As a small-business owner,
you know your product or service well. But you
may not know quite as much about marketing,
branding or sales. You may not be an expert in
human resources and public relations. So why
not hire consultants to tackle those parts of
your business?
Sounds great, but some entrepreneurs hire the
wrong people because they don't pay attention
during the interview process, says Lauri Flaquer.
“A lot of people give more thought to buying an
expensive piece of clothing than to hiring a
consultant,” says Flaquer, founder of Saltar
Solutions , a branding
and marketing consultancy in St. Paul,
Minnesota. “They just ask, ‘What do you do?’
and then hire with little thought.”
“Don’t hire someone just like yourself," she
says. "Bring in someone with different skills who
can really help move your business forward.”
Flaquer suggests seven revealing questions to
ask during the interview.
1. What’s been your biggest success as a
consultant?
Look for yourself and your company in the
answer. Is the candidate’s response a good
measure of success in your eyes or are you
confused as to why they think it is a success in
the first place?
Follow up by asking, "What is your second-
biggest success?"
“A lot of times, consultants may have a
formulaic answer to the first question, but might
have to really think about the follow-up,” she
says. “The second success should be different
from the first.”
2. What’s been your biggest failure?
You're looking for the person to take ownership
of a shortcoming, not blame someone else for
it.
“Admitting failure is a strength. The important
thing is to be honest and accept responsibility,”
Flaquer says. “After they answer, ask them what
they learned from the situation.”
3. What will need to happen to make this
engagement a success?
A good answer is when the candidate tells you
that the engagement will only succeed with the
help of both parties—you and the consultant. Be
wary of a consultant who says she can handle it
all on her own. You don't want someone to take
your business in the wrong direction without
knowing your business strategy, she says.
Follow up this question by asking what you, the
client, must do to make the engagement
successful. Get specifics.
4. What additional courses, classes, retreats or
extra learning have you found helpful?
“You want someone who is aggressively
seeking higher knowledge, who is on the cutting
edge,” Flaquer says.
5. Do you use a formal program to help your
clients or do you come up with it as you go
along?
It’s best if they have a formal program, she
notes, because that program can usually
measure success in a tangible way.
But what if they don’t have a program and tell
you that each client receives a customized
strategy plan?
“I still think it is important to have a basic
system to go on and show to a client,” she
says. “From there, the consultant can take the
basic system and adjust it for the client. That
system can give you an idea of some of their
strategies that may work for your business.”
6. Are you a specialist in your area?
The right answer is, "'No, I’m a generalist that
knows about a lot of industries,’" says Flaquer.
“Being a specialist is a liability, not an asset,”
she says.
Flaquer believes that specialists just mimic what
your competition is already doing. Generalists
are able to pull ideas from other industries into
your consultant/small-business relationship.
7. How do you think you can help me?
Save this for the last question and expect a
somewhat detailed response, specific to your
business.
Flaquer says, “You should leave the interview
excited, like you can’t wait to dive in.”
Do you have any additional tips for hiring a
consultant? Comment below.

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