When discussing the possibility of hiring a consultant, the following is a common reaction: “Our company doesn’t need a BIM consultant. We are intelligent people; we can just figure it out. What could a consultant possibly show us/teach us that we don’t already know or can’t figure out ourselves?”
Our response: Do you need a consultant? No, you don’t. Can you figure it out yourself? Sure, of course you can, if you have the time and the resources. And what can we show you that you didn’t already know? Well, you won’t know until you ask, after all you don’t know what you don’t know.
Here is another way to look at it: when you learned how to drive, did someone teach you? Could you have just grabbed the keys, jumped in the driver’s seat and “figured it out”? Sure, but you probably would have totaled a couple cars before you managed to pass the driving test to get your license, and surely you would not expect to become a NASCAR champion with learning in this manner.
Look at BIM in this same light. Can you figure it out? Absolutely, but if you hire a BIM consultant we will likely save you some time and money, prevent you from major accidents, and in the end you will be more likely to be driving safely in the BIM fast lane instead of riding a bicycle on the shoulder.
We realize that there is plenty of stigma associated with consultants, and much of it can be true for some, but that is not what you will experience with us. Check out this article that weighs the pros and cons of consultants:
“Why Hire a Consultant” by James R. Thompson
All joking aside, we believe that hiring a good consultant, particularly us of course, can save time, money, and certainly heartache. We pride ourselves on staying one step ahead of our clients such that we can always help solve a problem more quickly than if we weren’t involved. While we would never share proprietary information from one client to the next, our experience working with so many diverse clients helps grow our knowledge base and enables us to solve your problem that much more quickly, and it also aids us in providing you with a greater number and a wider range of potential solutions.
We realize that we don’t have all the answers, no consultant will, but we will take the time to learn the ins and outs of the way your company works and we will help you find the answers that are best for you. We believe this is what separates the good consultants from the other guys. Be weary of a consultant who claims to have all the answers and take comfort in consultant that takes the time to learn your business, your work flows and your style.
To conclude, do you need to hire a consultant? No, you could do it all yourself. But after weighing the pros and cons, the time commitment, the investment in knowledge enhancements and the ultimate goals, we hope that you will decide that hiring us would provide the most benefit to your company.
Citations:
Thompson, James R. “Why Hire a Consultant.” expertpages.com. Expert Pages, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. http://expertpages.com/news/why_hire_a_consultant.htm