Do I Need a Coach or a Consultant?

Coaching is about having the guidance and support to make the changes you want in your business and in your life. You won’t change until YOU decide to change! But, with the support of Business Strategy Coaching, you can make those changes and realize the results you’ve always dreamed of.

Coaching is a relationship, made by choice, with a highly skilled professional who works with you as a personal guide and accountability partner. As a result of this relationship, you will experience the following:

You will continuously exceed your previous limitations.
You will be eager to do more than you would have done on your own.
You will set and reach better and more worthwhile goals.
You will produce positive results much more easily and quickly.
You will reinforce and sharpen your desired skills so that you are the best that you can be!

People become more focused and produce much better, faster and easier because they have a coach!

Both coaching and consulting involve the use of highly educated, skilled professionals to assist clients in accelerating the process of achieving goals and moving their businesses to higher levels of performance. However, there are key distinctions between the two.

Coaches are trained facilitators, who believe that their clients already have the answers. They support and guide their clients through a growth process that encourages personal accountability and responsibility. Coaches teach clients to apply what they learn to the daily growth of themselves and their businesses. They encourage their clients to apply their knowledge to become self-reliant.

If a client is hungry and hires a coach, the coach will teach the client how to fish, resulting in a lifetime of food.

They encourage the client’s self discovery through the power of questions.
They facilitate change in the client’s business and in their life.
They become the client’s accountability partner.
They do not give advice, opinions, solutions or answers.
They focus on empowering clients to rapidly achieve their dreams and goals.
They ask “what” and “how” – they do NOT ask “why”.
They do none of the actual work – instead, they encourage their clients to visualize, focus and take action.

On the other hand, consultants bring expertise to a client in order to correct a specific problem area. In other words, consultants provide answers or solutions to the client, such as exactly which road to take to get somewhere or what the best solution is for a defined problem. Once the destination or goal is achieved, the consultant typically leaves the picture.

If a client is hungry and hires a consultant, the consultant brings fish that feed the client for a specific period of time.

They freely give advice.
They bring a specific area of knowledge and expertise to the client.
They very often ask “why”.
They generally focus on solving an explicit question or trouble spot.
They restructure a specific work area for the client.

Here are some of the questions we are most frequently asked by our potential clients:

How Is Business Strategy Coaching Different From Other Professions?

Consultants will say: “Here’s the solution,” – but our coaches will ensure that you follow through.
Motivators will say: “Here’s the carrot and the whip,” – but our coaches will ensure that incentives change with you.
Trainers will say: “Here’s how to do it,” – but our coaches will ensure that you master the knowledge.
Therapists will say: “Here’s why you’re doing it,” – but our coaches will focus on what’s right about you.
Mentors will say: “Let me show you the ropes,” – but our coaches will assist beyond corporate ladders.
Sport Coaches will say: “Here’s how to beat others,” but our coaches will ensure that you’re in a win/win mode.

Is It Important To Hire A Certified Coach?

Yes, it’s VERY important! Ensure your coach is either already certified, or is working towards certification. Today, there are many people calling themselves coaches who have had NO formal training. Many have taken to adding the word “coach” to their title, just hoping to ride on the shirt-tails of true professional coaches.

The Results Of Working With A Coach Sound Almost Too Good To Be True!

The coaching process – by combining your pursuit for personal excellence with professional coaching strategies – is the best of both worlds! When you know what you want in life, and you develop a plan that will provide it – when you take action on a daily basis, your enthusiasm for life will return and grow. It becomes fun again, and your profits and attitude will soar!

So, What Is The Overall Difference Between Coaching And Consulting?

Simply put, consulting brings the expertise of the consultant into the mix. A consultant offers information, advice, brainstorming and training. If you need the expertise of a consultant, look for one who has achieved what you want to achieve, someone who is willing to share all their knowledge, wisdom and practical tips with you.

But, coaching is about growing the person from the inside out. Coaching helps you to determine goals that match your highest potential, create a realistic plan to achieve those goals, discover how you self-sabotage your business and your life, and learn how to be accountable for achieving your goals within a planned time frame. While your coach might offer you insight and advice, the primary purpose of coaching is to empower YOU to learn how to create the business and life of your dreams.

How Do I Know If I Need Coaching, Consulting, Or Both?

You need a coach if you want help:

organizing your thoughts
creating a practical and effective plan
prioritize goals and tasks
being more accountable for following through on tasks
maintaining high motivation, even in the face of difficulty
understanding how you sabotage your own efforts (and how to correct it)

You need a consultant if you want:

the advice and experience of someone who is, or has been successfully self-employed
to understand the basics of business planning and marketing
to learn business and marketing skills in a rapid fashion
to find ways to manage and follow-up on your business success
to learn ways to provide dramatic growth to your business

What If I Need It All – The Guidance Of A Coach AND The Expertise Of A Consultant?

If you desire assistance in both areas, you will need both coaching and consulting. It is much more difficult finding a firm or a program that provides support as a coach-consultant – the best of ALL worlds! However, the programs and other resources available through Business Strategy Coaching can fill that requirement. Contact us at inquiries@eagleventureteam.com for more information.

So in summary, what results can you expect with coaching?

We cannot guarantee that you will achieve ANY specific results. You will achieve as much or as little as you put into it – success will require you to invest your own time and energy into achieving your goals. But these are reasonable expectations for your Business Strategy Coaching partnership:

You will be better able to tackle the barriers and obstacles that get in the way of achieving what you desire.
You will develop specific plans for removing those barriers and increasing the support that motivates you to do your best and to stay focused on your goals.
You will discover new alternatives and approaches to consider in achieving your desired outcomes.
You will increase your awareness of choices and make better decisions.
You will be provided structure, support and feedback to promote greater progress on clarifying your goals and concerns, to form action plans, to make decisions and to achieve your goals.
You will be able to find more successful solutions to your challenges and concerns.
You will be able to define and achieve your personal and professional goals faster and with more ease than would be possible otherwise.

So, how will working with us help you and your business grow? We will not promise that by simply hiring us or purchasing our coaching programs or other resources, that you will achieve instant prosperity. But, what we do promise is that the application of the basic tenets of successful business and life strategies that we implement together will do far more to move you closer to your goals than any trainer, therapist, seminar, or discussion with your brother-in-law can do for you!

If you have any further questions, comments, or feature requests, contact us at inquiries@eagleventureteam.com or by calling (970) 414-0875
Copyright © Business Strategy Coaching, a Division of Eagle Ventures, LLC