Top Ten Reasons to Hire an Outside Consultant for Press & PR
- Date: 2007-02-04 - Word Count: 811
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by Leslie McKerns
McKerns Development
http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment
You are not alone in considering outside talent; 60% of all businesses use independent contractors, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 8 million such people are in the workforce.
Are there good reasons to consider hiring a consultant who is an independent contractor rather than just another employee?
Today's executive must manage the day-to-day assault of the business and still have time for forward thinking. The busier you are the less time you have to manage strategic planning.
Would you hire an independent consultant if having assistance in promoting your firm meant the difference between a high ranking promotion and well funded retirement, or a sharp downturn for you and your company?
Some executives are fear-based. What do they fear? Loss of control. Theft of professional secrets. Money may be wasted.
Let's examine these three fears.
An independent consultant sees with a professional's eye and experience what needs to be done, and just does it. They do not attend your staff meetings, do not take calls, are not there for the birthdays, do not produce in-house reports or spreadsheet projections, do not converse with fellow employees, and because you are not their sole source of revenue, will tell you the truth.
Will an independent consultant steal professional secrets? Not if they intend to work again, they won't. Professional consultants work in a close community, protecting their right to work in that community in the same way your doctor or lawyer does.
Will your money be wasted? Not if you define a set fee tied to deliverables for that fee. A consultant's efficient work habits trains them to work within a tightly defined time frame to be free to work on the next project. An employee may be reluctant to complete a project, fearing that the job might disappear.
The Top Ten Reasons to Hire a Consultant
1. The Bottom Line
Hiring an employee instead of an independent adds at least 20% to 33%, and often more, to total payroll costs. In addition to employee salary and other compensation, there are significant "hidden costs", payroll taxes, unemployment, and workers compensation insurance and employee benefits such as health and dental insurance, paid vacations, sick leave, retirement benefits, and life or disability insurance.
2. Hourly Rate is More Economical
An employer can actually save money by hiring a consultant. Even a consultant paid more per hour than an employee. Up to 33% of hidden costs on top of employee salaries are avoided. A consultant can often do the job faster and more effectively than an employee because a consultant has specific technical expertise and the right connections.
Speed, accuracy and effectiveness require less of your hourly cost in supervision, correction and loss of productivity--and your hourly rate is most likely the highest.
3. Avoid Headaches and Potential Lawsuits.
Hiring Independents reduces exposure to potential lawsuits, such as from those alleging job, age discrimination or wrongful termination.
A wrong hire can lead to lengthy and costly HR requirements and law compliance, actually preventing you from undoing a "bad" hire.
4. Maintain Flexibility Without Long Term Exposure.
You hire a consultant to handle a specific project, gaining specialized expertise for a short time period without the potential severance costs and lawsuits that can stem from terminating an employee.
5. Save Time and Expense Involved in Training Employees.
You won't encounter resistance and potential sabotage when expecting employees to operate out of their comfort zone or level of expertise.
6. Expand and Contract Workforce as needed.
7. Access the Latest in Resources and Equipment Without Owning and Paying for it.
Consultants typically have their own resources, including transportation, and the latest in computers, laptops, software and mobile phones. You avoid costly expenditures for owning, leasing and long term contracts, or worse, having employees trying to function without proper communications and other equipment needed for the task.
8. Maximize Efficiency.
Your consultant is producing product not interacting in lengthy staff meetings, producing status reports or other documentation.
9. Stabilize Insurance Costs.
You are not paying for health or other employee and dependent insurance, nor are you paying for unemployment or tying up administrative and accounting personnel tracking COBRA benefits for 18 months.
10. Retain and Attract Employees.
You will have greater retention and attraction of top talent if you are a company that is Known for Hiring Resources as Needed rather than Overburdening already Potentially Stressed Staff.
Hire an Independent Contractor for your next project and you just may save time and money.
McKerns Development is a West Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, FL independent PR, strategic marketing and business development firm, successfully delivering growth, revenue and results for small business owners. Leslie McKerns is a professional publicist and independent strategic business development expert, implementing her strategies through unique packaged services. The service packages are: the Press and Publicity Package; the MarketWatch Package; the Strategic Consulting Package; the Market Plan Development Package and the Strategic Business Development Package.
www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment
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