Coaching or Consulting? There really is a difference?
At Virtual Point Solutions, we consultant and implement, but I’m often asked by prospective clients: What’s the difference between a coach and a consultant? Aren’t they really the same thing?
What business owners often don’t realize is that coaches and consultants do very different things.
Now this isn’t a blog post about which is better or who you need the most, but rather it’s meant to clarify the difference so that you, as a business owner, can make an informed choice.
So let’s start with consultants. Consultants often get a bad rap. They are often thought of as just something corporations use or for being stuffy old guys in suits that come in and tell you all the things you’re doing wrong in your business and then charge you thousands and leave.
Not true. Here is what a consultant really does.
We are experts in business! We have a deep knowledge of business and frequently specialize in specific areas, like operations, systems, automation or finance. We are problem-solving and solution-focused and often bring a technical expertise to advise and even work on short-term projects. Consultants usually require limited commitment from clients as we dig into your business and start looking into the details to help create a detailed plan for solutions.
Some of the types of work consultants do include:
- Business planning and strategy
- Growth development and product launching tools
- How to help shift business directions
- How to create efficient systems
- Automation to help you get things rolling
- Creating project management plans and helping you and your team execute them
Coaches, on the other hand, primarily work one-on-one with clients. They focus on helping the business owner or clients achieve personal or professional goals by working on mindset, confidence and goal-setting. Coaches often bring relationship expertise to the table and can help the client with their interpersonal skill set or challenges. Coaches can be generalists working with a wide variety of clients and topics.
Some of the types of work coaches do include:
- Helping their clients increase confidence
- Working on creating personal and professional goals and strengths
- Shifting mindset to help clarify the company vision
- Creating interpersonal dynamics in a team-based business
- Helping to foster strong, productive relationships
All too often, small business owners and entrepreneurs try and work on their businesses without help or support. They don’t recognize that there are people out there who can help them move mountains in their business. Whether you need a consultant or a coach, gaining traction in your business is critical. Reaching out for help can often save you time and money in the long run.
BIO
Dawn Sinkule, the Founder of Virtual Point Solutions, is an MBA graduate, Strategy and Business Growth Consultant as well as a Certified Online Business Manager with more than 16 years of corporate experience working for a Fortune 50 company. Dawn and her team work with passionate six figure business owners who want to grow, expand, and explode their businesses. Dawn and the VPS team provide your choice of self-implementation or fully done for you solutions, and both include detailed business strategies, automation, systems, and most importantly the satisfaction of knowing your business is heading the right direction. Her clients get not only the experience of a Fortune 50 leader, but also a personalized and customized strategy as well as an implementation team: AKA your secret weapon for success. Check out her website and grab her FREE 4 Systems you Never Knew You Needed to Crush Chaos and Put Profit First (finally!). Connect with Dawn and her team on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
