--- title: "Choosing the Right Strategic Planning Consultant: What to Look For (and What to Avoid)" description: Find the right strategic planning consultant to align your team, set priorities, and turn strategy into action. Learn what to look for—and what to avoid. image: https://getstrategydone.com/hubfs/strategic-planning-consultant.png --- [![GSD\_Icon Lockup - Primary](https://getstrategydone.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GSD_Icon%20Lockup%20-%20Primary.png?width=2612&height=910&name=GSD_Icon%20Lockup%20-%20Primary.png "GSD_Icon Lockup - Primary")](https://getstrategydone.com/) - Meet the Team - [Jonathan King](https://getstrategydone.com/jonathan-king) - [Justin McCorkle](https://getstrategydone.com/justin-mccorkle) - [Tonia Butterworth](https://getstrategydone.com/tonia-butterworth) - [Lisa Appler](https://getstrategydone.com/lisa-appler) - [Services](https://getstrategydone.com/strategic-planning-services) - [1-Day Strategy Kickstart](https://getstrategydone.com/1-day-strategy-kickstart) - [90-Day Strategy Shift](https://getstrategydone.com/90-day-strategy-shift) - [Strategy Transformation](https://getstrategydone.com/strategy-transformation) - [Speaking Engagements](https://getstrategydone.com/speaking-engagements) - [Our Approach](https://getstrategydone.com/strategic-planning-facilitation) - [GSD Framework](https://getstrategydone.com/get-strategy-done-facilitation) - [Who We Work With](https://getstrategydone.com/who-we-work-with) - [One-Page Strategic Plan](https://getstrategydone.com/one-page-strategic-plan) - [Results](https://getstrategydone.com/results) - Resources - [Strategy Readiness Assessment](https://getstrategydone.com/strategy-readiness-assessment) - [Blog](https://getstrategydone.com/blog) [Get in Touch](https://getstrategydone.com/book-a-call) ## Choosing the Right Strategic Planning Consultant: What to Look For (and What to Avoid) Sep 8, 2025 The market for strategic planning consultants is crowded. Some promise transformational change. Others deliver a binder that collects dust. The difference isn’t always obvious up front, but the impact on your business is massive. The wrong choice can leave you with a plan no one uses. The right choice can align your team, clarify your priorities, and accelerate execution. ## What a Strategic Planning Consultant Really Does A [strong strategic planning consultant](https://getstrategydone.com/blog/why-hire-strategic-planning-facilitator) helps leadership teams: - **Clarify vision** – what success looks like in the next 12 months and beyond. - **Set priorities** – choosing what matters most (and what to say no to). - **Create a roadmap** – turning big ideas into actionable steps with owners and timelines. - **Facilitate alignment** – ensuring every leader leaves the room with the same plan. The value is in both the process and the perspective. A good consultant knows when to guide, when to challenge, and when to let the team work it out. ### 3 Common Types of Strategic Planning Consultants 1. #### **Large Consulting Firms** - **Pros:** Significant resources, established methodologies, recognizable brand name. - **Cons:** Higher cost, longer timelines, and you may not work directly with the people who sold you the engagement. 2. #### **Boutique Firms** - **Pros:** More customized approach, smaller teams, faster decision-making. - **Cons:** Less scale for extremely large or global initiatives. 3. #### **Independent Facilitators/Coaches** - **Pros:** Flexible, highly personalized, cost-effective. - **Cons:** May lack a broader support team for large-scale projects. ### Questions to Ask Before You Choose 1. **What’s your process?** – Look for a clear structure that balances strategy creation with execution. 2. **What happens after the plan is created?** – A plan without follow-through is wasted effort. 3. **How do you define success?** – Their answer should match your outcomes, not just their deliverables. 4. **Who will actually be in the room with us?** – You should know exactly who’s facilitating, not just who’s selling. ## The GSD Difference At Get Strategy, Done®, we approach consulting with one goal: helping teams build strategy they will actually use. Our facilitation is built around the [**GSD Framework**](https://getstrategydone.com/), which delivers: - A **one-page plan** that captures your vision, priorities, and ownership in plain language. - A **90-day rhythm** to keep strategy relevant and adaptable. - **Built-in accountability** so every priority has a clear owner. Many clients start with our [**Strategy Sprint™**](https://getstrategydone.com/blog/why-annual-strategic-plans-fail) — a focused 90-minute session that cuts through the noise, aligns the team, and sets 3–5 high-impact priorities to execute immediately. A consultant should leave you with more than a document. They should leave you with the clarity, commitment, and cadence to Get Strategy, Done® — every quarter, without fail. [Book Your Discovery Call](https://meetings.hubspot.com/getstrategydone/gsd-discovery-call) #### Related Articles ###### [Why Strategic Plan Templates Fail (and What to Do Instead)](https://getstrategydone.com/blog/why-strategic-plan-templates-fail) Sep 8, 2025 ###### [Ditch the Annual Strategic Plan: Try 90-Day Strategy Sprints™](https://getstrategydone.com/blog/why-annual-strategic-plans-fail) Sep 8, 2025 ###### [What a Strategic Planning Facilitator Does (And Why It Matters)](https://getstrategydone.com/blog/why-hire-strategic-planning-facilitator) Sep 8, 2025 [![GSD\_Icon Lockup - All White](https://getstrategydone.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GSD_Icon%20Lockup%20-%20All%20White.png?width=2612&height=1114&name=GSD_Icon%20Lockup%20-%20All%20White.png "GSD_Icon Lockup - All White")](https://getstrategydone.com/) --- © Copyright Get Strategy, Done 2026   |   All rights reserved ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jonathan King", "url" : "https://getstrategydone.com/blog/author/jonathan-king" }, "dateModified" : "2026-05-12T03:46:20.959Z", "datePublished" : "2025-09-08T14:55:33.000Z", "headline" : "Choosing the Right Strategic Planning Consultant: What to Look For (and What to Avoid)", "image" : [ "https://getstrategydone.com/hubfs/strategic-planning-consultant.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://getstrategydone.com/blog/strategic-planning-consultant", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://getstrategydone.com/hubfs/GSD%20Assets/GSD%20Logos/GSD-09.png" }, "name" : "Get Strategy, Done" } } ```