Ready to hire a Smartsheet consultant? Before you do, you need to know how to tell a great one from an expensive mistake. And the difference isn’t always obvious until you’re already kicked off the project.
I made this video to give you criteria to use in evaluating any Smartsheet consultant, including me. By the end you’ll know exactly what to ask before you hand anyone a dollar.
Not All Smartsheet Consultants Are the Same
The first thing to understand is that Smartsheet consulting services vary a lot depending on the consultant’s background, the markets they serve, and the skills they bring. Some consultants do this full time. Others consult on the side while holding a full-time job elsewhere, which is how I started.
Neither is automatically better, but understanding the difference matters for your situation. If you need someone who can guarantee availability and fast response times, a full-time consultant is what you need. If you’re budget conscious and can work with some flexibility on availability, a part-time consultant might be a perfectly good fit.
The other dimension to think about early is, are you looking for a quick engagement to solve a specific problem, or do you need long-term support and ongoing enhancements? That shapes everything about which type of Smartsheet consultant is right for you.
Why Portfolios Aren’t the Best Way to Evaluate a Smartsheet Consultant
A lot of people start by asking for portfolio examples, and that makes sense. The problem is, it’s not a reliable filter. Every Smartsheet solution is unique, and portfolios can easily be faked using templates or by showing work the consultant didn’t actually build.
Here’s a better signal: pay attention to how they communicate from the very first interaction. Are they confident in their answers? Are they upfront about what they don’t know? A good Smartsheet consultant won’t pretend to have all the answers. Instead they’ll tell you honestly where the edges of their knowledge are.
If the situation allows for it, see if they’re willing to solve a small challenge on the spot during a discovery call, or offer some quick advice while you’re showing them your current solution. Not every scenario will allow for that, but if you’re checking yes on most of these early signals, that’s a good sign.
One more thing worth knowing: don’t be concerned if a consultant can’t show you live client solutions. In fact, if they freely show you another client’s work without mentioning they have explicit permission to do so, that’s a warning sign.
The Process Questions That Actually Tell You What You Need to Know
Once you’ve done your initial screening, here are the process questions that separate a good Smartsheet consultant from a great one.
Do they design before they build?
This is the single biggest tell. Ask any potential consultant how they initiate a new engagement. Do they start building the moment you describe what you want? Or do they perform some discovery first to actually understand your process before putting in build time?
The design-first approach matters because it means you end up building the right solution instead of just a solution. Additional time spent understanding your process upfront means far less costly rework on the back end. A consultant who jumps straight to building is optimising for speed, not for your outcome.
Can they tell you what Smartsheet can’t do?
This one is my favorite differentiators. It’s the question most people never think to ask. It’s great if a Smartsheet consultant knows how to use the platform and can tell you everything it can do. But can they tell you what it can’t do?
A consultant who tells you Smartsheet can do everything you ask is either inexperienced or not being honest with you. The good ones know exactly where native Smartsheet limitations lie. For example, Smartsheet isn’t a relational database, or that you can’t natively format emails and include attachments. They know these limits because they’ve hit them, and more importantly, they design around them upfront instead of building you into a corner.
Give bonus points to any Smartsheet consultant who not only acknowledges the limitations but offers solutions to them. Because remember, most limitations are artificial. They can be solved with the right integration tools like Power Automate or Smartsheet Bridge. Knowing where native Smartsheet ends and the broader toolkit begins is what separates a real expert from someone who only knows core Smartsheet.
Who’s actually doing the work?
Ask whether the consultant you’re speaking with during discovery will be personally overseeing or performing the work. Some consultants bring in additional help on larger engagements, which isn’t a problem. Having backup when someone takes time off can actually ease your concerns. But if you find yourself having to re-explain your solution to a different consultant every few weeks, that’s not good for anyone.
The Right Smartsheet Consultant Will Welcome These Questions
Here’s the simplest filter of all: a good Smartsheet consultant will welcome every question on this list. If they get defensive, vague, or try to rush past your due diligence, that tells you something important before you’ve spent a cent.
Ultimately only you know what type of consultant is the right fit for your situation. But if you ask these questions and like what you hear, you’re in good shape.
If you’d like to evaluate whether I’m a good fit for your Smartsheet project, I’m up for the challenge. Find out more about my Smartsheet consulting services or book a discovery call directly. In true Smart Workflow Guru fashion, there’s no pressure, and no hard sells, just a straight conversation about what you need (or don’t need).
