes difficult to quantify, yet should never be understated. If you’ve worked at, say, five different companies over the last seven years you’ve seen the nuances of them all and have an insight into varied businesses - be they financial, start up, marketing, real estate, or a whole lot more. From each of these you’ve gained exposure to different facets of business, practised different ways of working, understood different personality traits, and navigated your way through them all. This makes you versatile enough to meet any challenge thrown at you, head on and with an informed perspective.

??Bringing Outside Knowledge?

This goes slightly hand-in-hand with experience (above) yet it builds on it even further. All those companies you’ve worked within? You’ve been privy to more than just how teams build a marketing campaign or how people sell houses. You’ve been a part of their inner-workings; perhaps setting up their company structure, meeting key employees, and sitting in on meetings - always learning and understanding more about the company’s business model. Of course, as consultants we should (and would) never give away confidential information, however it does give us an abundance of knowledge to lean on, helping to forge new paths with clients.?

??Expertise (sometimes knowledge-based, sometimes technical, often a blend of the two).

This is where it gets really interesting. Despite - or perhaps because of - all the experience we gain as HR consultants, we are likely specialists in our area. Yes, you may have worked with varied clients, but you’ve worked with them across the same or similar issues, time and time again. This means you’re an expert in your field; be it from a generalist, project management, succession planning, or learning and development perspective, or as an employment or recruitment specialist. You know your field, and you know how to make it work - no matter the company. If that’s not a huge added value to any client, then I don’t know what is.?

??Innovation

With a combination of the above - your experience, outside knowledge, and expertise - as well as your understanding of how to jump right into a new project, or to start with a new client (sometimes more than one at a time), I can guarantee that you’ve found innovative ways to approach client needs. You may not even know it, but it’s a fundamental part of what we do: getting in and getting the job done. Think about a time you set up a new way of working, or restructured an organisation, streamlining their staff or processes. This is innovation in action.?

These are some of the special skills we bring to a client, but we need to consider this question from a client perspective too. Every decision to hire a consultant must come with a convincing list of benefits to the company - what else is in it for them, over and above your skill set??

Put simply, how will you be sold in to their CEO or CFO? How will you help improve their bottom line? After all, aren’t you just bringing additional expense? The straightforward answer to this is a big, resounding NO. In fact, the chances are that you’ll save them money (among other things) in the long term. Let’s break it down. Here’s how:

??Project Completion Time

With a consultant on board, someone who specialises in their area and who really knows their stuff (yes, you), projects will be completed more quickly, saving money on resources. You know how to accelerate projects and how to complete them quickly, because of your expertise, but also because of your previous experience: using methodology to guide your work; your varied understanding of the sector; and your knack for innovation, for example. And what does a quicker project-wrap mean for a client? Less money spent.?

??Streamlining Processes, Long Term

Ok, so you’ve wrapped up a project and are on your way to somewhere new. What is the company left with? A more streamlined way of working moving forward. Not only have you provided value in the day-to-day of working with them, but you’ve left them with a framework of how to work more efficiently too. Yes, you’ve guessed it, saving them more money in the longer-term. This is a really important point, and something often overlooked by both consultants and clients. Don’t forget to add it to your pitch deck or, at the very least, to let them know as you say your goodbyes. Who knows, it may be what incentivises them to bring you back at a later date.

??Revenue Boost

Every client is bringing you in for a reason, and that reason is 99.9% of the time related to company revenue. Whether you’re helping to set up a new line of business, facilitate change, manage performance or, really, anything else within the HR field, you’re helping to build your client’s business - and with that comes increased profit. Be sure to set your prices accordingly.?

Lastly, there are some other kinds of benefits and value you may bring to a client as an HR consultant. These are perhaps less tangible, but no less important…?

??Minimising Risk?

There are a few ways that a consultant can minimise risk(s) for a client and/or company. Some are more formal: knowledge (or resources) to ensure industry law, regulations and standards are upheld; using consistent methodology; and working with documentation. But you’ll also bring ‘softer’ risk-aversion tools too, such as keeping to deadlines, working to scope, and maximising performance - all of which will either help company profits or ensure customers remain happy, often both.

??Acting as a Scapegoat?

This may not immediately strike you as nice, but sometimes it’s all part of the job. If a company is making big decisions - say hiring or firing, undertaking a merger or acquisition, or closing an arm of business - sometimes it’s easier for them to hire an HR consultant to help with the process. As an ‘outsider’ you can come in and get the job done with less emotional ties to a situation and - put simply - leave the reputation of internal employees, from CEOs to the in-house HR team, in better shape.?

??Building Trust

To finish this newsletter on a brighter note, there are times (usually when you’ve formed a working relationship with a client in the past) where the value you bring is purely based on trust. You’ve proven yourself one or more times, and the client trusts you to come in and deliver again, or to advise them in a way no one else can. As Warren Bennis, the American scholar and consultant once said, “Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organisations to work.”

I’ll leave you with one more quote today, too, from Dr. Benjamin Spock: “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”?

Happy 2023 to all my trusted and valued connections, may this be the best year yet.

Join us for our two new virtual HR Consulting events on January 12th & 19th - for more details click here.

?As always I love to hear your feedback - how else do we add value to our clients ??