A consultancy's pitch deck and case studies rarely tell you what you actually need to know before signing an engagement. These questions are meant to surface that information directly.
Questions to ask before engaging a consultancy
- What is the specific deliverable at the end of this engagement — a report, an implementation, ongoing advisory?
- Who exactly will be doing the work, and is that the same person presenting the pitch?
- Can you speak to a past client of similar size, ideally one whose engagement ended more than a year ago?
- How is success measured for this engagement, and who decides if it's been achieved?
- What happens if the recommended approach requires products or services the consultancy itself sells — is there a conflict of interest?
- What's the actual cost structure — fixed fee, hourly, or a retainer — and what triggers additional charges?
Watching for conflicts of interest
It's worth understanding whether a consultancy earns anything from recommending a specific vendor's product, separate from their advisory fee. This doesn't automatically disqualify their advice, but it's a reasonable thing to ask about directly, and a consultancy confident in its recommendation should be comfortable answering it plainly.
References that mean something
A reference from a client whose project just wrapped up tells you less than one from a client a year or more past the engagement — the second can tell you whether the recommendations actually held up in practice, not just whether the presentation was polished.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not asking who specifically will perform the work versus who is presenting the sales pitch
- Skipping reference checks, or only speaking to references still in an active honeymoon period
- Not clarifying upfront what counts as a billable extra beyond the agreed scope
- Ignoring a potential conflict of interest between advice given and products sold
A consultancy confident in its own value should have straightforward answers to all of the above — hesitation on these questions is itself useful information.