Why The External Consultant Model Works

In 2020, data revealed that consulting was a $250 billion dollar industry. Figures were down at the time due to the pandemic, so it’s safe to assume that this number has only grown in the past year.

There’s no doubt that consultancy holds appeal for many businesses; after all, what company wouldn’t want access to the best and brightest minds in any given field?

Still, investing in an outside opinion is just that – an investment. Consultants can cost more than $100 per hour to hire, and if you’re paying by project, the bill can quickly climb into the many thousands. With that in mind, it’s important to make sure that the external consultant model truly works before making the leap.

With that in mind, let’s delve into external consulting and explore whether or not it’s the right decision for your business.

What Is External Consulting?

External consulting is the act of hiring an outside firm or individual to provide advice and guidance on a specific issue or problem. This could be anything from financial advice to marketing strategy, and everything in between. 

For instance, you might hire someone to resolve problems like:

  • Finding product-market fit. It’s not always easy to know whether you have a product that people actually want to buy. A consultant can help you determine if your product is ready for market and, if not, how to adjust it.
  • Improving efficiency. There’s always room for improvement when it comes to efficiency. From process changes to implementing new technologies, a consultant can help you find ways to work smarter, not harder.
  • Growth strategy. It can be difficult to determine the best way to grow a business. Should you enter new markets? Should you acquire other companies? A consultant can help you develop and execute a growth strategy that makes sense for your business.
  • Internal conflict. Sometimes, the biggest problem a business faces is internal conflict. This could be anything from disagreements among team members to problems with company culture. A consultant can help you identify and resolve these issues before they cause irreparable damage.

Of course, consultants aren’t always there to solve problems; they might also be hired to take advantage of opportunities. For instance, you might hire a consultant to help you:

  • Develop a new product. If you have an idea for a new product or service, but don’t know how to bring it to market, a consultant can help. They can provide guidance on everything from market research to product development to go-to-market strategies.
  • Launch a new business. Starting a business is no easy feat. From putting together a business plan to securing funding to building a team, there’s a lot that needs to be done. A consultant can help you get your new business off the ground and ensure that it has the best chance for success.
  • Enter a new market. Expanding into new markets is an exciting but risky proposition. A consultant will know how to assess the risks and opportunities associated with a new market and help you develop a plan for entering it.
  • Gain a competitive edge. In today’s hyper-competitive business landscape, it’s more important than ever to have a competitive edge. Consultants can identify your unique selling proposition and develop strategies for capitalizing on it.

Types of External Consultants

Now that we’ve answered the question “what is external consulting,” it’s time to take a look at the different types of consultants that are out there. 

Management Consultants

When your company is struggling with inefficiencies, a management consultant can be brought in to help you streamline your processes. These consultants are usually experienced in change management and have a deep understanding of how businesses operate. 

Operational Consultants

Similarly, operational consultants are experts in improving the efficiency of your company’s operations; however, they’re specifically focused on the day-to-day processes that keep your business running. These consultants can help you optimize your workflow and make sure that your team is using their time effectively. 

Financial Consultants

If your company is having financial difficulties, a financial consultant can be brought in to help you get your finances back on track. These consultants are usually experienced in financial analysis and have a deep understanding of how businesses operate. 

Strategic Consultants

Strategy lives within all businesses; it’s the long-term plan that dictates how you’ll achieve your goals. A strategic consultant can help you develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for your business. These consultants are usually experienced in change management and have a deep understanding of how businesses operate. 

Human Resource Consultants

HR consultants live and breathe people. They’re experts in understanding how your employees operate and what motivates them. These consultants can help you develop and implement comprehensive HR strategies that will improve your team’s performance; they’ll help with everything from recruitment to retention. 

IT Consultants

When your IT infrastructure is falling apart, an IT consultant can be brought in to upgrade your systems and get things back on track. They can help with computing, networking, and software development; they’ll also usually have a deep understanding of how businesses operate. 

Marketing Consultants

Marketing consultants are experts in getting your company’s name out there. They can help you develop and implement marketing campaigns that will reach your target audience and help you achieve your business goals. 

There are a few more lesser-known types of consultants, such as sales consultants, but these are the most common. 

What Are the Benefits?

Since hiring an outside consultant to help with specific projects or tasks can cost your company to the tune of $100-$300 per hour, it’s important to understand the benefits that warrant this type of arrangement.

Bringing in New Perspectives

The last thing you want is for your company to become a bubble. When all your employees come from the same general background and share similar opinions, it can lead to groupthink – a phenomenon in which people within a group reach faulty decisions because they are too afraid to speak up against the majority. 

