Consulting support. Abstract: Consulting business support Consulting support

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Consulting services are popular all over the world, since they can be used to solve various kinds of business problems that are not directly related to the main activity of the company. By using consulting, the company has the opportunity to focus on its core business.

Consulting - very useful service for businessmen... Those who have never used consulting services are interested in their cost. Not everyone understands the economic benefits of attracting specialists from outside, and it can be very significant.

In order to assess what significance a consulting company can bring for business development, we will give a definition and consider the essence of this concept.

What is consulting?

Let's start by defining consulting according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Consulting means "doing the business of providing expert advice to people in a particular field." In other words, a consultant is someone who advises a specific group of people.

Consulting is business of providing expert advice a certain group of people.

A consultant is someone who has a certain level of knowledge that a certain group of people find valuable, and people in that group are willing to pay the consultant to access their experience.

It is worth noting that there is nothing mentioned about big firms, degrees or certifications. If you can provide expert advice to a specific group of people, you can be a consultant

All of this begs the question, why is consulting so valuable?

The answer to this question is at the heart of the meaning of counseling.

The true meaning of consulting - the consultant is one who gives advice. Therefore, it is worth asking the question "why do people buy advice?"

Why do people ask for advice?

They want to change something, achieve something, and they need help.

If the financial condition of the company is not what the leaders want. That being said, they know what their desired state is, but they need advice to find out how to get there.

This is why people want advice. They want to get from point A to point B, but they don't know how to get there. They are either lost or face obstacles that they don't know how to overcome.

The true meaning of consulting is to help people solve problems and move from where they are.

And the more valuable the desired state is for someone, the more he is willing to pay for help.

For example, if a small business owner earns 60 million rubles. per year and their goal is to make 120 million rubles. per year, the achievement of their goal for them is 60 million rubles, and they are probably ready to pay 5 million rubles, 10 million rubles, 20 million rubles, perhaps even up to 60 million rubles.

Consulting in a nutshell: helping people in solving problems and achieving results.

So if reaching a desired state is so valuable to people, why don't they just figure it out on their own?

Why People Hire Consultants

There are three main reasons people decide to bring outside advice:

1. They simply cannot figure it out or get to the desired state on their own.
2. They have a general idea, but they want to get there faster.
3. They want to save time and effort by following an effective, proven system.

Three main types of consulting companies

When someone says, "I am a consultant," they usually fall into the same from three categories.

1. Management consulting.
2. Corporate consulting.
3. Independent consulting.

Management Consulting is what most people think of when someone says consulting. This area is dominated by large firms to help businesses improve strategy and operations or manage significant business events such as mergers and acquisitions.

Independent consulting comes up often when someone has developed expertise in a field, they choose to build and run their own business around that experience rather than continuing as an employee.

Specific selling experience can be almost anything, and thanks to the emerging gig economy, thousands of new independent consultants are creating highly profitable businesses for themselves.

How can you become a consultant?

Exists two main ways to get a consultation:

1. Get a job.
2. Start your own business.

While getting a job in consulting is more competitive and more challenging than ever, starting your own consulting business is still no easier.

With the rise in staff costs, more and more companies are looking for temporary and permanent outside assistance, often in the form of consultants and “do-it-for-you” services. If you are interested in starting your own consulting business, there has never been a better time to get started.

Hello! In this article, we will talk about consulting.

Today you will find out:

1. Definition and types of consulting;
2. What are the advantages of consulting for doing business;
3. What are the stages of consulting activities.

Any owner of a business or company, large or not very often, needs external consulting assistance. A person cannot know everything, and it also happens that a fresh look at the existing problem is required.

What is consulting in simple words

In the staff of a company, even the largest, it is not possible to contain several experts in different fields. But if the goal of the enterprise is to develop, to conquer the market, sooner or later the advice of such experts will be needed. So what is consulting?

Consulting Is a process of advising managers, management personnel and other employees on financial, legal, investment and other issues.

A bit of history

Domestic consulting as a professional activity began to develop in Russia in the 90s. This is directly related to the change not only in the economic system, but also in the political one. In 1991, the number of consulting companies was only about 20.

With the development of market relations, the consulting services market began to experience rapid growth. These services have become more understandable for managers, more professional. Gradually, the level of competition began to increase, large players from the West came to the Russian market of services, this put the consulting industry to a qualitatively new level.

Consulting company - what is it

Companies of this kind are engaged in providing their clients with consulting services. Most often they are external companies and are related to their clients' companies. They provide assistance in various areas of their activities.

At the same time, they do not bear full responsibility for the result that will be obtained in the end. There is still no definite answer to the question of what consulting companies do.

In general, their activities are as follows:

• Providing assistance in various fields;
• Consulting services;
• Organizational and management activities are planned.

The principles of the consulting companies

In their activities, consulting companies adhere to the following principles:

• All of them use scientifically based data in their work;
• Use of such tools as information technology in their work;
• Experts have the right to offer the customer their own scientific idea if it helps in solving the customer's problem.

Consulting types

There are several types of consulting in the modern economy. We will consider and give a brief description of the most common of them.

Financial advisory

It is a set of services designed to build a reliable and functional financial management system. It includes: analysis and audit of the company's activities, consultations on finance and budgeting, implementation of methods to strengthen the company's financial system.

Management consulting

Helps to establish which places of the company are most vulnerable, adjusts the activities of the company as a whole.

It, in turn, is subdivided into several groups:

• Strategic – allows you to analyze the market in a global and local sense, calculate possible risks;
• Marketing- helps to develop the company's strategy, diagnose the target audience. Its main goal is to increase sales, as well as reduce advertising costs;
• Personnel – consultations on the selection and training of employees , creation and development of corporate culture .

In addition to everything mentioned, this type of consulting helps to solve the following tasks:

• Improve the work of all management structures of the company;
• Master new management techniques;
• Develop a system to motivate employees;
• Optimize business processes.

Investment consulting

When company leaders choose schemes for investing capital, or attracting such from the outside, they mainly rely on the recommendations of professionals who can provide the necessary assistance.

Investment consulting functions:

• Implementation of interactions with credit institutions, insurance companies and authorities;
• Assistance in the development of investment projects;
• Legal advice on investment.

HR consulting

Consulting by specialists on personnel issues is becoming more and more popular.

Such consulting includes:

• Personnel certification;
• Personnel accounting;
• Personnel audit;
• Analysis of personnel policy;
• Analysis of document flow;
• Analysis of the compliance of personnel policy with the norms of labor legislation.

Through HR consulting you can:

• Form a specific corporate culture;
• Diagnose how loyal employees are to the company;
• Improve the efficiency of the entire personnel management system;
• Develop criteria for assessing staff performance.

This type of consulting allows the management to build work not only with the team as a whole, but also with each employee individually.

Legal consulting

In modern business conditions, it is often necessary to resolve emerging legal situations. And the situation itself is difficult to call transparent, then the manager will definitely need the help of a professional. And if the company does not have a full-time lawyer, then one cannot do without attracting a specialist from a consulting company.

