Many professionals offer a free consultation before your official engagement. This is a perfect opportunity for you to decide whether this professional is right for you.

In your pursuit of financial independence and freedom, you will often need to employ the help of various professionals, including mechanics, financial advisors and anyone in between. To make sure you make the right decision and get the best out of the professional help, we have put together a guide to choosing the right one for your needs by evaluating the way they behave in an initial meeting.

Most professionals provide free upfront consultations or assessments. Remember that this is your opportunity to understand what they value. You can learn a lot by seeing what they do and do not do. Here are some indicators to watch for:

• No one respects them. If you happen to meet a professional in their office or place of work, watch the way they are treated by their superiors, colleagues and employees. If they seem to get no respect, perhaps you should be apprehensive about trusting this professional.

• Lack of enthusiasm or interest in your business. If the professional seems to be distracted or uninterested in helping you, do not waste your time convincing them your business is valuable.

• Unethical/Illegal behaviour. If the professional suggests employing some unethical or illegal methods in order to complete your service or fulfil your need, do not fall for it. Best case scenario – you will need to live with this weight on your consciousness, worst case – you may end up in jail. There are plenty of professionals out there who will be able to satisfy your needs using nothing but ethical methods.

• Tardiness/unreturned phone calls/emails. If the relationship with the professional begins with them running inexcusably late, not returning your phone calls or emails – move on. Your business should matter and you deserve common professional curtesy.

Here are signs of a quality professional:

1. Responsive and attentive to your needs. Someone who is available for your questions, asks a lot of follow up questions, updates you on a regular basis, adjusts their offers/services/quotes based on your specific situation,

2. Transparent in decisions. Someone who is able to provide the detail and “why” behind every decision, advice or fee.

3. Poses high moral standards and values. Someone you can trust, because their set of values aligns with yours. Their behaviour should be ethical and provide no doubt that they have your best interest at heart.

4. Personally invested in your business. Someone who is genuinely interested in you attaining the highest level of service, having your needs fully satisfied and goals reached.

Check out our How to Choose a Professional Checklist to learn other techniques and tools for picking the best person for the job.