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We connect organizations and businesses to the curated network of expert professionals for successful and timely project execution.
Vedak is an exclusive platform of expert professionals, retired veterans and mid-level management professionals all set to build the Future of Work. We at Vedak ensure that business and professionals connect for a better future.
The Future of Work is changing, it is becoming increasingly talent-centric or human-centric. The traditional daily professional duties are gradually making way for the trend of Expert Consultation. While many expert professionals are embarking on this on-demand service, they are not immune to certain mistakes. Today, we will discuss the ‘7 Cardinal Sins’ of Expert Consultation that our experts must avoid at all costs.
Deviating Suddenly from Mutually Set Schedule
We shortlist our experts following a meticulous screening procedure. After the expert professional is onboarded, we organize an introductory teleconference with our expert and the concerned client. We discuss with both the client and the expert before scheduling a consultation. Let take an example, the expert professional has conveyed to us that he can be available at 8.00 PM on Saturday. Accordingly, we informed the same to the client and the consultation is scheduled after mutual negotiation. Just 15 minutes, before the call the expert professional mailed us that he would be unable to consult due to some unknown reasons.
These kinds of situations can be problematic for the clients, as every project comes with deadlines. We don’t rush while setting a consultation call between the clients and our experts. We ask our experts to let us know about their availability at their convenience. Our experts must avoid such sudden changes in plans. Deviating from the mutually set schedule without any prior information can be detrimental for your career as a successful consultant. We understand that sudden problems can arise, both on the personal and professional front. In that case, please inform the concerned project manager before the consultation. We will try to fix another alternative schedule after discussing with the clients and also the experts.
Saying ‘YES’ Before Knowing Project Details
We always urge our experts to know the project details before confirming to consult for the same. We have seen instances when the experts say ‘YES’ instantly by just knowing the general project outlines. But, we refrain from onboarding the experts who are not well acquainted with the project details. We notify the project details and the topics to the experts via mails and also in the teleconference. If the experts are experienced in the domain matching the live projects, we prefer to proceed further. In case you are not comfortable with the project queries, let us know. We will look for another project matching your experience and expertise. But once you say YES, there must not be any turning back.
If you are still confirming to consult without the knowledge of detailed project outlines, then the repercussions might not be a desirable one. There are many drawbacks if you are committing this sin. In the ongoing consultation with the clients, if you fumble and present inaccurate report, then your credibility and experience as a consultant will be highly compromised. As an Expert, you will always want to build your credibility and reputation. But, saying ‘YES’ without sufficient project knowledge can jeopardize your dream of becoming successful and establish business consultant.
Underestimating Time and Costs of Consultation
This is one of the most common sins that many expert consultants are prone to. As an expert professional, you must give a realistic and rational quotation of time and costs. Many rookie consultants, without any prior experience, set faulty quotations. You must have an idea of how much time can be required for preparing a particular project report. If you give the time of 6 days to the clients, then make sure you complete within 5 days or so, but not more than 6 days. In consultation, time is money. The time you are spending for a particular project is billable. So make sure that utilize the time properly.
Often, consultants present too high rates for hourly consultation. The remuneration depends on the experience of the expert consultants and the type of project. If an expert professional with an experience of 5 years is demanding Rs, 30,000 for one hour, the client may feel baffled. And again, the expert must not set their rates too low as well. We, at Vedak, guarantee that our expert professionals are rewarded with justified remunerations, following the market standards. There is no bidding and bulletproof payment structures. We abide by strict policies to safeguard the interests of our expert professionals.
Producing 2nd-Rate Project Report
Our experts are hailing from 20+ industries, having 10+ years of experience or retired veterans. They are undisputed masters in their domains, eager to value additions to the businesses. We make sure that the consultants who are onboarded are niche skilled and having expertise matching the project requirements. As an expert of our platform, we expect you to maintain our track record that is 98.5% client satisfaction. The final project report and the consultation should do justice to the requirements of the live projects. However, some mistakes of project report include:
- It is too long, or unnecessarily detailed
- It is too short, missing the important details
- It simply summarises the key points, and the things that clients already know
- It is not logical or appropriate
- Information provided is not fact based
- Lack of research, using a lot of “may be”, “not sure”, vague
- Lack of value addition, unsatisfying clients
The project that you have committed to is your sole responsibility. Invest ample research, dedicate hours for the same and come up with solutions to help the clients. Producing second-grade report, just for the sake of completing the project, is not expected from our experts.
Not Respecting Client Relationship
As an expert consultant, you have to communicate with the clients and discuss in detail about the live projects. You must communicate appropriately for a healthy professional network. Many think that the clients are there only to ask for solutions for their projects, and after they get their solutions, they bid adieu. Well, in on-demand services or part-time consultation, such as the scenario ‘roughly’. After the project execution, the clients and experts part their ways peacefully. But, that does not mean that there will be no professional relationship between the clients and experts. Our experts often engage in on-site consultations, focussed group discussions, advisory roles etc.
You as our expert may have to meet our clients or communicate via teleconference. During such official discussions, a professional bond between the experts and clients are expected. If the clients are satisfied with your work, they can again come to our platform and wish to connect to you for some new projects in future. This way, you can bag several projects and expand your network. You must respect the professional relationship that you have with clients. At Vedak, we follow certain strict policies for the best interest of both the experts and clients. As an expert, you must build a healthy relationship with your clients. This will help you to know the demands and queries of the clients and sort out the matters accordingly.
Acting Over-Confident and Arrogant
Some expert consultants nurture an idea that they must be superior to the clients, as the clients are the ones who are stuck with some problems or queries. But the fact is, the client may be superior to you in many other aspects. If you are over-confident and arrogant, then these personal attributes might hamper your work i.e. project consultation. Your points must be logical and fact-based, but your tone should always be polite and modest. Modesty is the sign of knowledge and obviously an amicable personality. Being arrogant can often lead to miscommunication and organizational barriers.
Onboarding a suitable candidate for a particular project can be time-consuming. As a client, you can depend on us, as we connect to various experts from our network and screen them rigorously before shortlisting a candidate. We have preliminary discussions with them regarding live projects, we assess whether they meet the bar and then notify the clients about the same. As mentioned in the previous blog, we had one such experience where the professional was being very rude and arrogant. We did not just onboard him, but also noted that he must never be contacted for future projects. Domain-specific knowledge and talent are essential for successful project completion, soft skills and personality is equally important.
Missing Project Deadlines
As already mentioned in the previous lines, missing project deadlines is a complete NO-NO for our expert professionals. Self-assessment is crucial here. It is imperative to know the project outlines in detail before committing to the same. Every project comes with specific deadlines. In order to help and satisfy the clients, it is advisable to meet the deadlines. If you miss the deadline, the clients and the business organizations may have to face severe repercussions. Missing project deadlines will be detrimental to your reputation as a consultant. Next time, the clients may not be confident about your project execution. To expand your network and be a part of the exclusive community, meeting deadlines is of utmost importance. Meeting the deadlines does not mean the quality of project execution will be compromised in any way. Complete the project in time, with necessary details and information as demanded by the clients.
Avoid the above-mentioned sins, and bag high-value projects with us. Give your expertise the greatest exposure with Vedak.
We have an exclusive pool of experts, having experience and specializing in diverse domains. They can help the organizations to come up with strategies and business models required for achieving success in the long run.
Whether you are an Expert Consultant, or a Business Organization, contact us TODAY to know more.