In the life of each company there may come a time when the management needs external help to be able to solve its needs in a more effective and efficient way.
A business consultant (in English Business Consultant) provides support to their clients both in planning and execution of strategies, search for solutions to internal / external problems and offers advice to management on important aspects depending on the need.
Due to the value that a business consultant presents for the company, this has become one of the most demanded profiles by companies in recent years.
In this article we will talk more about the consulting role and what skills you should develop if you are interested in working as a Consultant. In addition, now you can certify yourself as a Business Consultant and evolve your career.
What is a Business Consultant?
A Business Consultant is a professional expert in the area of business management and business strategies that provides advice for companies to analyze and provide solutions to their problems objectively and independently.
Internal consultant – professional capable of diagnosing and offering an expert opinion or solution to a problem from within the company.
External consultant – a professional hired temporarily to offer objective and independent advice on a certain problem. He usually works on several projects at the same time.
What does a Business Consultant do?
Business Consultants have an impact on different areas of the business, since they offer a wide range of services. Among others we can highlight:
- Identify problems
- They provide objectivity
- Employee training
- Initiate the change
- Influence other people etc.
The first stage of a consultant’s work is to get to know the client’s business and understand its characteristics and/or differences. To do so, they may have access to facilities, board meetings, accounting, Sales KPIs, or business documentation/materials. The preparation phase is paramount and requires investing enough time to understand the operations launched.
Once having the appropriate knowledge, the second phase begins, the purpose of which is to evaluate and/or identify areas of the business that need improvement. You also have to identify strengths and opportunities through SWOT analysis by increasing revenue and efficiency. Also new problems that the company was not aware of.
As the last stage of the work of a business consultant and perhaps the most important is to develop solutions to the problems that have been previously identified. For example, how can the company take advantage of opportunities in the market? How to optimize the inefficient production process?
What does it take to be a business consultant?
Business consultants should have strong knowledge and experience from different departments within the company such as Finance, Marketing, Sales or Human Resources. Companies can also request the following requirements:
- Education
In order for you to be able to work as a Business Consultant, you should have a Master’s in Business Administration, although in certain cases companies may request a specialized Master’s degree (Finance, Sales, etc.) or only a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
- Experience
Since business consulting experts should be in their field, companies sometimes require several years of experience in different positions. One of the positions with the greatest potential to become a Business Consultant is working as a Business Analyst.
- Certification
Today, there is no universal certification in the Consulting field.
But if you want to practice consulting, Sales Business School offers you training in Consulting and Sales so that you will learn the exclusive methodology created by successful managers. You can also certify yourself as a Sales Consultant.
15 differential characteristics that a Consultant should have
1. Ability to ask questions (70%), listen (30%) and understand the situation (why, what for, who…)
2. Ability to detect needs, problems, “pains” and analyze, synthesize and diagnose
3. Is Customer-focused (its casuistry, agenda, objectives, challenges…)
4. Identifies opportunities and connects with benefits, facilitating change
5. Demonstrates knowledge and experiences (cases with other customers, sectors, segments…)
6. Has information and data market, trends, benchmark, best practices…
7. Positioning as Facilitator. Supporting and leading the process
8. Is trained and oriented to provide solutions to complex problems.
9. It is focused on the methodology and processes to achieve improvements in terms of efficiency
10. It proposes proposals, recommendations, scenarios, alternatives…
11. Always adapted, personalized, flexible, co-created with the client (customer insights)
12. Creates an atmosphere and environment of trust and safety (not risk!)
13. Makes follow -up focusing on sales as a project (touch points, checkpoints…)
14. Their mission is to help obtain results and open up new approaches-opportunities…
15. The purpose of the relationship is always long-term.