Many CEOs, MDs, or managing boards of companies are reluctant to call in a consultant as it might be seen as a sign of weakness. They are concerned that the perception that they need help, guidance, advice, or a fresh set of eyes on their business will lower their standing internally or externally. As any consultant will tell you, they aren’t there to “fix” a company’s’ problem, but to guide the current or future decision makers into making the correct decisions for the well being of their business. And to be clear, there are some business problems that even the best consultants in the world cannot fix. So, when should you call in a consultant, what do you want them to do, and who do you call? Managing the process is as much your responsibility as the client, as it is that of the consultant you have asked into your business.
The first decision to be made is why you need help. Why can you not resolve an issue of problem internally, and why do you feel you need external help? This is often the most difficult decision to make for any business. It may be that you are at an unexpected good or bad juncture in your businesses’ journey that has thrown up questions that you don’t think you have the means to answer them all yourselves. Or the problem that is in front of you may be too large or too important for you to take decisions yourselves, as making the wrong decision may be terminal for your business. Or, as in many instances, you feel that it is good governance to have someone come in and conduct a “health check” for your business. In any event, once you have decided why you need help, on what issues or problems, you then need to decide what it is you want the consultant to do i.e. agree what their brief is.
Once your consultant and the brief are in place, don’t waste their time and your money trying to do their job for them. Having agreed their fees and the time needed for their task, introduce them to your business, give them the information that they need, and then make time for them to talk to as many people as possible before they begin the process of implementing their solution. Once the solution has been agreed, let the process roll out in a sensible manner, mindful of the time needed for stakeholders to become part of the solution. And then let the solution embed itself into your business.
A good business consultant will not want to become a permanent member of your team. Good consultants will guide their clients towards the right decision, acting as the “honest” broker with a fresh set of eyes and ears, coaxing the stakeholders to reaching the correct decision, assist with implementing the solution, and then bow out, confident that what they have put in place will work. Consultants with personal agendas or “passionate” takes on an issue, should be avoided at all costs. The best consultants are:
- Independent, they should always provide an objective and “reasonable person” view
- Immune to internal issues or politics.
- Able to provide solutions that save money over time – if the fix is more expensive than the problem, then it’s not the right fix.
- Able to act as interim business unit leaders, but ultimately should step away having put a permanent solution/employee in place.
- Straight forward and forthright, comfortable to articulate and make the tough decisions that might be necessary.
- Well qualified for the task that they are being asked to address – don’t hire a plumber to fix an electrical problem.
- Transparent. They should be happy to share their previous successes and provide client testimonials.
- Realistic and be able to explain the expected benefits, including the expected ROI, that they will bring to your business once their tasks have been completed.
- Have a fee structure that is sensible relative to the problem being addressed, and the benefits that accrue from the solutions that they propose. Big fee structures per se are bad business, as are expensive, long-term retainers. Fees should be negotiable, have an escalation as well as a de-escalation element, and be able to be converted into a project base at will.
- Able to act in full confidence, and in full compliance with King IV (in South Africa) with respect to ethics at all times.
The very best consultants are only ever called back to a company to review progress and offer reassurances as to the path being followed, or tackle a new problem.
At Vinez, our 20 years’ wine industry experience in key fields such as commercial, marketing, and digital strategy development, means that we are able to offer clear, simple, and affordable advice on these topics, and all that they entail. Helping you to make decisions on where to sell, what to sell, and how to sell your wine brand, is our focus. Tasks that are not handled by the immediate team are outsourced to experts in areas such as winemaking, viticulture, hospitality management, and financial management.
So, if you need help and a guiding hand as you reach an important juncture in your business’ life cycle, need an honest appraisal of your wine business, and require a sensible and affordable solution, then contact us for more information, or to book a consultation
Ross Sleet
VINEZ
www.vinez.co.za
ross@vinez.co.za
+27(0) 7888 62246
