The four ways consultants charge
Almost every consulting fee in India fits one of four models. Knowing which one you’re being offered makes proposals much easier to compare.
| Model | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly or daily rate | You pay for time, usually in blocks. | Short advice sessions and second opinions. |
| Fixed-fee project | A set price for a defined scope and deliverable. | Audits, strategy sprints, launch plans. |
| Monthly retainer | A set number of days or hours each month. | Ongoing advisory and fractional leadership. |
| Performance-linked | A base fee plus a share of measurable gains. | Growth work where results are easy to measure, such as eCommerce. |
What actually drives the fee
- Seniority of the people doing the work. A proposal led by a senior partner but delivered by juniors costs less per day, and gives you less per day.
- Scope. “Review our marketing” and “rebuild our go-to-market plan and support the launch” are different jobs.
- Execution. Advice alone costs less than advice plus hands-on delivery.
- Data access. Clean, available data shortens every engagement.
- Urgency. Compressed timelines need more senior time.
How to judge whether it’s worth it
Don’t compare day rates. Compare the cost of the fee with the cost of the problem. If ad spend is leaking 20% of its budget every month, a diagnostic that finds the leak pays for itself quickly. If the problem is vague, the first job is to make it specific.
Ask every consultant three questions:
- What exactly will I have at the end, and when?
- Who will do the work, and how senior are they?
- How will we know it worked?
Start small: the fixed-fee diagnostic
The lowest-risk way to hire a consultant is a short, fixed-fee diagnostic with a written deliverable. You learn how they think and what they find, and you keep the findings whether or not you continue.
From our work: [How PURSHO prices its Strategy Session and Growth Audit, and what clients typically do next]
What PURSHO charges
We publish starting prices for our entry engagements on our ways to work with us page. The first 30-minute call is free, and the Growth Audit fee is credited in full if you continue with us.
How PURSHO approaches this
See how we help with this in Ways to Work With Us, or book a free 30-minute consultation. Related case study: Marketplace seller, [category].
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