An external consultant may be just the circuit breaker you need. By definition, they are not part of your company’s culture. They don’t have the same baggage or share the same perspectives as your in-house employees. As a result, they can provide an objective view of your company’s processes and offer outside-the-box recommendations for improvement.

Think of it almost like a psychologist or therapist for your business. It can be difficult for employees to be completely honest about what they think is wrong with the company when their livelihood depends on it. An external consultant can get to the heart of the matter without having to worry about stepping on toes or hurting feelings.

Improved Efficiency and Productivity

Oftentimes, an outside perspective is all it takes to help a company see how it can work smarter, not harder. 

Bringing in an external consultant is a sign that you’re open to change and willing to invest in making your company more efficient. This type of mentality can be contagious, leading your employees to also buy-in to the idea of finding new and improved ways of working.

In many cases, an external consultant is hired to help with a specific project or task. Once they complete their work and share their insights, they move on to other clients. This can be beneficial for your company because it allows you to take what you need and leave the rest. 

There’s no need to worry about an outside consultant trying to make long-term changes or overhaul your company’s entire way of doing things – they’re only there to help you improve upon what you already have in place.

Flexibility

Another advantage of working with an external consultant is that it provides your company with flexibility. 

You can hire a consultant for as long or as short as you need them. If you only need help with a specific project, you can bring them in for a few weeks or months and then let them go when the job is done. 

You also have the option of hiring multiple consultants to work on different projects simultaneously, which can be beneficial if you need to implement several changes quickly and don’t have the internal resources to do it all at once. 

The flexibility that comes with working with external consultants can be a lifesaver for companies that are dealing with sudden changes or challenges.

Cost-Effectiveness

While hiring an external consultant can be expensive, it’s important to consider the alternative – doing the work yourself or assigning it to your employees. 

In many cases, it’s more cost-effective to hire a consultant than to have your employees take on additional tasks outside of their normal job descriptions. This is especially true if the work requires specialized skills or knowledge that your employees don’t have. 

It’s also important to consider the opportunity cost of having your employees work on projects that are outside of their area of expertise. By assigning these tasks to an external consultant, you free up your employees to focus on what they do best, which can lead to increased efficiency and productivity.

Risk Reduction

When you hire an external consultant, you transfer the risk of the project to them. This can be beneficial for your company in several ways. 

First, it frees up your employees to focus on their normal job duties without having to worry about taking on additional projects or tasks. Second, it allows you to avoid the cost and hassle of having to train your employees on new skills or knowledge. 

Third, if the project is not successful, you can simply end the contract with the consultant and move on – there’s no need to worry about firing employees or dealing with other negative repercussions.

Improved Morale

Bringing in an external consultant can also improve morale within your company. 

Your employees will appreciate that you’re taking steps to improve the efficiency and productivity of the company, and they’ll be more likely to buy-in to the changes that are implemented as a result. In addition, by freeing up your employees to focus on their normal job duties, you’ll help them to feel less overwhelmed and stressed. 

Improved morale can lead to increased productivity, which can benefit your company in a number of ways: higher quality work, more engaged employees, and lower turnover rates.

Are There Any Downsides?

As with any business decision, there are always potential downsides to consider. Here are a few of the potential drawbacks of working with an external consultant: 

  • There’s always the possibility that the consultant will not be a good fit for your company, which can happen if their personality clashes with your company culture or if they’re not able to adequately meet your needs. 
  • External consultants can be expensive, so you need to be sure that you’re getting a good return on your investment. 
  • If you’re not careful, you could end up relying too heavily on the consultant, which can create problems if they leave or are no longer available. 
  • There’s also the potential for conflict if the consultant works with other companies in your industry. 

Overall, however, the advantages of working with an external consultant usually outweigh the potential drawbacks – as long as you’ve considered every angle and carefully selected the right consultant for your needs.

Choosing Your Consultant

Deciding which consultant to go with almost requires you to diagnose your company’s specific problems, as if they were treatable illnesses. This is the first and most important step, as you need to be clear about what exactly you want help with before you can start shopping around for a consultant. 

To clarify what exactly you need from an outside professional, ask the following questions of your internal team: 

  • What are we struggling with at the moment? What are our constraints and bottlenecks? 
  • What processes or areas need improvement? 
  • Do we have the in-house expertise to solve these problems, or do we need outside help? 
  • Are there any personality conflicts that an external consultant could help diffuse? 

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can begin to look for a consultant who has the specific skills and experience needed to address your company’s issues. But don’t stop there; it’s also important to find a consultant who you feel confident will be a good fit for your company’s culture. 

The best way to get a sense of whether or not a potential consultant will be a good match is to schedule an initial consultation (most consultants offer these for free). 