Accounting consulting

The goal of accounting consulting is to improve not only the efficiency of accounting. accounting, but also to control its correctness. Usually such services are provided by highly qualified specialists.

Accounting consulting services consist of:

• Services for the development and formation of accounting policies;
• Consulting on the construction of the buch system. accounting;
• Assistance in the preparation of accounting reports;
• Assistance in preparing reports to the Federal Tax Service;
• Consideration and advice on controversial situations in accounting.

Training Consulting

The practical significance of this type of consulting is that the consultant:

• Conducts seminars;
• Organizes lectures and trainings;
• Develops teaching aids.

Simply put, consultants are engaged in training the customer's company personnel.

Expert Consulting

Its essence is as follows: the client sets a task for the consultant, and he, in turn, with the help of his own experience and knowledge, as well as relying on various sources, gives a ready-made solution. In addition to developing a solution to the problem, the expert can diagnose the problem.

The client does not participate in the development of a solution to the problem.

Project consulting

Project consulting refers to the joint work of a consultant and company employees, in the process of which a solution is developed on how to optimize the company's activities. This type of counseling is called long-term.

Internet Consulting

This area of ​​consulting activities can include:

• Development of information technology, taking into account the needs of a particular company;
• Maintaining technology at a high level;
• Identification of existing problems;
• Creation of high-quality information infrastructure.

What tasks do consulting companies solve?

Consulting specialists can help in the following situations:

• When you need to adjust the business process management;
• When a business reorganization is required;
• To restore the solvency of a company or enterprise;
• Legal support in the merger of companies;
• When you need advice on the acquisition of property;
• Budgeting;
• Development;
• When to prepare a financial forecast and so on.

This list of services is not complete; it can be supplemented by other items.

Stages of consulting activities

Any company can be called a living, constantly evolving organism. If the body fails, then a doctor is required. But the treatment should be handled by a professional, not an amateur. That is, a consulting company should be with serious practical experience.

1.The customer acknowledges the existence of a specific problem. If the customer realizes that he cannot solve the problems that have arisen in the company without the help of professionals.

Example: the head of the confectionery company set himself the task of increasing the volume of production. But a problem arose: the manager himself and the company's specialists do not have enough knowledge for this. To achieve the goal, a decision is made to invite outside specialists. And this decision will be reasonable and reasonable.

2.Conducting initial consultation and concluding a contract. When a suitable company has been selected, you need to consult with its specialist. Then the contract is concluded.

The following points must be included in the agreement:

• The time frame during which the work will be carried out;
• A full list of services with an indication of the cost;
• Conditions due to which the amount of the consultant's fee may be changed;
• Conditions for early termination of the contract;
• Responsibilities of both parties.

The contract can be concluded both once and for a long time. The contract can be concluded in the form or in the form of a work contract.

3. The data required for cooperation is collected. At this stage of cooperation, the specialists of the consulting company collect and analyze data that will help determine how serious the problem is. The main thing here is to establish what problem exists, as well as develop a plan to solve it.

4. Problem solution development process... This stage can be called the main one. Having established the problem and its causes, specialists draw up a plan according to which the problem will be eliminated.

5. The process of implementing decisions and monitoring their implementation. All procedures specified in the plan are carried out under the supervision of consultants. It is also possible to train company employees in the process.

6. The process of evaluating the results. An objective assessment of the results can be given only after a certain period of time. The head of the company together with representatives of the executing company will sum up the results.

7. Final financial calculations. If all activities are carried out on time, production indicators have increased, the company's revenues have increased - this is an indicator that the activities carried out were effective, you need to make a final settlement with the consulting company. The amount specified in the contract is transferred to the account of the executing company.

Situations in which consulting is needed

• The management and employees of the company have no new ideas, the company has entered a period of stagnation;
• The manager lacks certain knowledge or experience;
• The company is developing a serious project, but cannot implement it in full due to lack of knowledge;
• The company is required to conduct an audit with the participation of independent specialists;
• The company needs the governing body to work more efficiently;
• The company needs to select a range of qualified professionals.

This list of situations cannot be called exhaustive, since in fact there may be more than a dozen of them.

How to find a serious consulting company

If your company has a number of problems that cannot be resolved on your own, the next step is to choose a suitable company that specializes in providing consulting services.

There are criteria by which you can choose a company and not make a mistake:

1. Collect the maximum amount of information about the company with which you plan to enter into an agreement. Check out its official website, find out how long the company is in the market;
2. Read reviews about the company's work in the media, on the Internet;
3. Ask if the company has a portfolio: each specialist is proud of his achievements and usually records them;
4. Check if there are serious businessmen in your region among the clients;
5. Focus on the cost of the company's services, too low should alert, as well as clearly overestimated.

It is best to have several companies in stock, and after a personal meeting and communication with specialists, make a final decision.

Requirements for companies and consultants

If a company or consultant has a high level of qualifications and provides a wide range of services, then they must meet certain requirements, which we will discuss below.

1. The consultant is obliged to: have knowledge and skills in strategic planning, be able to analyze and forecast the economic situation, own methods of diagnosing the situation at the enterprise, be able to establish contacts with specialists of different levels;
2. A consultant (or consulting company) should not depend on the rules and unwritten laws, as well as the traditions that have developed in a particular company. The consultant's opinion must be free and objective;
3. The consulting company should provide assistance based on its experience and current legislation;
4. A consulting company, in addition to consulting, should be engaged in the development of experience, accumulate, analyze and process data;
5. The activities of a consulting company should also have a learning effect for their clients.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table, which presents the main features of professional consultants and those who only consider themselves as such.

How does a professional consultant differ from an amateur

Positive aspects of consulting

It should be noted that not only those who have just joined the ranks of entrepreneurs, but also serious companies that have been on the market for a long time turn to consulting companies more and more often. What are the advantages of consulting?

• Consultants have a higher level of knowledge than the company's full-time specialists (which does not detract from the merits of conscientious employees);
• Consultants are more experienced due to their communication with a large number of clients;
• The consultants have enough time to study the problem deeply and comprehensively;
• Consultants usually have an unbiased opinion, they are guided by the interests of the customer.

A clear advantage of consulting is also that the company's specialists with a fresh look from the outside can identify problems that are simply invisible to the company's employees.

Consulting and coaching: method differences

Before finding out the similarities and differences, let's find out what kind of beast this is - coaching.

Coaching - this is a method of consultation in which the client and the trainer are looking for ways to improve or solve a problem together.

Skeptics may say that this technique is only duplicating a number of others already familiar. Why else should you invent something if there are trainings and consulting? But it is coaching that does not repeat all previously known practices.

Coaching and consulting are not duplicate techniques for one simple reason: the coach guides and advises his client until the goal is achieved, and the consulting consultant is limited to making recommendations, giving the client the opportunity to continue to act independently.

Who can consulting companies work with?

