Consulting is more than just advice. It’s a strategy for acceleration—whether you’re scaling a business, refining your operations, or launching a new product. The real consulting definition goes beyond telling you what to do; it’s about providing tailored guidance that drives outcomes.

What is Consulting? Breaking Down the Consulting Definition

Before we jump into the meat of the article, let’s nail down what we’re talking about. The consulting definition, at its core, is simple: it’s the practice of providing expert advice to organizations or individuals to help them improve their performance, solve problems, and achieve their goals. But not all consultants are created equal. The best consultants don’t just offer advice; they become catalysts for transformation, pushing your business to heights you never thought possible. So, how do you spot these game-changers and squeeze every ounce of value from your consulting engagement? But how do you extract the most value from a consultant? And what makes a great consultant worth every penny? Let’s break it down.

1. Clarity is King: Define Your Objectives Like Your Business Depends on It

A great consultant will never let you wander without a target. But to get the most out of them, you need to START with crystal-clear objectives. Be ruthless in defining what success looks like for your project. Consultants thrive when they know the specific outcomes you’re seeking. Are you optimizing for revenue growth? Operational efficiency? New market penetration? Drill down into specifics, like 4k HD, crystal clear objectives turn your consultant into a partner who can truly deliver.

Ask yourself:

• What exact problem am I trying to solve?
• What does success look like in measurable terms?
• What’s the timeline I’m working with?

The more precise you are, the easier it’ll be for your consultant to deliver results that actually move the needle. Remember, a great consultant isn’t just someone who nods along – they’re someone who challenges your assumptions and helps refine your goals into a razor-sharp action plan.

2. The Selection Process: Choose Your Consultant Like You’re Picking a Co-Founder

Here’s a truth bomb for you: the consultant you choose can make or break your project. So approach this decision with the seriousness it deserves. Look beyond the glossy marketing materials and dig deep into their track record.

Key factors to consider:

• Relevant industry experience
• Their methodology and approach
• Cultural fit with your organization

Don’t be afraid to grill potential consultants. The best ones will welcome your scrutiny because they know their value. And remember, sometimes the most valuable consultant isn’t the one with the fanciest degree – it’s the one who’s been in the trenches and can bring real-world insights to your specific challenges.

3. Seek Consultants with Industry Expertise and Fresh Eyes

A consultant is only as valuable as their ability to deliver insights that drive impact. While experience in your industry is crucial, someone who can bring fresh, external perspectives is even more important. They need to know the industry rules, but they should also be ready to challenge norms. A fresh pair of eyes brings innovation and fresh insights—find someone who combines both.

4. Skin in the Game: Align Incentives for Maximum Impact

Want to light a fire under your consultant’s ass? Tie their compensation to your results. This isn’t about being cheap; it’s about creating a partnership where everyone wins when the project succeeds.

Consider structuring deals with:

• Performance bonuses tied to specific milestones
• Equity or profit-sharing arrangements for long-term projects
• Phased payments based on deliverables

When your consultant has skin in the game, they’re not just clock-watchers – they become invested partners in your success. It’s amazing how creativity and effort skyrocket when there’s a shared upside. At Heroik, with our enterprise clients, we are happy to offer skin-in-the-game engagements, with base fees plus performance bonuses or profit sharing. Rockstar performers don’t run from win-win performance based opportunities.

5. Open the Kimono: Transparency is Your Secret Weapon

Here’s where a lot of companies shoot themselves in the foot: they treat their consultant like an outsider, keeping them at arm’s length and drip-feeding information. Keeping your advisors in the dark to all the relevant facts, or worse directly misrepresenting or lying to them is a BIG mistake. Huge.

If you want transformative results, you need to open up. Give your consultant access to:

• Key stakeholders across departments
• Relevant data and metrics (even the ugly stuff)
• The real challenges and office politics at play

The more your consultant understands about the actual state of affairs, your business’s inner workings, the more tailored and effective their solutions will be. Trust me, the ROI on transparency is off the charts.

6. Be the Student: Embrace the Learning Opportunity

The best consulting engagements aren’t just about getting solutions – they’re about building capabilities within your organization. Approach your consultant as a teacher, not just a problem-solver.

Ways to maximize learning:

• Shadow your consultant during key activities
• Ask for explanations of their thought processes, definitions of jargon and concepts.
• Request training sessions for your team on new methodologies

Remember, the goal isn’t just to solve today’s problem; it’s to equip your team to handle future challenges. A great consultant leaves you not just with solutions, but with new skills and perspectives that continue to pay dividends long after they’re gone. In Heroik engagements, this learning environment is baked into our culture, and core programs we offer.

