June 2004

Using Expert Consultants: The Strategy for Companies on the Move
By Sue Connelly, President, Connelly Communications, Inc.

While many in Silicon Valley are optimistic about the improving economy, the turnaround presents new challenges as companies position themselves for growth and prepare to take advantage of market opportunities. The most successful organizations are the ones that can quickly adapt to changes in the marketplace and are always thinking of ways to be at the forefront of an economic revival.

Bridging the Gap Between Manpower and Skills
Today, the dilemma is how to swiftly rebuild markets and reach new customers while carefully managing costs. The devastation wreaked by the downturn has left many companies short on talent, expertise, and resources after cutting deeply into headcount and budgets. Nonetheless, prudent executives are cautious about hiring more employees until they’re sure of sustainable growth. Many are using consultants to bridge the gap between manpower and expertise until they can justify regular, full-time staff.

However, even when you’re ready to hire more employees, it often takes considerable time and effort to locate and retain the best candidates. Using consultants enables you to have top talent in place immediately and provides a smooth transition when your company does staff up. In addition, consultants:

• Immediately contribute vital expertise for new opportunities
• Restore the talent and skills that were lost through layoffs
• Are highly productive with little or no ramp-up time
• Require no management, since they’re self starters, independent workers, and experienced at running their own businesses
• Often help cut through red tape, since they’re less hampered by corporate politics
• Bring a fresh approach and objective perspectives
• Provide senior-level thinking drawing from diverse experiences

An Ideal Resource for Workload Spikes
Using consultants is fast and cost effective. Consultants hit the ground running and they can “plug in” and “plug out” as needed, so you pay only for the services you require. The consulting model is very flexible, allowing you to hire a single consultant or an entire team to execute key programs. You can opt to have consultants work on-site and be integrated into your organization or have the consultants work from their own offices, freeing up precious company resources. Many companies have ongoing relationships with their consultants, bringing them in as needed. This allows the consultants to build strong ties and deep knowledge over time, so they serve as a vital extension of the company’s team without the costs associated with permanent headcount.

There are many situations where using a consultant is beneficial:

• Creating transition teams, filling vital roles until you can hire regular, full-time employees
• Setting up and managing new organizations, including the hiring and training of staff
• Spearheading special launches or initiatives
• Relieving spikes in workload for existing staff
• Interim management during layoffs or leaves of absence
• Sustaining vital programs that have lost staff through layoffs
• Providing strategic counsel for senior executives
• Planning—creating and implementing the plan as well as managing internal teams to ensure successful execution

Benefiting from Proven Best Practices
Consultants draw on their rich array of experience working with many of the top companies as both an employee and a consultant. They bring with them the best thinking from these companies and an understanding of the hard lessons learned during the economic highs and lows. This cross-pollination of skills enables you to quickly incorporate best practices into your organization. Often, consultants train internal teams, helping to raise the bar of expertise within your company.

Committed to Your Success
Most importantly, consultants are dedicated to your success. They focus their time and talent on the unique needs of your company, allowing you to respond rapidly to market forces with the skills and expertise necessary to take your organization to the next level. When you have a lot at stake and are faced with the dilemma of too much work and too few resources, using consultants improves your company’s agility and helps you seize new opportunities.

When companies need to connect to customers and create new business, they turn to Connelly Communications. Whether you need a single consultant or a team of best-of-breed experts, we provide the right mix to meet the needs of each client and maximize their marketing. Sue Connelly is also the founder of the KIT List, a 33,000-subscriber job opportunities email list that connects great people to great jobs.