Consulting ROI Calculator
Is hiring a consultant worth it? ROI, payback, and net value in a downside, expected, and upside case.
Example scenario—not a forecast or verified benchmark. Enable JavaScript to edit inputs, view charts, save locally and export your analysis.
Example inputs
- What kind of problem is it?
- profit
- Size of the problem (annual $, or one-time $ for cash)
- 400,000
- Improvement captured: downside case
- 10
- Improvement captured: expected case
- 35
- Improvement captured: upside case
- 55
- Consulting fee (total)
- 60,000
- Internal cost (team time, tools, implementation)
- 15,000
- Months until results start
- 3
- Months to reach full run-rate
- 3
- Months of benefit to count
- 24
- Likelihood the recommendations are implemented
- 75
Example results
Expected net value of $100K on a $75K investment (133% ROI, pays back in month 13); the downside case is -$25K.
- Net value, expected case
- $100,000
- ROI, expected case
- 133%
- Payback, expected case
- 13 mo
- Net value, downside case
- -$25,000
- Net value, upside case
- $200,000
- Total investment (fee + internal)
- $75,000
- Improvement needed to break even
- 15%
What stands out
Expected case: $100K net value, 133% ROI
Capturing 35% of a $400K problem, with 75% implementation likelihood, pays back in month 13.
Downside case: -$25K (-33% ROI)
At 10% improvement you would lose $25K. Ask for milestones or a phased scope to cap this.
Break-even at 15% improvement
The engagement needs to capture at least 15% of the problem over 24 months to recover $75K.
Next actions
- Structure the engagement in phases: a fixed-fee diagnostic first, then implementation only if it confirms at least 15% of capturable value.
- Agree on 2-3 measurable outcomes and a baseline before kickoff so the $175K expected benefit can be verified.
- Raise implementation odds above 75%: name an internal owner and budget their time before signing.
Model assumptions & limitations
- Improvement percentages are your estimates; no outcome is guaranteed. Ask any consultant for case evidence behind their claimed range.
- Benefits are multiplied by your 75% implementation likelihood and ramp linearly from month 3 over 3 months.
- Benefits are counted for the chosen horizon only, with no discounting.
- Costs are counted up front in month 0.