充分利用您的顾问（第1部分）的六个提示

这是我们一系列与咨询和相关服务的采购方面有关的良好做法的文章中的另一个文章中的另一个文章。盛开，谁提供NEPO专业专业服务中性供应商解决方案。今天，我们看看客户组织可以，应该做些什么来帮助他们的顾问提供最好的工作。

对于许多组织，管理咨询和其他相关的专业服务即将花费现在是最大的类别领域之一。然而，也许是因为这仍然是一个相对较近的现象，所以对组织如何获得最佳回报的理解和知识仍然有限。仍然是咨询任务的情况往往未能提供所需和想要的内容，或最终耗费耗费程度，并且比预期的时间更长。

现在整个书籍已经写过这个话题，但这里有一些最重要的提示clients应该在任务期间行事，以便充分利用他们的顾问。当然，顾问必须表现良好，但客户行为在整体成功或转让失败中发挥着重要组成部分。

1. Provide a clear definition of outputs or outcomes required from the assignment

Whilst this really needs to be donebefore任务开始，我们在这里包含它是如此重要的。这种清晰度对于首先选择合适的公司并为开始合作的基础是必不可少的;实际上，它是整个任务。如果没有这一点，一旦赋值开始作为客户和顾问争吵，就可以浪费了很多时间。或者更糟糕的是，顾问收益，取自自己的假设，只能提供没有真正想要的工作。

2. Define, understand and agree the client role

根据客户应该有多少参与，没有单一规则。在某些情况下，一旦顾问介绍，在提出最终结果之前，他们可能不需要地看待或与客户交谈。在其他情况下，它可能是顾问和客户作为团队工作，也许每天坐在邻近的桌前8个小时！但关键点是对该角色进行共同的理解。

Consultants hate being over-managed, with a client breathing down their neck without adding any real value. But equally, there is nothing as frustrating for a consultant as a client who is not around to provide vital information, or make a key introduction. So make sure from the beginning that everyone understands how you will work together.盛开’s executive chairman,Adam Jacobs，帮助许多组织管理他们的专业服务采购，说：“任何优秀的顾问希望在需要时访问客户并支持，并且在客户自身利益中非常有利于提供“。

3. 尊重顾问 - 但记住你是客户

We’ve seen consultants used as expensive “bag-carriers”, secretaries or admin assistants by certain executives (in the public and private sector), where that approach seemed to be part of an ego-trip for that client. There are other forms of disrespect that are subtler but can be equally corrosive to the consultant / client relationship. So treat consultants with respect, as you would an internal colleague. Yet this is also a supplier /buyer relationship at the end of the day, and a client should never be afraid to check and comment on the quality of work, or to apply proper discipline to billing, including expenses or other “add-ons”. We’ve also seen examples where the consultant showed disrespect in terms of some of those areas.

For major projects, where administrative areas such as billing might be a significant amount of work, it can often be useful to split that from the day to day client role, particularly if that involves the client working very closely with the consultant (see the previous point). It can be difficult for one individual to work collaboratively all month with the consulting firm, then be challenging over what has been invoiced.

（Part 2 tomorrow- 进一步information is availablein “购买专业服务：如何从顾问和其他专业服务提供商获得物有所值” (Czerniawska and Smith, 2010)在这里提供; and more about Bloom is在他们的网站上提供。