Consulting firms can partner with:

• State and private enterprises that manufacture any products, provide services;
• With foreign companies that operate in Russia (legally);
• With government organizations;
• With government bodies.

So, dear readers, now you know what consulting is, what are its goals and what it is for. If you take advantage of the consulting conditions in a timely manner, then your business will successfully grow and develop. Your company will survive all crises and become a serious competitor for others.

1. Consulting. Subjects, types and objects of consultation

Consulting provides assistance in such areas of the company's activities as economic, financial, marketing, personnel, management (including optimization of the overall functioning of the company, business), etc.

The main task of consulting is to increase the efficiency of the company as a whole, and to increase the efficiency of each employee of the company separately.

Consulting is a whole area of ​​services. It is impossible to pinpoint exactly what the consulting companies are doing, the consulting profile is quite wide. And there are various companies: some of them operate in only one area of ​​business, others are engaged in consulting in almost all possible directions. This makes the difference in the possible interpretations of the definition of consulting.

Consulting is a type of intellectual activity, the main task of which is to assess situations, analyze them, substantiate development prospects, taking into account the subject area and problems of the client

In countries with market economies, the invitation of professionals is a prestigious proof that the firm has a sufficient business culture to use the intellectual capital offered by the market in the field of management. The absence of specialist consultants in the development of a responsible solution is considered the same as the absence of an architect in the development of a building project, a doctor in treating a patient or a designer in the development of a new car model.

1.1. Subjects, types and objects of consultation

Specialists who provide professional help are called consultants. Distinguish between external and internal consultants.

Outsiders are independent consulting firms or individual consultants who provide services to clients on the basis of an appropriate contract.

Internal - these are specialists in economics and management employed in the staff of a particular organization (they make up the analytical, "headquarters" subsystem of the organization).

Consulting.

Hereinafter, the term "consultant" will be used to refer to any consulting structure, regardless of whether it is a consulting firm or an individual consultant. In addition, if this is not specifically stated, then we will talk mainly about external consultants.
The advantages of management consultants over managers are as follows:
1) independence, impartiality of views;

2) a broader outlook, the possession of extensive information in the most diverse areas of management and business (due to less workload with problems of current management);

3) focus on broad study and transfer of the experience of other organizations (this mainly concerns external consultants).

Consulting services are most often carried out in the form of consulting projects, and not in the form of oral, one-time advice. They include the following main steps:

1) diagnostics (identification of problems);

2) development of solutions;

3) implementation of solutions.

The implementation of such a project can take from several days to several months. Sometimes contacts with clients can be long-term.
From the point of view of methods, the following types of consulting can be distinguished: expert, process and training. With expert advice, the consultant independently carries out diagnostics, development of solutions and recommendations for their implementation. The client's role is mainly limited to providing the consultant with access to information and evaluating the results. During process consulting, consultants at all stages of the project actively interact with the client, encouraging him to express his ideas, considerations, suggestions, analyze problems with the help of consultants and develop solutions. At the same time, the role of consultants is mainly in the absorption (collection) of these external and internal ideas, assessment of the solutions obtained in the process of joint work with the client and bringing them into a system of recommendations. In training consulting, the consultant not only collects ideas, analyzes solutions, but also prepares the ground for their emergence, providing the client with relevant theoretical and practical information in the form of lectures, seminars, manuals, etc.
How is counseling different from teaching? The advantage of counseling is its specific, individual, "piece" approach. At the same time, the knowledge possessed by consultants is transformed so as to solve specific problems of a particular enterprise.

When teaching, knowledge in the field of management, economics, law, etc. transferred to managers in a general form and then applied by them in practice.

The positive aspects of both ways of transferring knowledge are combined in training and process consulting.)

Correlation between different types of counseling and traditional forms of knowledge transfer (training):

Counseling Training

1.Expert 1.Active teaching methods (training)

2.Processing 2.Informational communicative teaching methods

3.Educational

Of course, in specific projects or at their various stages, combinations of all three of the listed types of consulting can be used, and then it becomes expert-process, process-training, expert-training, etc.

In industrialized countries, process and expert-process consulting is mainly carried out, while in Russia so far the most widespread is expert and expert-training consulting.
This is explained, first of all, by the unpreparedness of the Russian clients themselves for creative work with consultants, the desire of managers to get ready-made solutions. This situation often leads to negative consequences and dissatisfaction with the results of consulting projects, since, firstly, the client may not accept ready-made solutions at all if they are not developed together with him; secondly, some essential information cannot be obtained by the consultant outside the mode of active dialogue with the client.

There are many consulting facilities in Russia, which can be divided at least into the following groups:
- by form of ownership: state, private, joint-stock and mixed enterprises;

By size: small, medium and large enterprises;
- on a territorial basis: central (federal) and regional administrative entities.

Accordingly, the clients of the consultants are the owners or managers of private enterprises, heads of state enterprises or relevant departments, central and local authorities, as well as heads of such territorial entities as technology parks, eco-polices, technopolises, free economic zones, etc.

The experience of the Russian Association of Economics and Management Consultants shows that in Russia the following types of organizations are primarily seeking consulting services:
1) Young, rapidly growing private enterprises and banks.
2) Progressively minded local governments.
3) State and former state-owned enterprises in a crisis situation.

The first two groups are guided by the golden rule of management formulated by Thomas Peters: "You need to reform what works well, because here the forces can be mobilized immediately, or at least faster than in other areas." As for the third group, all is not lost for it either: there are special methods for overcoming crisis situations in consulting. In particular, a number of Russian consultants are successfully developing programs for reforming and rehabilitating enterprises in the "near bankruptcy zone."

The modern range of consulting services developed in the 1950s and 1960s, which in the West is called the "golden age of consulting", which is associated with the accelerated post-war development and internationalization of the economy, which caused an increase in the need for consulting services.

In the European directory-index of management consultants, 84 types of consulting services are currently identified, united in 8 groups.

Types of consulting services (According to the classification of the European Directory of Management Consultants):

1. GENERAL CONTROL

1.01 determining the effectiveness of the management system

1.02 business valuation

1.03 innovation management

1.04determination of competitiveness / market research

1.05 diversifying or starting a new business

1.06 international governance

1.07 management assessment

1.08 mergers and acquisitions

1.09 organizational structure and development

1.10 privatization

1.11 project management

1.12 quality management

1.13 reorganization of engineering services

1.14 research and development

1.15 strategic planning

2. ADMINISTRATION

2.01 analysis of the work of the office

2 02 placement or relocation of departments

2.03 office management

2.04 Organization and Management Practices

2.05 risk regulation

2.06 security guarantees

2.07 workspace planning and equipment

3. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

3.01 accounting systems

3.02 capital cost estimate

3.03 company turnover

3.04 cost reduction

3.05 insolvency (bankruptcy)

