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Business Consulting Services: Find the Best Consultant for Your Needs in Atlanta, GA
Whether you're developing a new venture from the ground up or trying to revamp your existing business to adapt to changing local conditions, a business consultant can help. These creative problem solvers look at your existing business or upcoming plans and make targeted recommendations based on your overall goals. Consider hiring a professional business consultant in Atlanta to help your company manage growth and improve efficiency.
Understanding a Business Consultant's Role
The role of a business consultant varies depending on your particular needs, but the basic goal is to improve how your company functions so you can gain more clients and make more money. If you hire a business consultant, keep in mind that any suggestions you get aren't intended as criticism, but as part of the effort to make your business run better than it ever has before.
What is a business consultant?
A business consultant offers advice and analysis for companies and organizations at any stage to help them meet their goals. It can be tough to remain objective when you're analyzing your own business. Business consultants offer a different perspective, so they can help you see problems and come up with solutions that might not have been apparent otherwise.
What does a business consultant do?
A business consultant considers all aspects of your existing business to determine anything that might be holding you back and then develops a comprehensive plan to help you meet your objectives. Business consulting can help a new business avoid pitfalls before opening or help an established business make the necessary changes for long-term success. You can find business consultants who specialize in specific industries, new business creation, or reviving failing organizations as well as those who offer more generalized business consulting using a holistic approach.
Areas of focus for business consulting
Small business consulting is customized to your specific company or organization, so the actual services provided depend on your precise needs. Business consulting might touch on a variety of areas, such as:
Business plans
New companies and companies committing to a change of direction may benefit from a business consultant who has expertise in developing business plans. When you're focused on finding customers and building your management team, writing a business plan can feel overwhelming. A consultant can help clarify and organize your business plan so that you have a solid document to show investors.
Market research & competitive analysis
Business consultants can help you determine your target market and how to reach those ideal customers. This might involve researching existing clients and studying demographic trends in and around Atlanta. Your business marketing consultant might also help you develop an entire marketing campaign and help you establish your brand.
Consultations can also include competitive analysis, which involves a thorough overview of who your competitors are and how they operate. Your consultant might suggest ways to outperform local competitors and gain a bigger share of the regional market.
New product & service development
Research and development are a vital part of operating a business, and a consultant can help you determine whether specific product ideas are viable. About 42% of start-up failures occur because the company didn't actually meet the needs of the market. Knowing whether your concept is likely to succeed helps you avoid wasting time and money.
Once you're in the process of developing a new product or service, a business consultant can identify potential problems in manufacturing, delivery, or marketing and helps you streamline your process to make your launch a success. You might get tips on how to differentiate your new product in the marketplace, and your consultant can help manage the actual launch when you're ready to start selling.
Sales & marketing plan
Freelance business consultants with marketing experience help you tweak your marketing plan to reach the right consumers at the right time. This might involve developing an overarching sales strategy that utilizes everything from print and video ads to social media influencer marketing. It could also include developing target market personas, doing tests of different ad formats, and analyzing sales performance to create an optimized sales funnel that draws in customers.
Operations & performance improvement
A business consultant helps make your company or organization more efficient and cost-effective. You might get recommendations from a consultant for new equipment, software programs, or distribution methods that reduce costs. As Atlanta was ranked the city with the lowest cost of doing business in 2014 by Business Facilities Magazine, there are likely plenty of ways to streamline your operations to minimize costs. An experienced business consultant knows local suppliers and can point you in the right direction to take advantage of the low cost of doing business here.
Human resources optimization
Business consultants help you manage human resources so the right people are in the right position at your company. This can involve recruiting new employees with a specific skill set and improving employee retention to reduce turnover. Your consultant might implement training programs to help your existing staff work more effectively. The consultant can also handle the difficult task of eliminating redundant positions and cutting back on staffing in specific departments.
Steps in a Business Consulting Project
When you hire a freelance business management consultant, you can expect the project to progress through specific phases. These stages are standard in business consulting projects:
Initial contract development
When you first meet with a business consultant, you need to define the scope of the project and what areas of your business need attention. You might set a schedule of benchmarks for the consultant to meet and arrange in-person or telephone check-ins at specific intervals during the project. This is also the time to inform anyone else at your company about what to expect from the consultant.