This gives you an opportunity to “interview” the consultant and get a feel for their personality and approach. It also allows the consultant to learn more about your company and get a better understanding of your specific needs. 

You’ll then need to clarify the scope of the project and agree on deliverables, timelines, and compensation. This step is important in setting expectations and ensuring that both parties are clear about what’s expected. 

Finally, it’s also important to have a plan for transitioning out of the consulting relationship once the project is complete. This will help ensure that your company doesn’t become too reliant on the consultant and that you’re able to effectively take over once they’re gone. 

Why Does the External Consultant Model Work?

As consultants ourselves, the ProsperSpark team is well versed in the immense benefits that an external consultant can bring to a company. From our perspective, the external consultant model works for several key reasons: 

  1. An external consultant is objective. They are not invested in the politics or culture of your organization, which allows them to provide unbiased recommendations and observations. 
  2. They are experts in their field with a wealth of experience that they can apply to your unique situation. 
  3. External consultants are typically hired for a specific project or time period, which means they are laser-focused on achieving the desired results. 
  4. Engaging an external consultant signals to your team that you are serious about making change and willing to invest in outside help to make it happen. 
  5. An external consultant can provide an objective “second set of eyes” to review your plans and offer suggestions for improvement. 

Of course, no solution can be cut-and-pasted to achieve success in every situation. The external consultant model is no different; it might work well for one of your goals or problems, but not so well for another. The key is to evaluate your needs and carefully select a consultant who will be the best fit to help you achieve success. 

Enhance Team Coordination with a Shared Calendar

Airtable’s built-in calendar goes beyond a simple scheduling tool. It transforms into a powerful hub for task management within your team. Project managers can create timelines, assign deadlines, and set reminders within the calendar view. Team members can access this centralized calendar to view upcoming tasks, track project progress, and collaborate seamlessly. This eliminates the need for multiple calendars and ensures everyone is on the same page, fostering efficient project execution.

Real-World Examples:

  • Marketing Team Campaign Management: Create a shared calendar to visualize brainstorming sessions, content creation deadlines, social media posting schedules, and campaign launch dates. This keeps everyone aligned and ensures a smooth marketing rollout.
  • Sales Team Activity Tracking: Use the calendar to track sales calls, client meetings, and follow-up deadlines. This allows managers to monitor individual and team performance, identify potential roadblocks, and provide timely support.

  • Product Development Team Sprint Planning: Block out dedicated times for user interviews, design sprints, development cycles, and testing phases on the shared calendar. This transparency ensures everyone involved knows what’s happening at each stage and fosters collaboration.

  • Customer Support Team Shift Scheduling: Create a visual schedule for customer support representatives, including breaks, training sessions, and planned maintenance windows. This ensures adequate coverage during peak hours and avoids customer service disruptions.

  • Content Creation Team Editorial Calendar: Manage a shared calendar for brainstorming sessions, content assignment deadlines, editing and revision cycles, and publication dates. This keeps the content creation process organized and on track.

Simplify Resource Management with Custom Spreadsheets

Airtable’s true strength lies in its ability to transform traditional spreadsheets into dynamic tools for resource management. Gone are the days of static data! Airtable spreadsheets can be customized with various field types, including formulas and automation. Teams can track project budgets, allocate resources efficiently, and monitor project timelines, all within a single, adaptable workspace. This level of customization empowers teams to manage resources effectively and identify potential roadblocks before they arise.

Real-World Examples:

  • Project Budget Tracking: Craft a custom spreadsheet to track project expenses, categorize costs, and compare them to allocated budgets. This allows for real-time financial health monitoring and facilitates informed resource allocation decisions.

  • Team Member Capacity Planning: Design a spreadsheet to visualize team member workloads, including deadlines, project assignments, and estimated time commitments. This helps identify potential bottlenecks, distribute tasks efficiently, and avoid overallocation of resources.

  • Inventory Management: Create a custom spreadsheet to track inventory levels, reorder points, and supplier information. This ensures you have the necessary resources in stock when needed and avoids stockouts or excessive storage costs.

  • Client Project Profitability Analysis: Develop a spreadsheet to track project costs, billable hours, and client fees. This facilitates profitability analysis for individual projects and helps identify areas for improvement in resource allocation for future client engagements.

  • Scenario Planning and Resource Forecasting: Build a custom spreadsheet to model different project scenarios and their resource requirements. This allows you to anticipate potential resource needs, plan for contingencies, and make data-driven decisions about resource allocation.