3.06 profit increase

3.07 increase in income

3.08 taxation

3.09 financial reserves

4. PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

4.01 professional movement "and downsizing

4.02 corporate culture

4.03 equal opportunity

4.04 personnel search

4.05 selection of personnel

4.06 health and safety

4.07 incentive programs

4.08 internal communications

4.09 evaluation of works

4.10 labor agreements and employment

4.11 management training

4.12 workforce planning

4.13 motivation

4.14 pensions

4.15 performance analysis

4.16 psychological assessment

4.17 remuneration

4.18 professional development of employees

5.02 corporate image and public relations

5.03 after-sales customer service

5.04 design

5.05 direct marketing

5.06 international marketing

5.07 market research

5.08 marketing strategy

5.09 new product development

5.10 pricing

5.11 retail and dealership

5.12 sales management

5.13 sales training

5.14 socio-economic research and forecasting
6. PRODUCTION

6.01 automation

6.02 equipment use and maintenance
6.03 industrial engineering

6.04 material recycling

6.05 regulation of internal distribution of materials

6.06 packaging

6.07 work organization diagram at the enterprise

6.08 product design and development

6.09 production management

6.10 production planning and control

6.11 performance improvements

6.12 purchasing

6.13 quality control

6.14 control over the supply of units and parts

7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

7.02 the use of computers in audit and evaluation

7.03 electronic publishing

7.04 information retrieval systems

7.05 administrative information systems

7.06 systems design and development

7.07 system selection and installation

8. SPECIALIZED SERVICES

8.01 educational counseling

8.02 electricity management consulting

8.03 engineering consulting

8.04 environmental consulting

8.05 information consulting

8.06 legal consulting

8.07 material and material distribution management consulting

technical supplies

8.08 public sector consulting

8.09 telecommunications consulting

This classification is subject, that is, consulting differs by type in accordance with the functions that managers perform. Consultants do not perform these functions themselves, but develop recommendations for their implementation. They advise managers on how to carry out general management, administration, financial management, information technology implementation and other functions.

Let us consider briefly, for the solution of what tasks it is possible to invite consultants for each of the eight listed in the diagram 3 groups of consulting services.

1. General management consultants are invited to help solve problems related to the very existence of your enterprise and the prospects of your business. They assess the state of affairs in your organization as a whole and the external environment for it, determine the general goals and system of values ​​of the organization, develop a development strategy, make forecasts, help in organizing branches and subsidiaries, give recommendations on changing the forms of ownership and composition of owners, acquiring property , shares or shares, improvement of organizational structures, etc.

2. Administrative management (administration) consultants deal with issues such as company formation and registration, office organization, data processing, administrative control system, etc. Their main task is to optimize the management of the organization.

3. Financial management consultants assist in

solving three main tasks:

1) search for sources and use of financial resources;

2) assessment and improvement of the current financial performance of the organization;

3) strengthening the financial position of the organization for the future.

They deal with issues of financial planning and control, taxation, accounting, placement of shares and shares on the market, credit, insurance, profit and cost, insolvency, etc.
4. HR consultants develop solutions for recruiting employees, quality control of personnel, remuneration system, advanced training and personnel management, labor protection and psychological climate in the team. Their main task is to assist managers in optimizing the attraction and use of such a key resource for any organization as the human factor.
5. Marketing consultants assist managers in solving a vital task for any enterprise operating in a market economy: ensuring its functioning in such a way that the goods and services it produces are bought by the consumer. They handle market research and provide decision-making for sales, pricing, advertising, new product development, and more. Since in a market economy the most difficult problem is

for an enterprise it is not production, but the sale of products, marketing is one of the most important areas of business consulting

6.Consultants in the organization of production, versed in economic, management and engineering issues, assist managers in solving such problems in solving problems such as the choice of production technology, stimulating labor productivity, evaluating and controlling product quality, analyzing production costs, production planning, use of equipment and materials, design and improvement of products, evaluation of works, etc.
7. Information technology consultants are engaged in the development of recommendations for the implementation of computer-aided design (CAD) and automated control systems (ACS), information retrieval systems, the use of computers in accounting and other quantitative methods for assessing the activities of an enterprise.
8. Specialized consulting services are those types of services that do not belong to any of the seven groups described above. They differ from them either in methods, or in objects, or in the nature of the knowledge being introduced (engineering consulting, legal consulting, etc.)

2. Consulting in Russia and in the world. Weaknesses and strengths of Russian and foreign consultants

In today's market economy, consulting services have long been an essential element of the infrastructure that supports its functioning.
Consulting is distinguished by statistics as a separate industry, in which, for example, in the United States, 700 thousand people are employed, and the annual turnover is 50 billion dollars. Not a single serious economic and managerial decision in countries with market economies, not only in developed countries, but also in the so-called developing ones (India, Brazil), is complete without the use of consultants: economists, lawyers, marketers, etc., individual ,

but more often they are united in consulting firms.

One of the first professional consultants in the field of economics was the founder of the theory of scientific management of an enterprise Frederick Taylor... The first management consulting firm - "Research Service in

business ”- was founded in 1914 in Chicago, and in the 1920s such firms appeared in Europe (primarily in England and Germany).
Professional support for business in Russia is now provided mainly by private consulting firms, of which there are several hundred. (For comparison: in Holland, with a population 11 times smaller than in Russia, there are more than 2 thousand of them.)

State educational, information and research organizations - universities, academies, scientific institutes, information centers, etc. can also provide consulting services on a commercial basis.
The majority of Russian private consulting firms were founded either by these organizations themselves or by their former employees.
Foreign consulting firms also operate in Russia. In particular, the entire "big six" of transnational consulting and auditing companies (Ernst & Young, Coopers & Lybrand, Price
Waterhouse "," KPMG "," Deloitte & Touche "" Arthur Andersen "), as well as a number of medium and small firms from Western Europe (Holland, Germany, France, Great Britain), USA and other countries of the world.

Some positive and negative aspects of the use of foreign consultants in the Russian context can be identified (Scheme 4).
Russian consultants are well versed in the current economic situation in Russia and have high intellectual and educational potential. At the same time, they think broadly enough, understand and know the mechanisms of the market economy of the Western type, some of them have experience of working abroad. At the same time, Russian consultants are flexible in their thinking, they go beyond the standards adopted in the world economy in their recommendations, which is their undoubted advantage, since non-standard thinking is more in line with the conditions of Russia. Based on Russian practice, they offer more realistic solutions.
The advantage of foreign consulting firms is a good command of consulting methods and detailed knowledge of a Western-style market economy. In addition, audit and other reports of foreign firms are still more widely recognized abroad, which is important for attracting foreign investors and other partners.

Advantages and disadvantages

Transfer of foreign experience High cost of services

New task setting Big requirements for the organization and

New solutions for the preliminary preparation of the client

New business and general culture Language barrier

Good proficiency in the technique High requirements for household

consulting

The cost of the services of Russian consulting firms is their advantage.
With high quality, their price is about 4-5 times lower than that of foreign colleagues. It averages $ 300 per person-day.

