Hiring an Ecommerce Consultant? Don’t Ignore These 6 Areas
Hiring an independent ecommerce consultant is very essential in today’s competitive market as he can be a game changer for your online business. A qualified consultant hired for a limited time period can provide valuable insights, guidance and expertise that puts a start-up online business on the right track to growth and success. But to get results that can improve your business significantly, you need to choose the right person.
As an employer or business owner, the same vigorous selection process should be applied while choosing consultants as you do for full-time employing. If your ecommerce consultant doesn’t have the proven track record to deliver what you require, you could actually be impeding your business’ growth.
Choosing the right ecommerce consultant starts with matching his experience level with the requirements of your company. In other words, you and your prospective consultant should be on the same page about what your company is looking for and what skills needed so that both of you can work towards the same goal. Of course, you will prefer a consultant who has sufficient experience, especially in enterprise ecommerce.
When you are ready to start interviewing, observe and study the candidate's skills in these six areas which will ensure that the right ecommerce specialist is on board:
- Experience: It is of no use hiring an expert just because he is experienced but not aligned with the needs of your company. An over-qualified consultant many not be of any use to you unless and until he has proven track records of working in similar projects as yours. For instance,
- Work samples: If a candidate has previous experience in a similar role, there is nothing wrong in asking for proof or work samples. If he or she provides you with concrete examples of successful projects, you can immediately gauge his or her ability to produce great work for your business.
- Ask for references: The reputation of your consultant depends a lot on his or her level of professionalism or her ability to complete her tasks. You should be well aware of the consultant’s previous clients and if need be talk to them. The good or bad feedback you receive will answer some of your questions in selecting a consultant.
- Work habits: It is very likely that your consultant will not work in front of you in your office but will work rather remotely as per his convenience. So it is better to know his work habits. Before hiring him, you should be well aware of how much management he expects or needs from you. By knowing his work habits, you can decide whether you should step back or become more involved with his work.
- Flexibility: Not necessarily what you have planned in the consultant’s work schedule will remain the same. It might change in the course of the project. So hire someone who is flexible and can adapt with ease.