Boost Productivity through Automation

Airtable automates repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for your team to focus on high-impact activities. Imagine automatically sending task reminders, assigning new projects based on workload, or generating reports based on predefined criteria. Airtable’s robust automation features allow you to streamline workflows and eliminate manual data entry, boosting overall team productivity.

Real-World Examples:

  • Automated Task Management: Automatically create tasks in a to-do list when a new record is added to a specific Airtable base. This eliminates manual data entry and streamlines your workflow.

  • Email Reminders and Notifications: Automate sending email reminders or notifications based on deadlines or specific field changes in your Airtable base. This ensures you and your team stay on top of important tasks and upcoming events.

  • Data Pre-Population and Field Updates: Use automation to pre-populate fields with default values or automatically update related fields based on user selections. This reduces manual data entry errors and saves time.

  • Data Aggregation and Reporting: Automate the process of collecting and summarizing data from different Airtable bases into a single report. This saves time on manual data manipulation and provides a consolidated view of key metrics.

  • Content Approval Workflows: Create automated workflows that route content for review and approval based on pre-defined criteria. This streamlines the content creation process and ensures timely feedback and approvals.

Keep Projects Aligned with Real-Time Updates

Airtable Sync ensures your teams are constantly working with the latest information. This innovative feature lets you link projects across different bases, enabling real-time updates. No more refreshing pages or chasing down the newest document version – Airtable Sync keeps everyone in the loop, fostering smoother collaboration and faster project completion.

Real-World Examples:

  • Centralized Project Hub: Consolidate all project-related information in a single Airtable base, including tasks, deadlines, files, and discussions. With real-time updates, everyone can access the latest project information, fostering transparency and alignment.
  • Dynamic Dashboards and Reporting: Develop dashboards that automatically update with the latest Airtable data. This provides a real-time view of project progress, metrics, and potential roadblocks, allowing for data-driven decision-making and course correction.

  • Automated Dependency Management: Set up automations to track dependencies between tasks within your Airtable base. When a dependent task is completed, the automation can trigger updates or notifications for subsequent tasks, ensuring a smooth workflow and everyone stays on the same page.

  • Streamlined Communication and Feedback: Leverage Airtable’s commenting features to provide real-time feedback directly on tasks, files, or project updates within the platform. This eliminates the need for separate communication channels and ensures all project conversations are documented and centralized.

  • Collaborative Brainstorming and Planning: Use Airtable as a collaborative workspace where team members can brainstorm ideas, add notes, and update plans in real time. This fosters a dynamic and interactive environment where everyone can contribute and see the project evolve continuously.

Organize Workspaces by Linking Records

Airtable goes beyond simple data storage, allowing users to create relationships between records. Imagine linking customer information to related sales orders or connecting project tasks to their corresponding deadlines. This functionality fosters organization within your workspace, making tracking dependencies and visualizing project flow easier. Additionally, Airtable offers pre-built templates with pre-defined relationships, saving you time and ensuring a well-structured workspace from the outset.

Real-World Examples:

  • Content Management System: Create a system where content ideas in a brainstorming base are linked to corresponding production stages in a separate base. This allows you to track the progress of content pieces seamlessly across the entire creation process.

  • Sales Pipeline Management: Link opportunities in your sales pipeline to relevant customer information in a separate CRM base. This provides a holistic view of each prospect and streamlines the sales process.

  • Bug Tracking and Development Workflow: Link bug reports to corresponding tasks assigned to developers. This allows developers to easily access all relevant information for each bug fix and track the progress of their work.

  • Event Planning and Vendor Management: Link event details to specific vendors involved in the planning. This keeps track of all associated vendors, their services, and any communication threads related to each event.

  • Research Project Management: Link research topics to relevant source materials, such as articles or data sets. This allows researchers to easily access and reference the sources used for each aspect of their project.

Flexible Task Scheduling Options to Suit Any Project

Not all projects require the same management style. Airtable caters to this by offering a variety of task-scheduling options. Choose from list views for a simple overview, Kanban boards for visualizing workflow stages, Gantt charts for tracking project timelines, or gallery views for showcasing creative assets. This flexibility allows teams to select the view best suits their project management style and needs.

Real-World Example:

  • Agile Development Sprints: Airtable’s flexible scheduling allows you to define sprints (iterations) within your project base. Tasks can be assigned due dates within each sprint, enabling agile development teams to manage short work cycles and adapt to changing priorities.

  • Freelancer Project Management: Assign tasks with flexible deadlines based on freelancer availability and project milestones. This approach caters to the dynamic nature of freelance work, ensuring clear expectations while accommodating individual schedules.