The services of Russian consultants are carried out in the following basic forms:
- One-time consultations on the main business issues in Russia and abroad.
Such consultations are carried out orally and in writing in the form of a question
- answer both directly and on questions prepared in advance by the client
- Implementation of consulting projects on customer orders, including diagnostics of problems, development and implementation of solutions. In the course of the project, services such as search for partners, participation in negotiations, development of documents (protocols, agreements, contracts, etc.)
- Conducting consulting seminars, i.e. group work of consultants and representatives of the enterprise on-the-job.
Information service. At the request of customers, statistical reviews and forecasts of the development of the economy as a whole and individual industries, information on, legislative acts, information about the reliability of potential partners, etc. can be provided.
- Expertise. The consultants provide expert opinions on developments independently prepared by the client. business plans, investment projects, schemes of financial transactions, contracts.
3. Forms of professional services related to consulting. Financial advisory.

The infrastructure of a market economy includes some other professional services provided to business leaders. The difference between such services and consulting, is that the help to the manager is provided not in the form of advice, recommendations and joint decision-making, but through the direct implementation of certain organizational, technical or informational functions.
There are 10 types of such services:

2) accounting services;

3) legal services;

4) provision of information technology;

5) engineering;

6) investment banking;

9) business information;

10) training.

The above services are related to consulting by the fact that this assistance is carried out on the basis of scientific and professional knowledge and, like external consulting, is provided on a commercial basis by independent firms. In addition, most firms and individual professionals providing such services are simultaneously engaged in consulting in their field, and many consulting firms are beginning to provide non-consulting services.

Thus, it can be noted that there is a certain interweaving of consulting and other types of professional services, while consulting acts as the core of this system.

Therefore, sometimes, for brevity, the entire set of services rendered to business managers, and not just services in the form of advice, recommendations and jointly developed solutions, is called the generalized term "consulting".

Financial advisory. There is no doubt that the financial problems that have arisen recently at the majority of enterprises in our country are connected, first of all, with the unsatisfactory use of their financial resources by them.
The poor orientation of enterprise managers in the prevailing economic conditions in terms of changes in the market infrastructure is characteristic. Therefore, the practice of financial consulting business is becoming increasingly important.
It is generally impossible to judge the finances of hundreds of thousands of companies. More than 315,000 enterprises do not provide accounting and tax reporting.
The imperfection of the existing legislation does not allow applying vigorous measures to those enterprises and organizations that have the right to dispose and control the commodity and cash flows running within the holdings.

Barterization of settlements, 90% existing in many industries, brings us closer to the level of subsistence farming, and about 300 trillion. unsecured bills in circulation do not at all contribute to strengthening the finances of enterprises and the country as a whole. The chronic debt of each of the more than three and a half thousand enterprises to the federal budget alone exceeds 3 billion rubles.

Formation of plans with maximum profit and acceptable profitability is also an important problem.

The consultant usually proposes the following enterprise financial management system. First of all, the main goals, criteria for their achievement and the strategy of the enterprise are determined, requirements for accounting policy are developed, as well as mechanisms for solving key problems of financial management, ensuring the achievement of the goals. It is important here to highlight the areas of responsibility in the area under consideration, assigned to specific leaders.
One of the most effective methods of streamlining the movement of financial resources, which are increasingly recommended by consultants, is the introduction of an automated system. First of all, it is recommended to master the subsystem of planning and analysis of financial flows with profit-loss analysis, which opens up an opportunity for planning receipts and payments of an enterprise, determining the timing of raising and the amount of borrowed funds, rational management of temporarily free financial resources, and shaping the movement of financial flows as a whole. the enterprise and at the level of departments. This technology, as already noted, is quite simple. But success mainly depends on the formulation of management accounting. The subsystem for planning and analyzing financial flows guarantees the financial stability of the company's finances and allows you to prevent the emergence of critical situations.
Further, it is usually recommended to carefully prepare the profit and loss program. The usual advice is to implement a system for managing working capital, assortment and costs of the enterprise, which is designed to guarantee an increase in profits. All further work on a more effective organization of cash flow management is unlikely to be successful if the work on setting up management accounting and its coordination with accounting is not fully completed.
The next step in the work of a consultant is to establish a system for monitoring budget execution, analyzing the fulfillment of planned tasks, and adjusting plans. Subsequently, work should be carried out on planning the consolidated budget, managing its own and borrowed capital. A harmonious budgeting system must be implemented throughout the enterprise.

It is advisable to use an automated management system, including planning, accounting and reporting. After that, it becomes possible to ensure the preparation and adoption of financial decisions in the form of a specific and clear sequence of steps:
- determination of financial and economic goals, selection of the main criteria;
- development of plan options for revenue, profit, profitability, equity capital, financial stability, assignments for key indicators at the end of the planning period;
- a financial strategy is developed that defines the actions necessary to ensure the stability of the company;
- the volume of sales of assortment, goods and services is estimated; selection of cash flow options with a minimum cash deficit, and on the basis of self-financing, as well as identifying the size and timing of borrowed funds;
- the scheme for using profit is further drawn up, the framework for the optimal change in the capital structure is fixed, the structure of the means of payment is determined (money, securities, barter, etc.)
- the most acceptable forms of their payment are revealed (prepayment, in fact, by installments);
- a tax policy is being formed;
- the system of economic incentives for divisions and personnel of the enterprise is approved;

The final version of the budget of the organization and its divisions is determined, as well as the conditions for making decisions in case of deviation from the plan.

A financial advisor is one of the key figures in the market. His role in making decisions about how to manage the finances of the consulted company is most often decisive. The financial advisor is usually a large investment bank or a company that is active in a specific segment of the market and has leading positions in it.
The purpose of financial consulting is to increase the economic efficiency of resource management, primarily the assets of an enterprise.
This is done in practice by:
- formation of a profitable and sufficiently risky investment portfolio;
- the most rational use of temporarily available funds in the most profitable segments of the financial market;
- reduction of non-production costs.

Financial consultants are able to develop a strategy for the development of an enterprise, offer the most rational management system in specific conditions, help choose the optimal capital management model, determine options and offer an authorized financial institution in the formation of the market for shares of the consulted enterprise.
The role of an investment broker, proposed by a financial advisor, is important here. The broker determines the stock quotes that are optimal for the company ”actively influences the change in the market value of the company's securities, works to increase the liquidity of shares, and quickly reacts to changes in the situation on the company's securities market.

