Business consultants have to be smart. But as much as it is important to be smart, it is important to translate those smarts into thinking and actions that build trust with clients. It’s not an easy task. But helping clients better understand the PR process helps us do our job better.

Below are some great tips from Mashable about how to improve your relationship with your consultant. Some great food for thought…

• Seek a PR partner … not just another vendor. Think of a PR consultant as an extension of your company. The team assigned to your account should be fully ingrained in your business and industry. With any new consultant, there will be a learning curve — you need to be a willing teacher, and the consultant needs to be an eager student. The reverse is also true. As a client, you need to be open to listen to the consultant’s counsel and fresh ideas.
• Think strategy before tactics. As you’re interviewing potential consultants, be wary of the ones who think Facebook and Twitter are the answer. Those two sites may be part of the solution, but what’s the plan? How do they fit into a broader communication program? There are plenty of consultants out there who can string together some buzzwords to sound tactically smart. The real value is in a consultant who can develop and implement communication strategies that feed into your company’s overall business goals.
• If you’re not quick, you’re not relevant. Thanks to the immediacy of social media and the breakneck pace of news, response times are critical. You need a PR person who is equipped to navigate today’s communication landscape and the expectation of immediacy. Waiting a few days — or in some cases a few hours — to respond isn’t smart business.
• PR pros need to be trend spotters. You rely on the PR pro to be on the lookout to identify new trends that your company can leverage. For example, can you provide a local or industry-specific example to illustrate a national trend? Additionally, trend spotting can take the form of “storytelling” — what new tools or technology should you be employing to effectively disseminate your company’s message? It’s the PR person’s responsibility to be on the lookout and to present you with new ideas and opportunities.