Business management consulting: choose the best option!

Have you thought about hiring a business management consultancy? The service offers solutions for your business from the impartial perspective of a specialized professional.

That perspective is possible because the consultant brings an outside view, helping your company grow sustainably and reach more satisfying results.

Keep reading this article to understand what a business management consultancy does, why it is worth investing in, how much it costs and which services are offered.

Enjoy the read!

What is business management consulting?

Business management consulting is a service provided by specialized professionals who look for solutions that improve the way a business model is run. When hired, the consultant diagnoses the current situation in order to identify problems and opportunities for improvement.

The aim is to make business processes more efficient, using available resources and costs wisely. Consulting is also very useful in business expansion projects.

What does a business management consultant do?

The consultant is a specialist in a given subject, usually tied to the sector or project the company needs to develop with more attention. That is why they are generally more up to date and more experienced in the area than the professionals already working in the business.

Because they are outside the organization’s day-to-day, the consultant can spot habits or mistaken “mental models” (mindsets) that are often not noticed by those who are part of the company’s daily routine.

The outside view also greatly enriches the organization’s operation, especially if the consultant is transparent in sharing information and works collaboratively, not in an imposing way.

What services does a business consultancy offer?

A business consultancy’s services are varied and include strategic planning, process mapping, business plans for expansion, application of the PDCA cycle, performance and productivity analysis with the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) tool, and environmental, financial, project and production management.

Below we go a little deeper into each of the services a business consultancy can offer.

1. Strategic planning

The consultant working in this area analyzes the company and creates strategies consistent with its objectives, setting goals and deadlines.

Usually, the work consists of assessing where the company wants to go, checking whether the corporate culture is in sync with those aspirations and then helping to bring about the necessary changes.

2. Business plan

In this type of consulting, the professional develops a business plan for new projects and company expansion, helping to predict the future with more accuracy and reducing risks and costs.

3. Applying the PDCA Cycle

Here, the consultant uses the PDCA Cycle to improve products or services, focusing on the cycle of plan, do, check and act. The acronym stands for Plan, Do, Check and Act.

The professional therefore builds the methodology into the company, seeking to align all employees so they understand what is being applied.

4. Performance analysis with the Balanced Scorecard (BSC)

Many consultancies also offer the Balanced Scorecard, a tool that analyzes performance indicators across several areas, such as finance, customers and internal processes.

This way, the consultant brings the concept to the business to assess each area’s individual performance and look for ways to improve.

5. Process mapping

Some services include mapping processes, risks and opportunities, aiming to restructure them to reach the corporate objective.

In this area, the consultant surveys all of the company’s processes in order to find bottlenecks, identify rework, structure action plans and apply the necessary improvements.

6. Financial management

Many companies face problems with cash management, and even difficulty identifying costs.

In this case, consultants are hired to analyze and control spending and investments, reorganizing processes when necessary.

What are the advantages of hiring a business consultancy?

Hiring the services of a business management consultancy can bring several benefits to your business. See the main ones below.

1. Access to specialized knowledge from people who really understand business management

Consultants build up vast expertise working with various industries and companies, giving them a broad view of the best practices and solutions that worked in different scenarios.

They often seek constant training and updates to stay current with the latest management trends and techniques. That is why they contribute to organizational growth.

2. An impartial perspective on how the company is run

Without the emotional ties internal employees may have with the organization’s history or with past decisions, consultants can assess situations with an objective, unbiased view.

The impartial view also allows them to compare the company’s operations with industry standards, highlighting areas that need improvement.

3. Smart use of available resources

Consultants start their work with an in-depth analysis of the business’s processes and resources. With that, they identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies and look for optimizations.

Many also have access to advanced technologies and tools that make resource management and optimization easier.

4. Greater agility in identifying and solving problems

Trained in various problem identification and problem-solving methodologies, such as Six Sigma or SWOT analysis, consultants can perceive and address issues quickly.

That proactivity reduces risks and prevents potential failures or strategic errors, besides speeding up your business results.

5. More lucid and assertive decision-making

Guided by data, consultants use quantitative analysis to support their recommendations, bringing clarity to the decision-making process.

They also implement feedback processes, allowing the company to refine its decisions as new information becomes available.

6. Updating employees’ knowledge

Consultants not only bring their expertise but also offer specific training to improve the internal team’s skills.

This engagement with the team promotes a culture of continuous learning in the company.

7. Better business goal setting

By clearly understanding the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, consultants help define goals that are aligned with the business’s vision and mission.

They also work on defining key performance indicators so that progress is monitored effectively.

8. Faster company growth

Through robust strategic planning, consultants can steer the company toward sustainable and accelerated growth.

In addition, their wide network of contacts can be essential to establish new partnerships, win customers or find suitable suppliers.