In the framework of financial consulting, a lot of new things have appeared recently. Among such problems: improving capital management, forming an optimal portfolio of short-term financial instruments, developing an investment policy, improving interaction with shareholders and creditors. Note that for small firms, these issues are not as acute as for large enterprises.
In 1997, the importance of financial advisors in the Russian stock market increased significantly. The relatively low liquidity of the shares of the main part of Russian companies is naturally associated with the complication of work on the organization of issues, the sale of blocks of shares, and other actions to organize the securities market of the enterprise.
Due to market instability, it is necessary to actively influence the investment demand for the shares of the consulted company. This is especially important given the undervaluation of the shares of many Russian companies. Recently, the demand for services to maintain the rules and regulations adopted in the stock market has sharply increased. This is of particular importance in stemming the lack of investment and increasing competition for fundraising in the market. The growth of debts and non-payments of enterprises also necessitated the establishment of qualified work with their debts. Financial advisors strive to help solve the problems of netting and mutual debt settlement. This naturally improves the financial position of enterprises.
Let us note further that with the creation of large holdings in Russia, the expansion of sales of state blocks of shares, the entry of Russian shares into the world market, the rapid growth of new issues, and a sharp increase in the need for serious investors, the role of advisory work greatly increases.

Financial advisor companies are able to exert the most energetic influence on sponsored enterprises in solving similar and other financial problems. Financial consultants stabilize domestic and foreign financial policies, which is of particular importance for large industrial enterprises that seek to integrate into the global economy.
Now the most powerful Russian investment companies have established a relationship of trust with the management of large industrial enterprises.
The latter's shares are firmly quoted. Stable personal contacts of the managers of these enterprises help to accelerate the implementation of economic programs.
In the Russian financial consulting market, roles and specialization are specified between its participants. Foreign consulting companies, many foreign investment banks and funds help to attract investments in the Russian economy, form our professional culture on the basis of the relationships that have developed in the world financial community.

The role of Russian financial consultants, although for the time being is not yet so obvious, but they have a serious trump card - they know Russian specifics better. The market for consulting services is also developing in connection with the growing demand for them by those Russian enterprises that are capable of becoming important objects for investment in the coming years. They need advice, in particular, when introducing their securities to the market and ensuring their professional level in operations in the stock market, especially in the secondary market.

At the same time, the possibilities of a consultant in this area are often limited.
They depend on many factors affecting the issuer's liquidity and stock price. The consultant does not have the ability to influence the macroeconomic and political course-forming factors of the economy. Russian practice is characterized by the action of such a destabilizing circumstance as the procedure, timing and price of shares in the sale of government blocks of securities of any enterprise. But a financial consultant has other methods of direct and indirect influence on the secondary market: he is able to act as a market maker, advise the issuer on the most appropriate depository, and recommend actions to improve the circulation of the company's shares on the market.

Naturally, the most ambitious opportunities for a consultant are associated with resolving the issuer's internal problems. Here the position of Russian companies is largely the same. Characterized, in particular, are the lack of a development strategy aimed at reducing costs, increasing revenues and increasing competitiveness, a well-organized internal audit, a favorable public reputation of the company, serious work with shareholders and investors, the presence of large debts, etc.

Recently, there has been a significant increase in interest in the activities of financial consultants in Russian society, in particular from large banks and investment companies.
There is no doubt that domestic financial consultants are becoming an ever stronger link between Russian issuers and foreign financial circles. They carry out, in particular, the preparation and receipt of loans from foreign lenders, maximizing the time factor, volumes and interest on loans, help more rational use of the received credit resources.
At the same time, financial consultants proceed from the criteria for evaluating the shares of the relevant company by foreign investors, take actions to increase the attractiveness of the shares of the consulted enterprises for foreign investors, including helping to bring financial statements in line with world standards, and advise on the selection of optimal schemes for subsequent emissions and sales. shareholdings, mergers, share conversions, assist in attracting investors and restructuring the company.
A lot of attention is paid to innovation. A financial advisor usually offers a client notions in the stock market (repo transactions, the organization of options on the issuer's shares or on other derivatives of the stock market). This affects the increase in the liquidity of securities, on the growth of activity in transactions with investors, which is very important, given the fact of a more active position of the latter in the stock market.
Russian financial consultants strive to intensify their work on the securities market. As a result, the level of liquidity of the company's shares on the stock market will stabilize (even in the case of the sale of state-owned stakes on it, or if the company carries out new issues).

There are favorable prospects for financial consulting both for issuers and for large investment companies. The number of professional market participants is growing, and interaction between Russian and foreign investment consultants is provided. A special role in the conditions of the modern financial market in Russia is played by promissory notes.

A financial consultant is able to "fully carry out his mission if the issue of providing him with reliable, complete and accurate necessary data is resolved. As you know, the assessment of the financial position of an enterprise is carried out on the basis of financial statements. In this case, the reporting of the enterprise is considered in two main aspects: in terms of establishing the rationality of the structure of property and its sources, ensuring the current solvency, and in terms of identifying the financial result.The first task allows you to complete the balance sheet (form No. 1), the second - the report on financial results and their use (form No. 2).
Thus, from all of the above, it is clear that financial consulting is gaining great importance in the modern Russian economy.

According to RBC, in 2017 the companies spent about 120 billion rubles on consulting. This is almost the same as invested in online marketing promotion. Consultants earn over 150,000 rubles a month and don't stop there. So what is consulting and who can benefit from it? Let's figure it out.

Consulting - is a paid expert advice to business leaders and private entrepreneurs on a wide range of economic, industrial, commercial and other issues to optimize business processes, increase and improve key performance indicators.

Simply put, consulting is paid qualified assistance to organizations that need an independent assessment of current activities, analysis of business processes and subsequent recommendations for doing business and improving its efficiency.

Quite simply, consulting is consulting assistance to top managers of enterprises in business management.

Who stood at the origins of consulting

The main reason for the emergence of world consulting was industrial progress. Many competing factories have appeared, and the number of jobs has increased. The managers needed new knowledge on the organization and management of the enterprise.

This prompted Arthur Little, a chemist at the Massachusetts Institute, to found the first consulting firm in 1886. Arthur's company specialized in engineering research, helping businesses improve shop floor performance and reduce manufacturing costs. Employees of the company analyzed the activities of factories and plants, found problems and made a strategy for their solution.

With the development of consulting services and the emergence of new companies, there was an urgent need to systematize the acquired knowledge, exchange experience and ideas. But Arthur was categorically against any systematization and refused to join a professional management consulting association. While other consultants tried to build on the success stories that had already been accumulated, he took enormous risks, each time creating new strategies to solve the problems of enterprises. This approach was unsuccessful, and his firm fell apart, giving way to companies such as McKinsey and Booz Allen Hamilton.

In the 1930s, consulting gained worldwide recognition. This was facilitated by the end of the world economic crisis and the growing industrial production. Gradually, consulting companies have spread all over the place. In Russia, this period falls on the 90s of the twentieth century. At the end of 2017, the Russian rating of the best consulting agencies is shared by 100 companies.

Tasks and goals of the consulting company

The main goal of consulting companies is to improve the efficiency of the organization and the business as a whole. An enterprise focused on development and growth will always need to attract additional resources. But modern companies do not have a large staff of experts, but turn to qualified personnel from outside.

It is this fact that attracts specialists from various fields of activity to consulting.

The main list of tasks of consulting companies:

• recommendations for improving performance;
• development of a marketing strategy;
• analysis of the current situation and identification of problems;
• advice and solutions for the modernization of the technological process;
• audit of reporting documents;
• assistance in the reorganization of business units;
• training of personnel and preparation of methodological manuals.

