You’re Too Small To Work With Us

You’re Too Small To Work With Us

Ah, the eternal debate: Are you too small to work with us? Let’s dive into this Shakespearean tragedy of modern healthcare consulting and risk management, where size apparently matters more than a teenager’s social media following.

First off, let’s talk about hiring consultants. Why do companies do it? Well, apart from needing a scapegoat for when things go south, they’re often looking for an unbiased opinion or expertise they don’t have – which is hard to admit to in the first place.

So, how do you pick the right consulting firm? Do you judge them by the size of their office or the number of espresso machines they have? No. There’s this age-old bias where if a consulting firm isn’t big enough to have its own zip code, it’s not good enough. Spoiler alert: That’s like saying you can’t cook a good meal unless you have a kitchen the size of a football field, a head chef, a sous chef, a pastry chef, a sommelier, and 12 kitchen staff. I wonder what Gordon Ramsey would say about that?

The big guns in consulting love to flex their years of experience, resources, and client lists. They’re the bodybuilders of the consulting world. But let’s be real: You don’t need a firm that’s been around since the dinosaurs to get good advice and access to amazing resources.

Here’s an analogy for you: Imagine hiring a General Contractor (GC) to build your dream house. You don’t throw a fit if the GC doesn’t have a personal army of plumbers, electricians, and unicorn trainers. You just want your house built well. If the plumbing is more like a water feature, that’s on the GC, not the plumber. Same goes for healthcare consultants. They don’t need a cast of thousands; they need to know who to call to get the job done.

When looking for your healthcare consulting hero, size really doesn’t matter. What matters is if they have the smarts and the contacts to pull off what you need. Can the little guy access the same resources as the big guy? If yes, then who cares how many employees they have? They could be working out of a treehouse for all it matters.

Now, let’s talk about what you should actually look for in a healthcare consultant:

Expertise and Specialization: You want someone who knows their stuff, not someone who thinks ‘stop-loss’ is a new kind of diet.

Full Transparency: Watch out for consultants earning more in hidden fees than a celebrity in a tabloid scandal. If they’re not open about their earnings, they’re probably not your knight in shining armor.

Communication Skills: You need someone who listens and talks in plain English, not jargon. If it feels like they’re explaining the theory of relativity every time they speak, run.

Added Value: A good consultant anticipates problems like a psychic. If they’re only good at telling you what went wrong after it’s gone wrong, it’s often too little, too late.

When interviewing potential consultants, forget about their annual revenue or client list size. Ask them the tough questions, like how they’ve saved money without shifting unaffordable risk to employees or their strategy on managing the ever-climbing Mount Everest of prescription drug costs.

At the end of the day, the size of the consulting firm is as relevant as the color of the socks you’re wearing. What matters is their brainpower, resourcefulness, and transparency. The right consultant doesn’t just keep the ship afloat; they’re the captain steering you through the stormy seas of healthcare and risk management. And if you’re still thinking, “Eh, any consultant will do,” then, my friend, you haven’t met a consultant who’s actually worth their salt.

Josh Butler

Josh is the President of Butler Benefits & Consulting. Passionate about healthcare reform and helping employers save money while improving the quality of employee benefits.

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