London has more AI consultants than Pret has shops. Most are excellent. A handful are charlatans. This is a practical screening guide written by people who do this work daily — for buyers who’ve never engaged an AI consultancy before.

The 8 questions to ask

What’s the smallest piece of paid work we could do together?
Show me a prompt you’d use for my specific role
What was the most recent client where AI didn’t work?
Who actually delivers — you or someone offshore?
What’s your stance on training-vs-implementation?
What does success look like in 30 / 90 / 365 days?
What’s your AI policy template? Show me an example
Can you give a fixed price for the first phase?

1. What’s the smallest piece of paid work we could do together?

Great consultants offer a small first step — typically £500–£2,000 — that produces a real, contained output. Bad consultants only want six-figure programmes from day one. If their answer is “we don’t do small work,” that’s your sign to keep looking.

2. Show me a prompt you’d use for my specific role

Anyone selling AI training in 2026 should be able to whiteboard a working prompt for your job — your business, your role, your problem — live on the call. If they hedge (“it depends on your context” without producing anything), they don’t use AI daily themselves.

3. The most recent client where AI didn’t work

This is the single best filter. Good consultants name a real example within 30 seconds — “a charity wanted to automate donor segmentation but they only had 80 donors, not enough data — we said don’t do it.” Bad consultants insist AI works for every problem. The latter will sell you AI when you don’t need it.

4. Who actually delivers — you or someone offshore?

Some London consultancies subcontract the work to teams overseas at huge margins. Not inherently wrong, but you should know. Ask: “Will I be working directly with you, or with delivery staff I haven’t met yet?” The honest answer tells you what you’re paying for.

5. Stance on training vs implementation

Pure-training consultancies make you self-sufficient but leave you to build it yourself. Pure-implementation consultancies build it for you but you never learn how to maintain it. The best work — for most London SMEs and charities — is a mix: they build the first thing, you watch them, then you maintain it with monthly check-ins. Ask which they prefer and why.

6. Success in 30 / 90 / 365 days

A good consultant can articulate what success looks like at three time horizons. 30 days: people are using the tools daily. 90 days: a specific measurable outcome (hours saved, donations up, response time down). 365 days: it’s part of how you work, not a project. If they can’t answer all three, the engagement will drift.

7. AI policy template — show me an example

For charities and regulated businesses, this is non-negotiable. They should have a one-page template ready to share. If they don’t, they haven’t done this for an organisation that takes data seriously.

8. Fixed price for phase one

Discovery calls free. First phase fixed-fee. If the consultancy can’t commit to a fixed price for the first piece of work, the cost will balloon. Day rates without scope = risk. Fixed fee with scope = a buyer’s contract.

Red flags

Won’t name any clients (even with NDAs, they should describe sectors and outcomes)
Promises specific %s of efficiency gains before scoping
Pushes a specific paid tool they happen to resell
Day rates over £2,000/day for non-technical work — this is rare-skill pricing for ordinary work
No published pricing anywhere on their site
Their own marketing reads like ChatGPT wrote it without editing

Green flags

Published pricing or pricing ranges (we have this on our pricing guide)
Public case studies with named clients (look for examples like ours)
Free first call with a real specific suggestion, not just a sales pitch
Willingness to say no — to your project, or to AI for your problem
Has a personal newsletter, podcast or blog where they share opinions

Pricing reality check

For ordinary London AI training and implementation in 2026, expect day rates of £800–£1,500 for individual practitioners and £1,200–£2,500 for senior consultants from established firms. Specialised work (e.g. fine-tuning, custom integrations) commands more. Full breakdown on our London AI training pricing guide.

If you want to talk to us

We try to live by everything above. First call free, fixed-fee proposals after, free Camden pilot drop-ins for local businesses, charity-rate pricing. Direct detail on the London consultancy page and AI training London page. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll say so.

How to Choose an AI Consultant in London — 8 Questions to Ask Before You Sign