Let's consider these tasks in more detail:

High market, oversaturation of the market with goods and services is forcing managers to increase advertising costs, attract new advertising channels and expand sales markets in order to maintain a stable market position. These actions often do not lead to the desired result and the company begins to lose profit. Management turns to a consulting firm for expert independent advice on how to get out of a crisis situation. The consultant can recommend modernizing the technical base, finding ways to reduce costs, suggesting a company to open a new promising direction, or increasing staff motivation.

2 Marketing strategy development.

The consultant helps the business to promote its products and services, increase profits and reduce costs. The promotion strategy includes analysis and segmentation of the target audience, identifying the needs of each segment, finding effective advertising channels for promotion, launching an advertising campaign.

3 Analysis of the activities of the enterprise and the search for problems.

When a company cannot find a problem on its own, management contacts a consulting company.

Why do they turn to a consulting agency? Because not every organization can afford to keep a staff of experts who could analyze and solve current problems. The problem can arise in any area of ​​the enterprise - financial, legal, personnel and others. In this case, the management decides to contact qualified consultants. The task of the consultant is to analyze the work of the enterprise and its departments and, on the basis of an impartial assessment, find vulnerabilities.

4 Consulting on technological process modernization.

Technologies are developing at a fast pace and enterprises do not have time to track trends. Consulting companies will help you improve the software or introduce a new one.

5 Audit of reporting documentation.

The consulting company conducts an independent audit of the company's financial statements, the compliance of documents with general accounting requirements. A check is ordered to find errors in reporting activities, before submitting documents to the tax office or when changing the chief accountant of an enterprise.

6 Assistance in the reorganization of business units.

Reorganization is the termination of the activities of a company, the incorporation of other legal entities into it, the merger of companies or the division of management between the owners. Not all organizations employ lawyers specializing in business restructuring. Therefore, the management contacts a consulting firm in order to attract external experts to carry out the reorganization in compliance with the current legislation.

7 Personnel training and preparation of teaching aids.

Consulting companies help enterprises to improve the level of competence of their employees by providing trainings in various fields of activity. For example, trainings and seminars for sales departments, trainings for executives on leadership, improving management skills and effective use of time. Trainings on teamwork, on working with objections and conflict situations are popular. Consultants can also develop guidance materials such as sales scenarios or equipment instructions.

In every business there comes a time when a transition to a new level of development is necessary. Any enterprise seeks to increase profits and improve its efficiency. In times of economic crisis, this is especially true for all companies that want to stay afloat. But the internal resources and experience of full-time specialists are often not enough - it is then that there is a need to receive expert assistance from outside, and the management turns to consulting.

A consulting consultant is an expert who provides consulting services to companies or individuals to achieve their business goals. Consultants analyze business performance, identify problems, and propose solutions.

The consultant can be an employee of a consulting firm or a self-employed person.

Many people think of consultants as a white-collar community, with laser pointers and innovative gadgets. However, in practice this is not at all the case.

Consultants are ordinary people who do their job skillfully.

An example of the activities of consultants:

The pharmaceutical company plans to launch a new line of products - vitamin supplements for athletes based on natural plant extracts. On their own, they cannot assess the effectiveness of a new project. The management enters into an agreement with a consulting agency. Consultants evaluate firms, analyze assets, study the market. After a detailed analysis and calculation, they conclude that the new direction is promising and the size of the company's profit is within 10-20%. Management pays consultants and starts new product launches .

Clients have different requests for consulting companies.

Let's look at a few examples:

Based on customer requests, consulting services were formed in 5 main forms:

1 Analytics.

Analysis of the current activities of the organization, the interaction of its divisions, the study of market demand, the company's competitive advantages and opportunities for growth and development.

Example: there is a constant staff turnover in the firm. The manager could not find out the reason and hired a consultant who analyzed the work of the staff and identified the problem at the stage of adaptation of new employees. New people came to the company and did not receive support from experienced colleagues. This led to conflicts and frequent personnel changes.

2 Forecasting.

Drawing up forecasts for the development of the company, identifying promising areas, assessing the profit from the launch of new projects. A consulting forecast is never based on the consultant's guesswork, it is always based on facts and figures.

Example: a wholesale company selling cabinet furniture decided to expand its activities and open 10 regional branches. To determine distribution channels and identify the needs of buyers in the regions, the company enters into an agreement with a consulting firm. The consultants assess the competition and customer demand in this segment and make a detailed forecast of the company's development. Based on this forecast, the management changes its policy and opens only 6 branches instead of 10.

3 Expert advice.

Consulting on any issues, advice on solving problems. They are carried out one-time or on the basis of a long-term contract.

Example: the transport company turned to a consulting firm for advice on reducing the tax burden. As a result of the implementation of the consultants' recommendations, the company was able to reduce tax costs by 40% and use the saved money to expand the vehicle fleet, which ultimately led to an increase in the volume of cargo transportation and an increase in profits.

4 Audit of the company's activities.

Independent verification of the current activities of the enterprise, search for problems. For example, checking accounting documents, the effectiveness of the sales department, the work of the technical support service.

Example: to improve the quality of customer service, the company ordered a consulting review. The consultants listened to the recording of telephone conversations, assessed the work of sales departments using the mystery shopping method, conducted a survey of existing customers. Based on the results of the work done, scripts of conversations with potential customers were drawn up, the options for processing objections were finalized, additional company products were introduced as Upsell and CrossSell, which made it possible to improve quality service and increase sales by 20%.

5 Direct participation in the project.

Very often, consultants are invited not only for recommendations and checks, but also for direct participation in certain projects. This can be the introduction or testing of new software, staff training, legal proceedings in court.

Example: the company - a developer of games and mobile applications, is going to release a new application for learning Spanish. The application is made in the form of a game in which the user learns new words and goes through game levels. To identify possible gaps and understand user reactions, the management enters into an agreement with a consulting firm to test the application and solve the problems found.

Consulting types

Regardless of the form, consulting is divided into types. Below are the 8 main types of consulting:

IT consultants offer solutions for using technology to improve company performance. For example, developing new software, testing or upgrading existing programs.

Due to the prevalence of hacker attacks, IT consultants are increasingly focusing on computer security and the implementation of effective protection.

Case 1: Checking IT infrastructure

The head of the law firm turned to the consulting firm Ayilia to conduct an audit of the IT infrastructure. As a result of the check, it turned out that the video filming from the company's office was available for viewing by any Internet user. IT consultants have found a critical error in setting up the installed video surveillance system. The password for the IP cameras and the connection port were not encrypted and were freely available. The consultants set up remote access only to the computers of the company's management and closed the broadcast from the cameras to the Internet.

Case 2. Improving the Call Center

Yota turned to the PM Expert consulting firm with a clear task - to find and implement a solution to reduce the load on the company's call-center. IT consultants have developed and implemented the "virtual consultant" system. The purpose of the system is to answer popular customer questions without the participation of call-center employees.

