15 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant

Hiring a management consultant is a significant decision that can profoundly impact your organisation. The selection process should be thorough and rigorous, with carefully considered questions that reveal not just competence but compatibility. Here are fifteen essential questions to ask potential consultants before making your decision, organised by category to ensure comprehensive evaluation.

Experience and Expertise

1. What experience do you have with challenges similar to ours?

This fundamental question establishes relevance. Listen for specific examples, not generalisations. A consultant who has genuinely addressed similar challenges will be able to describe the context, their approach, and the outcomes in detail. Ask follow-up questions to understand how closely their experience aligns with your situation.

2. Can you share case studies from comparable projects?

Request documented evidence of past work. Quality consultants maintain case studies that demonstrate their methodology and results. Review these materials carefully, looking for measurable outcomes and evidence of sustainable change rather than just activities completed.

3. Who specifically will work on our project?

Consulting firms sometimes present senior partners during sales but assign junior staff to projects. Clarify exactly who will be involved in your engagement, their roles, and their relevant experience. If team members will change during the project, understand how transitions will be managed.

Methodology and Approach

4. How do you typically approach a project like ours?

Understanding the consultant's methodology helps you evaluate whether their approach suits your organisation and provides insight into what the engagement will involve. Look for structured but flexible approaches that can adapt to what they discover during the project.

5. How do you ensure recommendations are implemented successfully?

Strategy without implementation has little value. The best consultants think beyond recommendations to consider how changes will actually be adopted. Their answer should demonstrate understanding of change management principles and practical implementation challenges.

6. How will you transfer knowledge to our team?

Effective consulting builds internal capability. Ask how the consultant plans to ensure your team can sustain improvements and handle similar challenges independently in the future. Look for specific mechanisms like training, documentation, and collaborative working arrangements.

Working Relationship

7. How do you prefer to communicate with clients?

Misaligned communication expectations cause friction. Discuss preferred frequency of updates, reporting formats, and escalation procedures. Ensure their style matches your organisation's needs and culture.

8. How do you handle disagreements with clients?

Healthy consulting relationships involve constructive challenge. A good consultant should push back when they believe you are heading in the wrong direction. Their answer reveals whether they will be a genuine advisor or simply tell you what you want to hear.

9. What do you need from us to be successful?

Consulting is a partnership that requires commitment from both parties. Understanding their expectations helps you assess whether you can provide necessary support and reveals how they think about collaborative working.

Commercial Terms

10. How do you structure your fees?

Get clarity on pricing models, what is included, and what might incur additional charges. Understand whether they offer fixed-price, time-and-materials, or outcome-based arrangements and which would be most appropriate for your project.

11. What is your estimated timeline and key milestones?

A realistic timeline demonstrates understanding of what the project involves. Be wary of consultants who promise unrealistically fast results. Discuss key milestones and dependencies that could affect the schedule.

12. How do you handle scope changes?

Projects often evolve as new information emerges. Understand how changes will be managed and priced. A clear change control process protects both parties and prevents misunderstandings.

References and Validation

13. Can you provide references from similar engagements?

Speaking with previous clients provides invaluable insight. Ask for references specifically from projects comparable to yours and prepare thoughtful questions to ask them about the consultant's performance.

14. What did not go well in recent projects and how did you address it?

No consulting engagement is perfect. A consultant who cannot identify anything that went wrong either lacks self-awareness or is not being honest. Their answer reveals how they handle challenges and learn from experience.

15. Why should we choose you over other consultants?

This direct question forces consultants to articulate their unique value proposition. Look for answers that demonstrate genuine understanding of your needs rather than generic claims about quality or experience.

Using These Questions Effectively

These questions form a framework for evaluation, but the conversation should flow naturally rather than feeling like an interrogation. Pay attention not just to what consultants say but how they say it. Do they listen carefully? Do they ask clarifying questions? Do they acknowledge what they do not know?

Browse our directory of UK management consultancies to identify potential partners, then use these questions to evaluate your shortlisted candidates thoroughly.