Discovery
In the discovery phase, the business consultant meets with stakeholders and does a comprehensive audit to learn as much as possible about the company. Stakeholders might include the owner, managers, employees, suppliers, accountants, board members, and important clients. Data collection might take the form of in-person interviews or written surveys.
The consultant might also collect data about previous marketing efforts, competitors, industry trends, and prior organizational structure. You might need to provide any existing company documentation, such as prior business plans and financial statements. The main goal of the discovery phase is to establish what operations and procedures are already in place so that any plans developed are appropriate to your company.
Evaluation
The evaluation phase of a business consultation is when the consultant analyzes the gathered information and develops a plan for the changes you need to make. During this phase, the consultant:
- Identifies current problems and issues
- Identifies potential problems that might develop in the future
- Figures out the company's strengths or weaknesses
- Critically analyzes collected company data for patterns and roadblocks
- Determines possible growth opportunities
- Comes up with ideas for improvement
At the end of the evaluation phase, the consultant generally makes a presentation to the business owner and any major stakeholders. This presentation might include an overview of current operations, a list of recommendations for improvement, and the expected results of each suggestion.
Implementation
The implementation phase of a business consulting project puts ideas into action. This might mean making staffing changes, such as hiring, firing, or moving employees into different positions within the company. It could also involve adjusting your marketing plan to focus on different areas, switching vendors for supplies and distribution, or upgrading hardware you use in the office.
In some organizations, the business consultant is directly involved in the implementation phase. This can ease the burden on management and owners if some employees or clients are resistant to the changes. Other entrepreneurs or business owners prefer to handle implementation entirely on their own, using the suggestions provided by the consultant as a road map for changes. In either case, it's a good idea to schedule a few feedback sessions so you and your consultant can assess whether everything is going according to plan and if the changes are having the desired effect.
Finding a Business Consultant
Atlanta is home to plenty of qualified business consultants. To find the right one for your needs, here are some points to consider:
Previous experience
A business consultant should have experience in management and operations, not just consulting. Hands-on experience as an owner, CEO, manager, or department head gives a consultant invaluable insight into how a business operates.
Compatible specialties
If you're opening a new restaurant in Buckhead, a consultant with experience turning around failing retail shops trying to make the switch into digital sales probably isn't your best option — and vice versa. Some business consultants specialize in focused areas, such as finances, customer service, or marketing, while others offer more comprehensive business consulting services aimed at optimizing your entire operational structure. Finding a business consultant with specific expertise in what you're trying to do is a must.
Stellar references
Ask potential business consultants who they've worked for in the past, and follow up on those references. Ideally, you want a consultant who has dealt with challenges similar to those your business faces. Talk to references directly to find out how well the consultant understands your industry, whether prior jobs were completed on time and within budget, and if previous clients continue to maintain a good relationship with the consultant.
Creativity
When you're looking over a business consultant's portfolio, look for signs of creativity. If the consultant has a history of developing innovative solutions not seen elsewhere in the marketplace, this indicates a creative mindset that can help your business stand out from your competition.
Fee structure and scope of project
Determine whether you're looking for a one-time consultation that lets you implement changes on your own or prefer a consulting relationship that lasts months or years and includes regular reassessments of what is or isn't working. Some consultants charge a project fee after an initial consultation, while others work for an hourly or daily rate. You may also want to consider putting your consultant under a monthly retainer after the job ends so you can have someone on call for further consultations if business conditions change.
Your Role in a Business Consulting Relationship
The client plays a role in whether the business consulting relationship is a success. Business consulting works best when you are open to suggestions and committed to making relevant changes in your organization. Essentially, business consulting is a collaborative relationship, not just hiring someone to come in and tell you and your employees what to do.
Before you can hire a business consultant, you need to define your goals. Determine whether you need help with overall strategic planning or more targeted assistance with specific areas of business you find challenging. A business consultant needs to know your expectations in order to produce results that make you happy.
A good business consultant should build trust with the members of your organization while working to find solutions for your company's problems. Hiring a consultant that can develop a good rapport with management and stakeholders makes the entire process easier.