Management consulting

Management consulting is a set of measures to ensure a stable position of an enterprise in the market and increase its key indicators. One of the main tasks of management consulting is to find problems that hinder the effective development of the company and eliminate them at the early stages of their occurrence. Management consulting assists managers and business owners in developing an overall strategy for the development of their enterprise, in creating strong competitive advantages in the market, in increasing the client base, in assessing the profitability of new projects and optimizing interactions between company divisions.

A management consultant can be compared to a general practitioner who identifies a general problem, formulates a treatment strategy, and refers to highly specialized doctors.

The goal of the consultant is to see the big picture and identify ways to improve the profitability and competitiveness of the company. He forms and controls a strategy to achieve long-term goals, which will eventually lead the company to a new stage of development. The development of a step-by-step strategy is the main goal of strategic consulting, which is part of management and is closely related to it. Without developing a strategic action plan, it is impossible to solve the current problems and provide the company with a stable market position.

To implement the obtained strategy, methods of advertising the company's promotion on the market are being developed, the target audience is analyzed, and effective advertising channels are being sought. This is done by marketing consulting, the actions of which are aimed at increasing the company's profits, increasing the number of loyal customers and reducing production costs.

Thus, strategic, marketing and management consulting are three parts of a single mechanism.

Financial advisory

Financial consultants are involved in the complex improvement of the financial situation of a business. This includes advice on how to manage expenses, developing and implementing investment strategies, advice on corporate insurance, tax matters and day-to-day financial expenses.

Financial consultants will help to expediently allocate financial resources, estimate the costs of project implementation, estimate the payback period of these projects, calculate financial risks and draw up a financial strategy for efficient distribution of funds.

The manufacturing company turned to a consulting agency to review financial statements and find opportunities to increase profits and reduce costs. The company produces 30 types of products, contains 5 large workshops. Having studied the annual financial statements, the consultant came to the conclusion that the company can increase profits if it splits the production of products into 5 separate areas, which will be distributed among the workshops. The financial report showed that the 2nd workshop brings losses and should be abandoned, and the 4th workshop will bring 2 times more profit if financial resources freed up when the unprofitable direction is closed are directed to its development. The consultant also assessed the payback period for additional investments and calculated the possible risks. After the work done and the recommendations implemented, the company's profit increased by 50%.

HR consulting

HR consultants specialize in the social life of the company. They assess the workforce, identify problems in the interaction of departments, hire new employees and correctly distribute social roles. The HR consultant tests, develops and implements systems of motivation and incentives for personnel, resolves conflicts and looks for ways to prevent them.

The consulting firm was approached by the head of a company selling mobile phones and accessories. The company consisted of 10 branches and employed 120 employees. Management noticed an increase in customer complaints over the past year. Most of the complaints pointed to the lack of competence of the sales staff. Customers did not receive answers to their questions and refused to purchase. The task of the consultants was to assess the effectiveness of personnel reserves and increase the motivation of personnel for the further development and improvement of their knowledge. The management wanted to solve this problem with the help of attestation. But the staff specialists of the HR department did not have sufficient knowledge in this matter.

The consultants were able to carry out the certification without causing discontent and stress in the team. As a result of the audit, employees were sent for additional training. Some of the employees had to be fired. Over the next 3 months, the company did not receive a single complaint, and the profit increased by 20%.

Investment consulting

Investment consultants seek and evaluate investment projects for a profitable investment, help to choose a broker, draw up an investment plan and investment portfolio, advise companies or individuals on asset allocation.

A 53-year-old military retiree turned to an independent consultant with the aim of increasing his pension savings through profitable investments and regular replenishment of the investment portfolio. The client had an active income of 30,000 rubles, and a pension of the same amount, which he did not spend, but accumulated for the initial investment capital. The consultant made a calculation and found out that in 10 years the client will be able to receive passive income in the amount of 10,000 rubles per month, subject to the accumulation of $ 100,000, taking into account inflation and the subsequent investment of the collected funds. The consultant drew up an investment plan, according to which the client was recommended to open a savings account in a foreign company with the condition of a monthly replenishment of $ 500 and the possibility of receiving permanent passive income in 7 years, that is, by the age of 60.

Legal consulting

The task of a legal consultant is to search, prevent and solve legal problems of an organization or individuals. The field of activity is extensive - legal assistance in matters of employment, preparation of documentation, corporate and intellectual property, real estate and other aspects.

The founder decided to liquidate the organization, the chief accountant of which resigned and could not solve the problems of the company. To search for possible violations in reporting, to better understand the liquidation process, the director turned to a consultant. The consultant found a debt from the firm, advised on the methods and time for solving the debt closure and warned the client about the possible risks. Possessing the necessary information, the manager was able to close the debt before the liquidation of the company began and to carry out the liquidation procedure without any problems.

Accounting consulting

Accounting consultants clean up accounting, help companies sort out accounting documents, find ways to reduce the tax base, analyze accounts payable, and determine business profitability.

The company enters into a contract for the supply of medical equipment with a foreign organization. Staff accountants do not have the experience to handle the deal. The manager hires a consultant from a consulting company to support reporting and currency control in order to comply with legal regulations and avoid errors in reporting.

Training Consulting

Training consulting performs the following functions: training employees, conducting trainings and seminars, drawing up methodological documentation.

The head of the firm needed the help of third-party consultants to train the sales staff. The sales staff did not have a good command of the cold negotiation technique and faced constant objections from customers. The company suffered losses. The consultants wrote the selling scripts, taught the staff the objection handling techniques and telephone conversation techniques. With the introduction of scripts and the knowledge gained, sales increased by 30%, the company's profit increased.

How not to be mistaken in choosing a consultant?

There is no magic formula or secret that makes one consultant more successful than another. A good consultant knows the nuances and subtleties of the area in which he is consulting.

He is not afraid to take responsibility and give guarantees. The results of his work are measurable. This is the main difference between a good and a bad consultant.

The main criteria for choosing a consultant:

1 Concrete results.

The effectiveness of the work done is measured in precise, measurable terms. If the consultant is not ready to provide them, then his qualifications are insufficient for consulting.

2 Awareness of the client's problem.

A professional will study the client's problems in advance. By pointing out solutions that the client has not seen before, he will demonstrate interest and confident knowledge of the subject. It is important.

3 Craving for questions.

An experienced professional does not hesitate to ask questions. He is not in the shadows and is actively involved in the project. The more expert questions a consultant has, the more likely it is that the client was not mistaken in his choice.

4 Flexibility.

A professional respects his own point of view, but listens to the opinion of the client. Flexibility is one of the main qualities of a good professional.

5 Practical activities.

The professional prefers the practice of theory. The desire of the consultant to implement the generated ideas indicates his experience and desire for great achievements.

Now you can choose a consultant yourself. But what about a consulting firm? Which one to contact? Read on for more details.