First, we talked about when to consider hiring an analytics partner. Then we provided a checklist of considerations and red flags to watch for. Today, we’re going to wrap up this series with a list of critical questions to ask any site selection consultant or predictive analytics partner you may be considering before you start the engagement.

Any firm you’re considering should be able to answer every one of the following questions with confidence and expertise:

1. Where do you get your data?

2. How secure will my data be?

3. How disparate is your data? (Not: How accurate is your model?)

4. How do you work with your clients?

5. How do you support your clients?

6. How long before we’re up and running?

7. How do you implement the solution?

8. How would you train us?

9. How many people will be assigned to my account?

10. How do you handle competitive accounts?

11. What can you do for my company that we can’t do ourselves?

12. Can you make us any guarantees?

You want a firm that can easily and definitively answer most (if not all) of these questions. If they can’t clearly explain where they get their data and how it will be used for your specific needs, it’s time to consider someone else.