The Growth Consultant Vetting Scorecard: 10 Questions to Ask

The Scorecard

This scorecard is based on evaluating 50+ growth consultants and agencies across our engagements. Score each question 0 for no, 1 for partially, or 2 for yes. The maximum score is 20. A score of 16 or above means hire. A score of 11 to 15 means negotiate scope or price. A score below 10 means walk.

The scorecard covers 10 dimensions: relevant experience at your stage and ARR range, hands-on tool expertise, reference quality, diagnostic approach, deliverable clarity, timeline realism, team fit, documentation quality, post-engagement support, and pricing transparency. Each dimension is weighted equally because a weakness in any one of them can sink the engagement.

1. Have they worked with companies at your stage and ARR range?

2 points: They've worked with 3+ companies in your ARR range and can describe specific challenges and outcomes. 1 point: They've worked with companies near your range but not exactly in it. 0 points: Their experience is mostly with enterprise companies or pre-revenue startups.

A consultant who's only worked with $100M ARR companies doesn't know what a $2M ARR team can execute. A consultant who's only worked with pre-revenue startups doesn't know what scale looks like. Stage fit is the first filter because it determines whether everything else is even relevant.

2. Can they name the specific tools they'll use and why?

2 points: They name specific tools — PostHog, Amplitude, Stripe, Statsig — and explain why each fits your situation. 1 point: They name tool categories but not specific tools. 0 points: They say "we'll assess your current stack" without naming any tools they actually know.

A consultant who can't name tools doesn't have hands-on experience. They're selling strategy without execution capability. The best consultants can talk about why PostHog fits one situation and Amplitude fits another — and they can back it up with specifics about event taxonomy, dashboard architecture, and data export.

3. Do they have 2–3 references you can actually call?

2 points: They provide 2–3 references from companies similar to yours, and the references respond within 48 hours. 1 point: They provide references but they're from dissimilar companies or slow to respond. 0 points: They say "references available upon request" but don't volunteer them.

A consultant who can't produce responsive references is either new or hiding something. The best consultants will offer references proactively — they know their track record speaks for itself. If you have to ask, that's a warning sign.

4. Do they lead with diagnosis or with a pre-packaged solution?

2 points: They want to see your data, talk to your team, and understand your bottlenecks before they recommend anything. 1 point: They have a framework they want to apply, but they're open to adjusting it. 0 points: They present a pre-packaged solution before understanding your problem.

The consultant who diagnoses before prescribing is solving your problem. The one who prescribes before diagnosing is solving their own problem — selling the engagement they want to sell. This is the single most important question on the scorecard because it tells you whether the consultant is thinking about your situation or their sales process.

5. Are their deliverables specific and measurable?

2 points: "An event taxonomy document, 4 dashboards, an experiment design for trial-to-paid conversion, and a 90-day roadmap" — specific, measurable, and time-bound. 1 point: "A GTM strategy and analytics recommendations" — directional but vague. 0 points: "Growth acceleration" or "revenue optimization" — meaningless.

Vague deliverables produce vague results. Specific deliverables produce specific results. If the consultant can't tell you exactly what you'll get at the end of the engagement, you won't get it.

6. Is their timeline realistic?

2 points: 2–4 weeks for diagnostic, 4–8 weeks for implementation, with a weekly breakdown. 1 point: 4–6 weeks total but no weekly breakdown. 0 points: "We'll have you grown in 30 days" or "this is a 6-month engagement" without explaining why.

Unrealistic timelines are the number one cause of failed consulting engagements. If they promise results in 30 days, they're selling. If they demand 6 months before a diagnostic, they're padding. The right answer is 2–4 weeks for diagnostic and 4–8 weeks for the top 2–3 implementation items.

7. Will they work with your existing team?

2 points: They'll collaborate with your PMs, engineers, and analysts, and transfer knowledge so your team can maintain the system after they leave. 1 point: They'll work alongside your team but don't have a structured handoff plan. 0 points: They work in isolation and deliver a document.

The consultant's goal should be to make themselves unnecessary. If they don't plan to transfer knowledge, they're building dependency, not capability. The best consultants build alongside your team so that when they leave, your people own the system.

8. Do they document everything?

2 points: They show you examples of past documentation — diagnostic reports, event taxonomies, dashboard specs, experiment designs. It's thorough, clear, and accessible. 1 point: They say they document but can't show you examples. 0 points: "We share our findings in meetings" — no written deliverables.

If the consultant gets hit by a bus, your team should still have everything they need. Verbal findings evaporate. Written documentation endures. The best consultants produce documentation that your team can reference for months after the engagement ends.

9. What happens after the engagement ends?

2 points: They offer 30 days of post-engagement support included in the price. 1 point: They offer post-engagement support at an additional hourly rate. 0 points: No post-engagement support.

The first 30 days after the consultant leaves are when your team applies the playbook independently. Having the consultant available for questions during this period is the difference between adoption and abandonment. The best consultants include this in their price because they know it's essential to the engagement's success.

10. Is their pricing transparent?

2 points: They give you a clear price range with a breakdown of what each phase costs and what's included. 1 point: They give you a range but no breakdown. 0 points: "We'll scope it after the discovery call" — no price until they've invested your time.

A consultant who won't talk about pricing transparently is either unsure of their own value or planning to expand scope once you're committed. The best consultants give you a clear range upfront and explain what drives the difference between the low end and the high end.

The Score

Add up your scores across all 10 questions. The maximum is 20 points. A score of 16 or above means the consultant has demonstrated competence across all dimensions — hire them. A score of 11 to 15 means they're strong in some areas and weak in others — negotiate scope or price to align the engagement with their strengths. A score below 10 means they're not the right fit — walk.

The score is not a perfect predictor of engagement success. It is a structured way to compare consultants who present themselves very differently. A charismatic consultant who scores a 6 is a worse bet than a quiet one who scores a 17. Let the score override your gut.

The 3 Conversation-Ending Red Flags

Regardless of the score, any one of these three red flags should end the conversation immediately. They are non-negotiable.

They guarantee specific outcomes. "We'll increase your activation by 20%." No one can guarantee a specific outcome before seeing your data. This is a sales pitch, not a diagnosis. The best consultants are honest about uncertainty — they'll tell you what they expect based on pattern recognition, but they won't promise a specific number.

They demand 6+ month commitments before a diagnostic. A consultant who won't start with a 2–4 week diagnostic is either unsure of their value or planning to lock you into a long engagement. The right path is diagnostic first, then implementation. If they won't do the diagnostic, they're not a consultant — they're a vendor.

They can't name the specific tools they'll use and why. A consultant who says "we'll assess your current stack" without naming any tools they actually know doesn't have hands-on experience. They're selling strategy without execution capability. The best consultants can talk about why PostHog fits one situation and Amplitude fits another, and they can back it up with specifics.