- Rent a brain. You donat have the human resources you need because some internal person has quit or your head count has been slashed, so hiring a consultant for a project or on a temporary basis can fill the gap until a full-time internal person is found. You won'a't have to make a consultant a full-time employee, so breaking off the relationship is relatively easy and cost-effective.
- Manage change (and take the heat). Consultants are experts at fostering change in organizations, so if your midsized company is rife with internal squabbling concerning imminent changes, bringing in a consultant can break the logjam. Consultants know that they are often brought in for political cover and will shoulder blame for unpopular changes such as reducing head count and other cost-cutting measures.
- Teach and implement best practices. Consultants are often the leading experts in the fields they work in. They not only have academic and theoretical expertise, but they have also worked directly with leading companies to implement change. If you want best practices in areas such as IT and management, then consultants are the best source available. Why try to invent a best practice when consultants have already implemented some with multiple clients?
- Infuse creativity. Consultants have a fresh perspective on your business, so having an outsider come in and offer ideas can be tremendously helpful. Sometimes your in-house people are too close to your company and don't have the perspective to examine the bigger picture within your market, but consultants can share valuable insights that boost your internal creative thinking.
- Deliver training. You can hire a consultant to share knowledge about almost anything. Consultants are born trainers, so they are a natural choice to do a training course or day-long presentation for your company in almost any area. A good consultant blends theory and practice, and this can deliver high value to your midmarket company.