Professional Services/Consulting: Value Add or Money Grab?

This is such an interesting question, and as the owner of a professional services firm, I have to admit, I’ve seen both – and I’m sure you have too.

I’ve had dentists, lawyers, car mechanics, HVAC techs, plumbers, accountants, and electricians who I felt I could trust. People who I felt had my best interests at heart. They gave me options, made me feel heard, had empathy for my situation, and helped me be 100x more successful than if I tried to do their jobs myself.

I’ve also seen people in every one of the professions above who were less knowledgeable than they represented themselves to be. I’ve been given bad advice, lied to, and taken advantage of.

Professional service providers, contractors, and consultants become part of your team. You need to select that team carefully, take small risks as you build a relationship, and when you’re positive they are really the team you want surrounding you, hold on to them.

When you need skills or resources you don’t have, you bring in third parties who can fill a gap and/or propel you forward faster than you can move without them.

I could probably fix my toilet, install light fixtures, represent myself in court, and do my company’s taxes…but I don’t want to end up divorced, dead, or in jail, so I call in professionals I trust to help me avoid those situations.

When I’m selecting a third party, I ask friends for referrals, scour the internet, and check references. I start with small projects to see if they meet expectations and communicate well. When I find someone who crushes it, I value them as part of my team. I may not need them for months, even years, but when I do, I know they’ll do the right thing and shoot straight with me.

We’ve built Capitalize to be the people you want on your team – a group that does the right thing every time. We strive for perfection, but like everyone, we make mistakes. When it happens, we do everything we can to make it right and bend over backwards to ensure a positive outcome.

Clients who engage with us get top professionals in the world of data, analytics, and process automation. Our team has finely honed skills that are hard to source and probably not needed full-time at most companies. We come in, do very complex projects quickly, train our clients, and we shake hands and smile when the projects are over. We accomplish the goal, and everyone wins. We know we'll be the first call the next time a similar need arises, when someone leaves, they make an acquisition, or have another cool idea that they’d like help bringing to fruition.

For those of you in professional services, remember that your value is the result you bring to those you're helping. You don't sell projects; you find ways to help people.

For those working with professional services teams, we aren't all created equal. Find those who clearly have your best interests and heart, and treat them like family. When there's an emergency, they'll be there to help, and you won't be worried about them taking advantage of the situation.