New concepts, strategy, and learning the jargon so you can become more capable as an organization, are part of the path to growth. A common mistake is to hate on jargon, but that just reflects a reluctance to learn. Good consultants will try to communicate and meet you where you are at, but there is always a learning curve. Embrace it. You’ll grow faster.

7. Demand Brutal Honesty

You didn’t hire a consultant to tell you what you want to hear. You hired them to show you what’s wrong, even if it’s uncomfortable. The best consultants are brutally honest. They’ll tell you where your blind spots are and what needs fixing, without sugarcoating. If your consultant is holding back to protect your ego, you’re missing out on the full value. At Heroik, we operate the No Bull💩 rodeo. We insist on the brutal honesty – and that goes both ways. This saves everyone time, and allows us to sort out conflicts early and quickly.

8. Execution is Everything: Don’t Just Nod – Take Action

Here’s a hard truth: the best advice in the world is worthless if you don’t act on it. Unless you’re asking the consultant to “Jim Henson” you and operate you like a puppet, the odds are, you will have to do the work and act on the advice. Too many companies pay top dollar for consulting, then let the recommendations gather dust on a shelf. Don’t be that company.

To ensure execution:

• Create an implementation plan with clear owners and deadlines
• Set up regular check-ins to track progress
• Be prepared to reallocate resources to support key initiatives – you need a separate and ample budget for implementation steps.

Remember, change is hard. Your consultant can point the way, but it’s up to you and your team to make it happen. Embrace the discomfort – that’s where the magic happens. At Heroik, we reinforce this as we communicate action items, follow up and follow through. And we will sound the alarm like a broken record for issues that go unaddressed – to ensure our clients take appropriate action.

9. Maximize the Value by Assigning a Point Person

Too many companies waste consulting hours due to unclear lines of communication. Avoid this by appointing a dedicated point person who liaises between your team and the consultant. The key word there is dedicated – meaning the bulk of their time focused on the consulting engagement. This cannot be a person with volunteer or after-hours time only, as this is another common mistake that leads to failed initiatives. This person should have decision-making power and a strong grasp of the project’s objectives. Having a point person reduces bottlenecks and speeds up the implementation of recommendations.

10. Feedback Loop: Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement

The consulting engagement doesn’t end when the consultant leaves. The real value comes from creating a feedback loop that drives ongoing improvement.

Implement these practices:

• Regular post-mortem sessions to review what’s working and what’s not
• Data-driven tracking of key metrics tied to the consulting objectives
• A system for capturing and acting on insights from the front lines

By baking continuous improvement into your culture, you extend the value of your consulting investment indefinitely. It’s not about one-time fixes; it’s about creating a learning organization that’s always evolving.

11. Network Effect: Leverage Your Consultant’s Connections

A top-tier consultant brings more than just their own expertise – they bring a whole network of connections and resources. Don’t leave this value on the table.

Ways to tap into the network:

• Ask for introductions to other experts or potential partners
• Explore case studies from other clients in similar situations
• Attend industry events or mastermind groups they recommend

Your consultant can be a bridge to a whole world of opportunities. But here’s the key – you’ve got to ask. The best consultants are connectors by nature, but they won’t volunteer these connections unless you show interest.

12. Measure the ROI from Day One : Starting With a Snapshot of YOUR Situation

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make when hiring a consultant is not getting baseline data and tracking the return on investment (ROI) from the beginning. if you want to get the most value from consulting, you need to get religious about measuring your starting condition and your results along the way. This is also the foundation for communicating impact across your organization.

And it all starts with clear baseline of your current condition. What does the before picture look like? You need to know the current condition of the areas of the business you’re seeking to improve. So does the consultant. And these dimensions need to be quantified so there’s no confusion. No one likes stepping on the scale, but it’s how to start a meaningful and transformative scale.

No consultant worth their salt is going to take your word for it. All too often, organizations over-state their starting condition. That’s a very dangerous and foolish game to play with the team you’re asking to improve your organization.

Once you and consultant are confident in the baseline data, set clear metrics that align with your goals, and make sure your consultant is aware, aligned and accountable to these results. Whether it’s revenue growth, cost savings, or process improvements, tracking the impact ensures you’re getting the most value.

You need to get religious about measuring your condition and your results throughout the journey. This isn’t just about justifying the expense – it’s about continuously refining your approach to maximize impact.

Key metrics to track:

• Direct financial impact (cost savings, revenue growth)
• Operational improvements (efficiency gains, quality metrics)
• Strategic positioning (market share, brand perception)

Don’t just rely on feelings or anecdotes. Get hard data that shows the true impact of your consulting investments. This not only helps you justify future engagements but also gives you leverage in negotiating terms with consultants.

13. Be Ready to Pivot—Fast

When your consultant brings a new strategy to the table, be ready to move quickly. The speed at which you implement their recommendations can make or break the success of the project. Successful companies are nimble and execute fast. If you’re slow to adapt, you’re losing time and money, and your consultant’s impact will diminish.

