European consulting services offer invaluable market research that will determine whether or not your business will be viable in a particular European city or marketplace. They also offer counter intelligence that will let you in on your competitor's strategies in the same market. Overall these firms will help you gain entry into the local marketplace, give council on compliance with local law and help maintain cultural customs so that your company will fit in and flourish.

Many European consulting firms specialize in areas ranging from agriculture to telecommunications. They also have language specialists that will allow you to work cross culturally. In order to get your business growing in European markets, you will need to:

1. Find the best of the best European consulting firms.

2. Determine which European consulting group is the best fit for your company.

3. Set up a virtual European office with the help of European IT consulting services.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

The top European consulting services will help you enter the European market with ease

Finding the best firms for your particular needs will help your overseas move go smoothly.

I recommend: Get the contact information for the 25 most prestigious European consulting firms, according to Vault. McKinsey tops that chart and on their client services page you can see what they can do for you, buy books or contact their strategy department. You can also subscribe to the McKinsey Quarterly web feed.

Forge into Eastern Europe markets with specialized European consultancy companies

Eastern Europe is a quickly growing market and working with consulting services that focus on the in and outs of these countries will really give you a leg up. While their promise of market entry feasibility and competitive intelligence may have you thinking of the cold war, their goal is to make sure your business gets a warm reception in places like Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Ukraine and Turkey.

I recommend: PMR Consulting provides you with detailed information about their services along with a way to contact them to begin your Eastern European expansion. European consulting company, Alpha Management, also focuses on Central and Eastern Europe and lets you download preliminary market research for other companies and use their library.

Get IT done with innovative European consulting companies

You won't go far in Europe if you don't have your IT straight and finding the right European IT consulting company will ensure that you don't find yourself without phone or Internet service.

I recommend: IBX lets you read and download success stories from their top clients to show you what they can do for your company. Healthcare IT specialist ExtraMed sells their technology online and you can work with them so they can develop something for your specific needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you have concerns about hiring European consulting firms, check out EuroChambres a consortium of European Chambers of Commerce. Their interactive map will help you pick the city or country of your prospective hire and it will help you check them out.