Business Consulting

Business consulting' is an umbrella term which encompasses many types of consulting — from employee training, to difficult tasks such as laying off employees.

Put simply, business consultants analyze a business's practices and then recommend improvements. They will usually have some form of specific expertise that they are hired to leverage on behalf of the company.

Organizations may hire a business consultant if they need:

• Someone who can look at the business objectively to identify problems and provide solutions.
• Specialist expertise to solve a specific problem or capitalize on an opportunity.
• Someone neutral and objective to handle controversial issues like layoffs or conflict resolution.
• Extra horsepower to supplement the existing staff.

Business consultants ask questions like:

• What are this business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)?
• Can we re-allocate resources to produce better returns?
• At this moment, should this business focus on acquiring more customers, increasing the average order value (AOV), or retaining customers for repeat purchases?

Business consultants are hired for their experience and track record rather than their credentials.