"We've been completely ghosted." That's what the CEO of a manufacturing company told me last week, describing their $90,000 IT consulting nightmare. After three months of meetings and strategy documents, their consultants had delivered nothing usable and stopped responding to emails.
The IT consulting world has a dirty secret: many firms are much better at selling services than delivering results. They dazzle you with technical jargon and impressive client logos, then disappear once the contract is signed.
This doesn't mean all IT consulting is worthless. The right partner can transform your business. But finding that partner requires looking beyond slick presentations and recognizing the patterns that separate valuable consultants from expensive disappointments.
A manufacturing client showed me the slide deck that convinced them to hire a consulting firm. It was beautiful – filled with impressive client logos and promises of transformation. Six months later, they discovered the actual implementation team had none of the expertise showcased in those presentations.
Smart companies verify who will actually do the work, what similar challenges they've solved, and how they measure success.
I sat in a meeting where a consultant dropped "AI-driven," "blockchain-enabled," and "digital transformation" within the first five minutes. The business owner was nodding along, clearly impressed.
After the meeting, I asked him what specific problems the consultant would solve. He couldn't tell me. That's the danger of buzzwords – they sound impressive while communicating almost nothing of substance.
Good consultants use plain language and concrete examples. When someone starts throwing around industry jargon, ask them to explain what it means for your specific situation.
"Their references all said they were great," a retail owner told me after firing his consultants. "What I didn't realize is they only gave me references for simple projects, nothing like mine." Standard references are basically marketing materials. Instead, ask for contacts at companies similar to yours who faced similar challenges. Ask specific questions: "What went wrong during the project, and how did they handle it?" Better yet, ask around in your industry. The best information comes from people they didn't suggest you talk to.
As My Experience I watched two consulting firms pitch the same financial services company. The first spent 45 minutes talking about their technical capabilities. The second spent most of their time asking questions about the client's business model and operational bottlenecks. The second firm spent two weeks just understanding the business before suggesting any technical solutions. Their final implementation actually solved business problems instead of just deploying technology.
Good consultants are business people first, technologists second. They ask annoying questions about your operations before opening their laptop.
An e-commerce client got burned by consultants who specialized in a specific cloud platform. They forced that platform onto the client's business even though it was overkill for their needs. The result was an over-engineered solution that the client couldn't maintain. By contrast, another client hired consultants who didn't initially know their industry software but had a solid approach to understanding requirements. They delivered a right-sized solution that actually worked for the business.
I'll take consultants with good judgment over narrow technical experts any day.
"The partners were amazing during the sales process," a healthcare client told me. "Once we signed, we never saw them again. Instead, we got junior people who clearly had no idea what they were doing."
This bait-and-switch is incredibly common. Always ask exactly who will be doing the actual work on your project, what their experience level is, and how much time the senior people will really spend.
The best firms are transparent about team composition and ensure continuity throughout the project.
The questions consultants ask tell you everything about their approach.
Be wary of those who jump straight to technical discussions without first exploring:
Good consultants start by understanding your business context, not by promoting specific technologies.
I watched a government agency project implode despite having technically skilled consultants. The problem? The consultants were used to fast-moving tech companies and kept pushing for rapid changes. The agency needed consensus-building and documentation at every step. Before hiring consultants, discuss how they handle:
This isn't about finding consultants who are just like you – sometimes you need different perspectives. But you need partners who can adapt to your culture.
One of my smartest clients never starts with big consulting engagements. Instead, they run paid "pilot projects" – small, 2-3 week engagements with clear deliverables. Last year, they had two firms do small assessment projects first. The firm that looked better on paper was disorganized and delivered a generic report. The underdog was responsive and delivered practical recommendations tailored to the client's situation. The pilot project saved them from a six-figure mistake. For any significant consulting engagement, start small before committing big.
Choosing the right IT counseling partner can be the difference between transformational success and expensive disappointment. See how advisors face problems, adapt to your culture, and beyond impressive presentations to distribute average business results. Start with small busyness when possible, be cautious of warning signs, and remember that the best advisors first focus on your business needs, not their technical preferences.