Now that you know the advantages a consultancy can provide, let’s show how you can hire one.

How to hire a business consultancy?

Hiring a business consultancy is an important strategic step. The process involves several stages, from identifying the need to finalizing the contract.

See below how to proceed.

1. Identify the need

First of all, you need to be clear about why the consultancy is necessary.

It might be to solve a specific problem, explore a new market opportunity, improve internal processes or any other strategic reason.

2. Research and selection

Once the need is identified, research consultancies with experience in the specific area of interest. Ask for recommendations, read reviews and study success stories.

3. Request proposals

Once you have a list of potential consultancies, request proposals. The documents should detail the scope of work, the methodology, the schedule, the costs and the expected results.

4. Interviews and evaluation

Meet with representatives of the consultancies to discuss their proposals in detail.

This is an opportunity to assess not only technical competence, but also cultural fit between the consultancy and your company.

5. Reference checks

Before making a final decision, contact other organizations that work with the consultancy in question.

Ask about their experience, the results achieved and their level of satisfaction with the services provided.

6. Negotiation

After choosing the consultancy that best fits your needs, negotiate the terms of the contract. The process includes price, timeline, deliverables, confidentiality clauses and more.

7. Contract formalization

Once both parties agree on the terms, formalize the relationship through a contract. Make sure all aspects discussed earlier are clearly set out in the document.

8. Onboarding and kick-off

With the contract signed, organize a kick-off meeting between the consultancy team and the relevant stakeholders of your business.

This initial meeting will set the groundwork for effective communication and align expectations.

9. Monitoring and feedback

During the project, define checkpoints to assess progress and provide feedback.

Open communication is essential to keep the project on track and make adjustments as needed.

10. Closing and evaluation

When the project ends, hold a final review. Evaluate the results against initial expectations and discuss any lessons learned or opportunities for improvement.

Why hire a business management consultancy?

Hiring a business management consultancy is an investment that, done right, helps drive your business model and make it more profitable in the long term, since the service analyzes internal processes and identifies errors and bottlenecks that hurt corporate profitability.

As you saw, having a specialized professional with an outsider’s eye makes it easier to identify problems that, often, the manager did not even know existed. That is when the search for solutions begins.

Strategic consulting helps make better use of opportunities and gain insights for the future, so as to speed up your growth.

So this is a valid option for those who want to find more effective ways to overcome obstacles and make decisionsopens in a new tab (page in Portuguese) that are more accurate.

How much does a business consultancy charge?

Fees vary widely. In the Sebrae-SP price tableopens in a new tab (in Portuguese), an hour of consulting ranges from R$ 122.00 (standard, remote) to R$ 286.50 (advanced, in person).

That amount depends on countless variables, such as the service offered, the consultant’s expertise and several other points.

Lower fees are usually charged by beginner consultants. More experienced consultants tend to charge higher amounts.

In any case, the price is usually customized for each company, and consultants try to understand the needs before pricing the services.

5 points to consider before hiring a business management consultancy

Now that you know how to hire a business consultancy, you need to pay attention to a few details.

1. Investigate the company providing the consulting service

Research the companies you are thinking of hiring. Get to know their previous work and years of experience in the field.

Talk to other clients and check the certifications earned. Ask to see success stories that attest to the results delivered. All of this keeps you from being disappointed with the results.

2. Be suspicious if the price is too low

Think of consulting as an investment. With that in mind, if the price is very low, be suspicious.

A good consulting service is provided by qualified professionals, whose labor is not usually excessively cheap.

3. Ask about the tools the consultant will use

It is also important to know which tools and methodologies the professional will use in providing the management consulting service. After all, these aspects directly affect the final quality of the project.

Using software, for example, is usually a great help. There are also resources that can be applied, such as the Balanced Scorecard and the PDCA Cycle, mentioned earlier.

See some more examples of good tools a consultant can use (video in Portuguese):

4. Find out how the consultancy handles support

The consultancy you hire must be able to respond with agility and efficiency whenever you need to clear up a doubt or discuss an important point of the project.

If support is too slow, the consultancy will hardly be able to do much for your business.

5. Prefer simplicity and objectivity

When hiring, focus on options with simple, objective proposals that go straight to the point you need to solve.

The chosen consulting service should offer practical, viable solutions that are easy to implement. Avoid making your processes more complex than they already are.

Consulting and technology go together

A consultancy brings method and an outside view. For its recommendations to become routine, the company needs concrete, realistic data on its own operation, and following indicators, goals and action plans in one place helps keep the project on track.

Siteware works with consultancies at this point. We are the official technology partners of Fundação Dom Cabral and work with partner consultancies through PAEX, the Programa Parceiros para a Excelência (Partners for Excellence Program).