  • Content Marketing Calendar: Schedule blog posts, social media content, and other marketing materials with specific publish times or deadlines. Airtable’s flexibility accommodates recurring tasks and seasonal content, ensuring a consistent and well-paced marketing strategy.

  • Event Planning with Staggered Deadlines: Manage complex event logistics with tasks due at various stages leading up to the event date. This could include tasks for venue booking months in advance and social media promotion closer to the event.

  • Long-Term Project Roadmaps: Airtable’s flexible scheduling isn’t limited to short-term tasks. Outline major project milestones and phases with tentative due dates, providing a high-level roadmap that can adapt as the project progresses.

Centralized Documentation for Easy Collaboration

Airtable isn’t just for data – it can also house all your project-related documents, images, videos, and files. This eliminates the need for scattered folders and email attachments, centralizing everything in one easily accessible location. Team members can collaborate on documents in real time, add comments, and ensure everyone has the latest version readily available. This fosters a culture of transparency and streamlines communication within your team.

Real-World Examples:

  • Single Source of Truth: Consolidate all project-related documents, such as meeting notes, design specifications, and user manuals, within a dedicated Airtable base. This ensures everyone can access the latest and most accurate information, eliminating confusion and wasted time searching for scattered documents.

  • Version Control and Revision History: Airtable tracks changes to documents stored within bases. This allows teams to collaborate on documents in real-time, see revision history, and revert to previous versions if necessary. This fosters transparency and prevents accidental overwrites.

  • Inline Collaboration and Feedback: Airtable facilitates document collaboration directly within the platform. Team members can add comments, suggestions, and questions on specific sections of documents, streamlining feedback exchange and eliminating the need for separate communication channels.

  • Conditional Content Visibility: Leverage Airtable’s view functionality to control document visibility based on user roles or project phases. This ensures team members only see the information relevant to their tasks, reducing information overload and maintaining a focused workspace.

  • Centralized Knowledge Base Creation: Develop a comprehensive knowledge base within Airtable to store best practices, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides. This centralized repository empowers team members to find answers independently, reducing the need for repetitive questions and promoting knowledge sharing across the organization.

Expand Functionality with Custom Apps

Airtable’s open API unlocks a whole new level of customization. Developers can leverage this API to create custom applications that fit your business needs perfectly. Imagine integrating your CRM system with Airtable for seamless customer data flow or connecting your project management tool for a unified workflow. The possibilities are endless, allowing you to tailor Airtable to your unique business processes and maximize its functionality for your team.

Real-World Examples:

  • Advanced Data Integration: Airtable offers robust built-in integrations, but the Open API allows for even deeper connections. Imagine a custom app that pulls real-time weather data from an external API and integrates it with your project timelines in Airtable. This could be crucial for construction projects where weather can significantly impact scheduling.

  • Customizable Workflows and Automations: While Airtable automations are powerful, they might not handle every complex scenario. The API allows you to build custom apps that trigger multi-step workflows based on specific events in your Airtable base. This could involve sending automated notifications to multiple channels or initiating external actions upon data changes.

  • Machine Learning and AI Integration: The API allows you to incorporate machine learning or AI functionalities into your Airtable workflows. Imagine a custom app that analyzes customer support data in your Airtable base and suggests potential solutions or categorizes incoming tickets based on sentiment analysis.

  • Custom User Interfaces and Branding: Airtable offers a functional interface, but the API allows you to develop custom apps with a user interface tailored to your specific needs and branding. This could be crucial for creating public-facing portals or client dashboards that seamlessly integrate with your Airtable data.

  • Advanced Data Analytics and Reporting: Airtable’s built-in reporting features are useful, but for in-depth data analysis, you might require more. The API allows you to connect your Airtable data with powerful analytics tools. This could involve building custom dashboards with interactive visualizations or generating comprehensive reports that go beyond Airtable’s native capabilities.

 

Conclusion

Airtable offers a powerful and versatile toolkit that can revolutionize your company’s operations. By implementing the strategies outlined above, you can streamline workflows, optimize resource allocation, and foster seamless team collaboration. Imagine a work environment where everyone has access to the latest information, tasks are completed efficiently, and projects stay on track. Airtable can be the key to unlocking this efficiency level and propelling your business towards sustainable growth.

But what if Airtable’s pre-built features aren’t quite what your team needs?  ProsperSpark’s team of Airtable consultants and developers can help.  We craft custom Airtable solutions tailored to any team’s needs and workflows.  Whether you need help with automation, data management, or building a complex project management system, ProsperSpark can turn your Airtable vision into reality.

Here are a few more resources to learn more about Airtable and its potential for your business:

ProsperSpark’s Airtable Consulting Services

Airtable for Beginners Guide

Airtable Community Forum

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