1. Why are you doing this? Before you sit down to talk to a consulting firm, it would help to have some idea of what it is you want to achieve. The more clearly the goal is defined, the greater the chance of reaching it. If you don't know what you want to do, don't make the call.
2. That being achieved, ask yourself, Do I need outsiders to help reach this goal? That depends on the goal. Don't forget to assess the brilliance within your own company before you go trying to buy some from outside. Maybe you don't need an army of consultants. Maybe you just need your very own MBA, whom you can easily steal from a con­sulting company.
3. If I hire a consulting company, which characters will they send? Be ruthless in this part of the process. If you know the reputations of the partners, or if they display a special, tested expertise, demand that they pay good and frequent attention to your needs. Make it a part of the contract. If they are promising the best, make certain that is what shows up. Do not be meek about sending away people who make you uncomfortable.
4. What will it cost? (And how long will it take?) Avoid open-ended arrangements and vague promises. Demand specificity in contracts, including the dark parts about what happens if the consulting engagement doesn't work. Be tight with your money. Base payments on performance and on your satisfaction. If the task involves high risk, make certain the consulting company is sharing in the risk, not just in the rewards, of the relationship.
5. Never give up control. The best consulting engagements do not take over operation, they complement them. Make certain your own managers retain control over everything, share in decision making, and understand that for the duration .of the contract, they are responsible and in charge.
6. Don't be unhappy for even a day. Ignored consultants can shower down all kinds of havoc on a company. If you sense something is going wrong, confront it immediately and demand repairs. Consultants do not answer to boards of directors, but you do. At these prices, happiness should be assumed.
7. Beware of glib talkers with books. The fact that someone can stack up case after case in which a practice seemed to work is no guarantee it will work for you. Insist on tailor-made consulting engagements that recognize the unique nature of your business. If you are buying into the book pitch, ask how much time the actual author will be on-site working through his philosophies, then listen closely to the response. Don't be afraid to trim elegant proposals right down to their essence.
8. Value your employees. One of the most common complaints about consultants is that they talk down to the locals or ignore their ideas. Long after the consultants leave, your staff will be on board. How they feel about the outsiders has a lot to do with whether the engagement will work. The best consulting companies know this and will go to great lengths to avoid morale problems. You are buying intelligence, not arrogance.
9. Measure the process. Make certain you have your own internal measure of how a procedure is progressing. Consulting companies do, and they generally try to make this a part of the process. But there is a big conflict of interest in this area and their inclination is to make you happy and stay fully engaged. Find someone you trust who knows what a devil's advocate is and let him or her monitor the consulting process. Listen frequently to the advocate's report.
10. If it's not broke, don't try to fix it. This is a great cliche, but more than an afterthought. It is in the consulting company's interest to find trouble where you see calm waters. The consultant's goal will be to sell much broader involvement than you might want or need. They can't help it. It is part of their nature. But it doesn't have to be part of yours.

Perhaps the best advice is the eldest. Almost five centuries ago, Niccolo Machiavelli, the man who wrote The Prince and whose name became synonymous with sinister plots, had this to say about seeking advice: "Here is an infallible rule: a prince who is not himself wise can-not be wisely advised.... Good advice depends on the shrewdness of the prince who seeks it, and not the shrewdness of the prince on good advice."

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