4 Differences Between An SME Coach & A Business Consultant

Many business owners find it difficult to admit that they need help and when they eventually do, they get confused as to the sort of help they need.

Both SME coaches and consultants have one thing in common, and that is that they both want to help the business succeed.

But how they go about that and how much they contribute makes them different.

As a small business owner, knowing the difference between a business consultant and an SME coach can help you make a better decision as to who your business needs to achieve its goals at this stage.

Hopefully, this article would make that decision easier for you to make.

4 Ways An SME Coach is Different From A Business Consultant

1. Impact

While it’s true that a business might need help, the type of help it needs differs.

The business consultant provides expert advice and solution that directly impacts the business in a particular area.

Say you need help with your marketing efforts, your best bet for an in-depth marketing specific solution is to get a marketing consultant.

Now, the SME coach differs from the business coach in the sense that the coach does not stop at providing solutions for the business today, he or she helps develops the business owner as well as the business.

The SME coach is focused on impacting the business for the long term and does this by helping the small business owner or entrepreneur acquire skills and expertise to put them in a better position to achieve growth.

2. Approach

The way a business consultant and an SME coach approaches a problem also differs.

While the SME coach solves a problem together with the owner or manager of the business, the business consultant arrives at such a solution with little or no collaboration with the business owner.

Coaches ask pointed questions that give you clarity and help you arrive at better solutions.

The consultant, on the other hand, just needs to know what specific problems your business needs solutions for and offer specific solutions.

3. Accountability Versus Freedom

The business consultant allows you the freedom you need to carry out other tasks.

Because he or she does not bother you about the solution to a problem that you would otherwise be bothered with.

But the SME coach is more focused on ensuring that the management not only knows what they ought to do but that they are held accountable.

Many small business owners know what they have to do to scale their businesses, but they don’t have someone to hold them accountable.

To ensure that they implement the solutions and strategies needed to take their business forward.

The SME coach keeps you focused on what matters amidst various distractions, tracks your progress and intervenes where necessary to ensure that you’re taking the right steps.

4. Experience Versus Specialist

The SME coach brings his or her wealth of experience to bear in solving the issues of the business.

He brings his understanding of running successful businesses in the same challenging environments.

He draws from similar experiences, networks to be a bridge that takes you and your business from where it is today to where it wants to be.

The business consultant is a specialist.

He or she may have years of experience solving a particular problem, which makes them better able to solve specific problems.

They can run diagnoses like a doctor and determine what is wrong in the area of expertise.

Both the business consultant and SME coach have fits differently in the business.

And the option the business chooses depends on the kind of support and solution that the business needs.

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Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

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