How to choose an AI strategy consultant.

Have they actually implemented?

The fastest filter: ask for two clients you can talk to where they implemented AI, not just advised on AI. "Implemented" means the client has tools in production, used daily, with measurable outcomes.

If they cannot produce two such references, they are an advisory shop, not an implementation shop. Both have a role — but you almost never want pure advisory at this stage. You need someone who has gotten their hands dirty.

Do they understand B2B operations?

AI is the tool. Your business is the work. A consultant who knows AI deeply but does not know B2B sales motions, content production, or customer success workflows will spend 3 months learning your business while billing you for it.

Ask them to describe — without notes — how a B2B SaaS sales cycle works at a 30-person company. If they cannot, they will not know which workflows AI should touch.

Will they say no to you?

Bad consultants build whatever you ask for. Good consultants tell you which 30% of what you asked for is the right scope, and which 70% should be dropped or sequenced later.

In your evaluation conversation, ask: "Tell me about a recent engagement where you advised the client NOT to do something they wanted to do." If they cannot give a specific example, they will not say no to you either.

What to expect

The list to bring

1. Walk me through your last 3 implementations: industry, scope, outcome, what you would have done differently.
2. Who from your team will actually do the work? (Not the partner who is selling.)
3. What is your first deliverable, and when is it due?
4. How do you handle scope creep — yours or mine?
5. What is the most common mistake your clients make in the first 90 days?
6. What kind of client should NOT hire you?
7. When does your engagement end?

When to walk

• They promise revenue outcomes from the strategy engagement. Revenue comes from execution, which is 90% your team's work. Run.
• They will not share their methodology. If you cannot see how they work, you are buying the brand, not the work.
• They start by recommending a custom build. Custom AI builds are almost never the right first move for $5M-$50M companies.
• The partner pitches, then disappears. Ask explicitly who runs the work. Get their name in the engagement letter.
• They cannot describe their pricing model in one sentence. Means the price will inflate.

Related frameworks & reading

• AI implementation consultant →
• AI strategy consultant →
• How much does an AI consultant cost? →
• Treetop AI Audit →