We’ve seen companies take YEARS to pivot to strategies that should take weeks. And by then its far too late to be viable. Don’t let that be you.

14. Network Effect: Leverage Your Consultant’s Connections

A top-tier consultant brings more than just their own expertise – they bring a whole network of connections and resources. The odds are they’ve got an elite network of preferred vendors, specialists and experts distilled from years of experience. Don’t leave this value on the table.

Ways to tap into the network:

• Ask for introductions to other experts or potential partners
• Explore case studies from other clients in similar situations
• Attend industry events or mastermind groups they recommend

Your consultant can be a bridge to a whole world of opportunities. But here’s the key – you’ve got to ask. The best consultants are connectors by nature, but they won’t volunteer these connections unless you show interest.

15. Think Long-Term: Build a Lasting Relationship

The most successful companies don’t view consulting as a one-off engagement – they build long-term relationships with trusted advisors who deeply understand their business. Consultants who understand your business deeply over time will provide far more value than a quick fix. Long-term partnerships allow for continuous improvement and adaptation as your business evolves.

Benefits of a long-term consulting relationship:

• Faster ramp-up times on new projects
• More strategic, proactive advice rather than just reactive problem-solving
• A trusted sounding board for big decisions

While you shouldn’t become overly dependent on any one consultant, having a go-to advisor who knows your business inside and out can be invaluable. It’s about finding that balance between fresh perspectives and deep institutional knowledge.

16. Prepare Your Team for Change

The consulting definition we started with, by its nature involves disruption. The best consultants are change agents, but their recommendations won’t stick if your team isn’t prepared. Change management is key. Set the stage with your team before the consultant even arrives. Let them know that new ideas are coming, and be ready to support the consultant’s efforts to implement necessary changes.

17. Pay Attention to the Questions They Ask

A great consultant isn’t just there to deliver answers—they’re there to ask the right questions. The quality of the questions a consultant asks can be a good barometer of their value. Are they digging deep? Are they challenging your assumptions? The right questions reveal deep expertise and an understanding of your business that goes beyond surface-level analysis.

18. Don’t Skimp on Fees—Quality Costs

A top-tier consultant is worth the investment. If you’re trying to save money by going with the cheapest option, you’re likely sacrificing quality. The best consultants are premium-priced because they deliver premium results. If they can save you millions or unlock new revenue streams, their fee becomes negligible in comparison to the return.

It’s important to keep the right perspective when evaluating costs. The value of a consulting engagement is calculated based on the delta of value from your starting position to the ending position, annualized and compounded over the life of the project, program or business affected. Often, the organization continues to reap the fruits of the engagement in perpetuity, but even being modest, calculate the impact over a 5-10 year period. Are the consultant’s fees worth an ROI over that time horizon? It’s important to understand compounding benefits year over year.

For example, the first year, you may learn the importance of collecting data from various sources, the second year, you start comparing and growth hacking the numbers, and the third year you continue to find ways to improve moving forward. That continuous improvement, the methods and systems involved, if brought to you by a consultant, are of tremendous, compounding value to the organization.

19. Focus on Both Short-Term Wins and Long-Term Strategy

A solid consultant will help you balance short-term gains with long-term strategy. Quick wins are essential to show early ROI, but sustainable growth requires a long-term game plan. Look for a consultant who can deliver both tactical wins now and strategic direction for the future.

20. Build an Internal Culture of Accountability

Above all, remember this – The consultant provides the map, but your team has to drive the car. Even the best consultant can’t force you to act. To truly maximize the value of the relationship, create a culture of accountability within your team. This ensures that the consultant’s recommendations don’t just sit on a shelf but are actively implemented, tracked, and improved upon.

Final Thoughts: Consulting Definition Reimagined

The true definition of consulting is more than external advice. It’s about creating a catalyst for transformation, a partnership that challenges you to think bigger and move faster. So don’t settle for mediocre engagements. Demand excellence, both from your consultants and from yourself.

By following these 20 rules, you can extract maximum value from your consultant and ensure a successful, long-lasting partnership. Remember, the goal is to find someone who doesn’t just offer solutions but becomes a key player in your business’s ongoing success. Make the investment, set clear goals, and drive relentless execution—and the right consultant will help you unlock potential you didn’t even know existed.

Now get out there and start turning that consulting investment into exponential growth. The only thing standing between you and business transformation is the willingness to take action. 

Want some more help?

Heroik offers a free tailor-made business roadmap to help you chart a strategic course NOW. We also offer a free project planning tool. Start with a plan and roadmap, then create your first key project. Then stick to the plan, adapt and pivot as necessary.