Businesses are embracing the gig economy  – which means you’ll most likely find yourself hiring a consultant at some point. Penelope Cottrill, a business consultant, gives us the inside scoop on how you can make sure the relationship is productive, efficient and successful.

App-based platforms and the drive to reduce costs have given birth to the gig economy. Today, 34 per cent of the US workforce freelances, a figure that is expected to reach 50 per cent by 2020. While the rates aren’t as high in Australia, the trend is evident and expected to rise, which means human resources professionals need to be prepared for hiring a consultant.

The consulting industry as a whole is growing faster than the overall economy, with bigger firms building strong partnership networks inside their clients’ businesses. This means all functions, including people and culture, will find it easier to access specialist talent and capability outside their organisations.

But working across a diverse and dense supplier network can be messy. From my experience as a consultant, there are a few things clients can do to help us establish a relationship.

If you plan on hiring a consultant, here are my four suggestions for creating great external partnerships:

1. Know why you are going to the market

There are typically three reasons people bring in consultants. These are:

• To source a capability you don’t have access to in-house.
• To increase capacity to do work you can’t get to.
• To independently validate a decision or direction.

Of course, these reasons aren’t mutually exclusive, but whatever the reason, having clear intentions helps you source well when it comes to hiring a consultant get the best out of the engagement.

Things often go wrong when, for example, a leading expert is hired when what is really needed is a capable pair of hands that will follow clear direction. In these instances, the client doesn’t value the expertise – in fact, it can annoy them. The expert then becomes equally frustrated, which can result in poor outcomes for all involved. Being clear on why you are going to the market will help you avoid situations like this.

2. Help the consultant understand you

We do our best work as consultants when we really understand your business – your context, priorities, people and language. But knowing the context is probably most important. The best clients brief us well, share information with us openly and give us great feedback. Once we know you well, we can be a great sounding board, more easily pick up the next piece of work and quickly deliver value.

3. Appreciate the ‘time is money’ equation

Consulting is a very simple business. Generally, what you pay equals time spent multiplied by the rate charged. While everyone knows this, some people live by it and others do not. This means consultants can bring a different lens or perspective to time management on a project. Extra changes to reports, delayed access to information, bringing more people into the consultation process – all these things are OK, but they also cost money. To avoid unexpected costs, hire consultants who are efficient and make sure any extra time you request delivers equivalent value.

4. Bring a spirit of generosity

Our client partnerships work best when both sides emphasise sharing, possibility, creativity and inclusiveness. We find that taking a generous mindset into our conversations with clients – by readily sharing who we know and what we know – enriches both sides and makes for better solutions.

The consultants I know are genuinely motivated to help their clients succeed, and work diligently and hard to bring the best value they can. Most clients welcome consultants into their business, are respectful of the consulting process and have great ambitions for their business. When these things come together, symbiotic relationships are formed that result in productive and rewarding collaborations.