Management Consulting is often used synonymously with Business Consulting. No matter what you call it, there is a wide range of approaches to consulting.

At one end of the range is an “expert”/ prescriptive approach. This approach is much like a doctor who interviews & tests a patient and then writes out a prescription for them. It requires the patient to follow the “doctor’s orders”, including when, how often, etc. to take prescribed pills and to follow through the suggested lifestyle changes.

At the other end of the spectrum is the facilitative approach. Here, the consultant acts as a catalyst, providing advice or assistance to the client. The facilitative approach relies less on input and collaboration with the client. The consultant focuses on the process of consultation more than specific or technical expertise. He attempts to provide the tools (systems) and enhance the client’s self-discovery of their environment, the problem at hand and the available tools to address it.

At NLP CPAs, we are much more than problem solvers: We believe that client input is fundamental to success – as is the need to create a team by drawing on several areas of expertise (from both the client’s staff and the consulting staff) that dynamically interact with one another.

There are many services that a management or business consultant can provide. Some are broad in scope, like:

• Business Improvement/ Growth
• Information Systems Development
• Organizational Development Project Management
• Strategic Planning
• Turnarounds/ Troubleshooting
• Family Business issues (conflict resolution, governance, and communication improvement)

Other consulting services are much more specific, such as:

• Back office organization Compensation Plans
• Cost Accounting Systems Mergers & Acquisitions
• Succession Planning

No one should wait for serious problems to arise before they seek out a management consultant’s input. Business or management consultants should be considered part of your firm’s management, constantly aware of the issues confronting it at any time. Quarterly meetings to review jointly developed management reports, key performance indicators, financials etc. as well as qualitative issues such as staffing changes & training, long term strategic planning, medium range implementation initiatives and succession planning (just to name a few) are all issues that should be addressed on an ongoing basis.

The nominal cost of retaining the services of a consultant is far outweighed by the benefits of having additional management expertise without increasing payroll. For the cost of a retainer you can have immediate access not only to the knowledge base of one expert but a team of experts that will be familiar with your firm. Then if necessary, they will be able to hit the ground running.