What is business consulting? How can you improve your business with coaching? Where to order the services of a consultant to assess the state of the business?

The popular online magazine "HeaterBober" welcomes its readers! The duty author and part-time editor of the publication Denis Kuderin is in touch.

I'll start with a statement that does not require proof: a successful business is a constant increase in profits, the capture of new markets and the eternal movement forward - towards progress and excellence. Not every businessman can achieve this. There are many reasons - competition, economic instability, unreliable partners, unprofessional performers, inflation, entropy, fools and roads.

But there is a great way, if not to eliminate all these factors, then to minimize the damage they cause. You just need to seek help from knowledgeable people, or rather, order business consulting from a reputable and competent company. We will talk about what business consulting is, what it is served and eaten with.

So let's get started!

1. What is business consulting and why is it needed

Any operating business is a living organism. And like any organism, it goes through the stages of birth, maturation, formation and maturity. At any of the listed stages, failures and errors are possible - let's call them diseases.

Diseases are short-term and long-term, dangerous and not very dangerous. Other entrepreneurs self-medicate their business or use traditional medicine. Sometimes this temporarily eliminates the symptoms, but does not cure the disease itself. These methods are ineffective.

Another thing is occupational therapy. - this is a qualified doctor who heals the business in accordance with all the rules. First, he conducts laboratory tests and diagnostic tests, then determines the disease, and only then prescribes a course of treatment.

The methods used by specialists are strictly scientific and tested in practice. In addition to treating a business, consultants are engaged in its prevention in order to prevent relapses.

The scientific definition of consulting is as follows:

is advising managers, management staff and other employees of the company on economic, administrative, financial, legal and production activities.

Changes in modern business occur rapidly and non-stop. Technologies are improving, new sales markets are emerging, and customer needs are growing. If the enterprise does not change tactics and strategy in time in accordance with the conditions, this will cause stagnation and regression. In other words, competitors will bypass you, as a racer bypasses an opponent on a turn.

Consulting is an intellectual activity with practical benefits. Professional counseling consists of identifying the problem, analyzing it, developing a “rescue plan” and putting it into practice.

A competent consultant does not leave the client until the problem is solved. Good consultants are expensive, but they almost always pay off. Profits rise, the production process accelerates, work becomes easier and more fun.

Each consulting firm has its own tools and methods of work. For example, such a method of counseling as coaching is popular and in demand.

The peculiarity of this technique is that the coach (trainer) does not give the client ready-made instructions and recommendations. He asks the right questions, puts him in such conditions that the client himself finds a way to solve the problem assigned to him. Thus, the personal and business qualities of the student are developed.

Examples of tasks that business consulting solves:

• development of an effective business plan;
• assistance in investment decisions ();
• complete revision of business processes;
• creation of a marketing plan and implementation of new sales strategies;
• strengthening the management apparatus of the company;
• learning new technologies.

A professional consultant is able to solve a problem in a minimally costly way in a few days, over which the director of the company and his closest assistants have been fighting for months. And this is not because the consultant is too smart, but because he looks at the situation from a different angle and has already encountered a similar problem in his practice.

2. What services does business consulting include - 5 main services

The main task of business consulting is to increase the efficiency of the company. The means to achieve the goal depend on the situation. In one case, it is required to radically change the approach to resources at the enterprise, in the other - to establish interaction with customers, in the third - to modify the management structure.

Consider the main services that professional business consulting includes.

Service 1. Business valuation

This is the main activity of consultants. Specialists analyze and evaluate the work of the company, explore sales markets, determine the reasons for the decline in income, and identify areas that need to be strengthened.

The result of this work is a detailed list of recommendations for improving productivity, modernizing and developing the company. Consultants put the enterprise in perfect order: after their visit, business mechanisms begin to work in a new mode - more efficiently, economically and measuredly.

A separate area of ​​consulting -.

Service 2. Preparing a business improvement plan

Based on the analysis, the consultants develop a step-by-step plan to improve the company's performance and increase profits. The plan takes into account the economic and financial capabilities of the enterprise, human resources.

No self-respecting adviser will be guided only by experience or intuition: all the conclusions of experts are justified and supported by evidence.

Service 3.

Not all firms have full-time marketing specialists - it is not always profitable to maintain such an employee. At the same time, every businessman is aware that the successful promotion of products to the market is the main engine of trade.

Marketing consultants will be able to optimize the advertising budget, find new media channels to promote services and products. Proper positioning of products on the market is half the battle. The second half is effective interaction with the target audience.

Service 4. Assistance in personnel management

The well-coordinated work of management structures is the framework on which the entire work of the enterprise rests. Without management, the business will disintegrate into elementary particles, and they will be swallowed up by primordial chaos.

Service 5. Business development consulting

From English "consulting" is translated as "consulting". Advisors give recommendations to everyone who needs it - directors, heads of departments, technologists, lawyers, accountants and watchmen of the company.

The table clearly shows the practical value of consulting services:

3. How to improve your business with consulting - 5 easy steps for aspiring entrepreneurs

First of all, the services of consulting agencies will be useful to those companies that have specific problems - production, management, financial and legal. But even a completely profitable business can always be improved and modernized.

Therefore, large companies cooperate with consultants on a regular basis. For example, once every six months, consultants come to the enterprise, conduct a full-scale audit, identify weaknesses and eliminate shortcomings at an embryonic stage.

Now - detailed instructions for beginner businessmen.

Step 1. Choosing a consulting company

Finding competent consultants is not easy, given the fact that in Russia the consulting industry is just beginning to enter the stage of intensive development.

To continue the medical analogy, you should look for a good adviser in the same way as a good doctor. It is best to ask acquaintances, friends and business colleagues (not competitors). Real reviews are 150 times more valuable and reliable than the delights of anonymous people in Internet sources. Although reviews on the network should not be neglected - sometimes you can find exclusive and compromising information there.

Criteria for choosing a consulting firm:

• work experience (more than 10 years - take note);
• the number of implemented projects;
• the presence of permanent partners from among well-known and large companies;
• the qualifications and credibility of individual employees;
• well-designed and functional website.

And remember that you will have to work with specific specialists, not an abstract organization. So the main thing is to choose sensible people.

Your goal at this stage is to distinguish a certified doctor from a quack. Ask the candidate questions, be annoying. Professional consultants love to talk to clients, amateurs prefer to remain silent, and if they answer, then out of place.

Step 2 We conclude a contract and pay for services

A prerequisite is the conclusion of an agreement with the company.

The document must indicate:

• terms of work;
• a complete list of services and their cost;
• conditions for early termination of the contract;
• responsibilities of both parties.

Both one-time agreements and long-term contracts on a subscription basis are practiced. Method of payment - depending on the agreement.

Step 3 We provide the necessary data for analysis

Consultants will need documents that will help to comprehensively study and analyze all aspects of the company's activities. Trust advisors, and they will respond to you with hard work.

The more information the specialists have at their disposal, the more effective their work will be.

Step 4 We approve the change implementation plan

After developing a change plan, advisors agree it with the customer.

At this stage, it is worth checking whether the company has enough resources to implement the planned changes into practice.

Step 5 We introduce changes and organize a control system

The final stage is the implementation of the project. Management needs to take control of the execution of the task. If necessary, employees need to be trained in new skills and explained to them the meaning and objectives of innovations.

4. Where to order consulting services - an overview of the TOP-3 companies providing services

The market for consulting services is relatively young in Russia. Not all firms of this profile are competent and experienced.

To make it easier for our readers to choose, we have prepared an overview of the top three organizations specializing in business consulting.

1) Business consulting

Group of companies "Business Consulting" provides clients with legal, personnel, auditing, accounting services. Employees will help develop a business plan, improve the efficiency of an existing business, help the company with the reorganization of the structure.

The company was founded in 2002. This is one of the leading consulting companies in Russia. The main advantages are a professional approach, attraction of advanced technological resources, optimal terms for the provision of services, affordable prices, and strict confidentiality.

Year of foundation - 2006. Main activities - strategic, managerial, operational, consulting, business training, staff training. Tagline - " We make the world a better place!". Motto - " You have a problem, we have a solution».

The company's specialists are not afraid of complex problems and use innovative methods of their own development. The company has more than 800 closed projects on business optimization and management. As part of business consulting, employees are committed to reducing costs by 50% and increasing sales growth by 80%. The average cost of services is 100,000 rubles. for the project.

The company was founded in 2005. Provides entrepreneurs with business advice, as well as business valuation, machinery and equipment, shares and intangible assets.

If you need a professional, financial and economic analysis of the enterprise, an effective business plan - feel free to contact the specialists of "Assessment Consulting". Employees of the company will conduct a full audit of your company, help automate business processes and reorganize management.

5. How to choose a consulting company for a beginner businessman - 4 useful tips

Hiring the first firm you see for consulting is a disastrous practice.

The choice of consultants requires a thoughtful approach - the future of your company directly depends on the partner's qualifications.

Read, memorize and put expert advice into practice.

Tip 1. Pay attention to the duration of the company

The longer consultants work in their field, the more practice they have. Let beginners choose those who do not feel sorry for their own funds.

10 years in consulting is the minimum you should be guided by.

Tip 2. Analyze company reviews

Previous customers will tell you about the level of service and quality of service much more than impersonal information on the website of the service provider.