What Are The Differences Between Coaches & Consultants?

Who do I hire? A business coach? A business consultant? And what's the difference; they are both providing the same service, right? Mh, nothing could be further from the truth.  

Well, you are not alone. This is a common dilemma among many business owners, especially those who have never sought expert business advice. They have a hard time differentiating between a business coach and a consultant.

Knowing who does what and their value will add to your business - and personal growth - will make it easier for you to decide who to hire. Below are several key differences between business coaching and consulting.

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A coach guides while a consultant provides solutions

A business coach comes with an assortment of tools - such as professional advice - to guide the client in the issues the client has pointed out and others that the coach will, in working with the client, bring to the fore.

On the other hand, the consultant comes with a microscope, which will not only magnify the client's specific issues but will also provide specific solutions.

A coach helps a client stay accountable; a consultant fixes temporary lapses

When clients desire to stay on course and be accountable, their got-to-guy is a coach. And this is because a coach comes with expert advice to keep the client responsible for their decisions and actions every single time. 

A consultant comes in to fix temporary lapses in a client's business or personal life and to provide them with solutions to rectify problems that were caused by their decisions or actions. 

A coach looks at an entire season, while a consultant looks at matches

Here's what I mean. A coach provides a client with solutions that will, generally, bring lasting changes. The coach focuses on developing far-reaching solutions and strategies that will have short and long-term results. 

If you use the sports analogy, you can think of a coach as an expert who looks at the entire season in totality. In contrast, a consultant helps the client develop strategies to address specific problems in their game. The consultant may, for instance, look at the dip in form mid-season or what caused the client to get an undesired outcome. 

A coach is a "motivational beast"; a consultant is a "motivational battery"

Because a coach almost always rides with a client for the long haul, they help the client find and sustain motivation. Finding motivation is one thing, and maintaining it is another, as, in any business, there are bound to be ebbs and flows and undesired outcomes, such as burnout. 

A consultant is a "motivational battery" in that clients may call on their services when they are down and out and need a motivational shot in the arm. 

A coach supports while a consultant solves

Though both the coach and consultant are hands-on in their approach, the difference is in how they use their skills for the betterment of the client. 

When a client comes to the coach with a problem - just like in the sports analogy - a coach will use their skills and tools to support the client to arrive at the desired result. This approach is creative, as it makes clients work - with no specified outcome in mind - and presents them with different options. 

A consultant does things differently, as they almost have the solution worked out. Thus, a client is presented with an outcome that they now aim to get. This is not a wrong approach, as it narrows down to what the client has to do. 

A coach helps manage maladies; a consultant helps to treat maladies

Any person who has been in business, even if it's just for one minute, knows that these games come with many maladies. Some are seen. Others come straight out of the blues. 

A coach helps clients to manage issues such as overwhelm, burnout, anxiety, stress, and feelings of giving up. As the word manage suggests, a coach helps clients survive or achieve their goals despite difficult circumstances. 

When a client sits in a consultant's examination bed, this expert can help treat the maladies plaguing the client. 

A coach teaches cycling; a consultant takes cycling skills to the next level

For this, we will use the analogy of a bicycle. A coach will assist a client in getting knowledge on how and why they ride a bike. This coach will go further and help the client to discover the things that are holding them back from riding the bicycle properly. To top it off, a coach will be with the client in the process, as they will walk or job beside them as they cycle.

A consultant comes with a different approach. Think of your child who started cycling with a balance bicycle. You had to run alongside them or hold the saddle from the back. That's coaching. The consultant will open the client's perspective to other bicycles by, for instance, explaining to them about better bikes. A consultant will not leave it at that but will teach the client how to ride this better bike. 

A coach helps one thrive in uncertain times; a consultant helps to deal with uncertainty

Because a coach looks at the client's business using a telescope - meaning they perceive further - they can help the client diagnose uncertain times. The coach can also help clients thrive in uncertain times because they perceive uncertain times from afar and can adequately prepare for them. 

A consultant comes in to fix a problem that may have caught the client unawares or they were not adequately prepared or equipped for it. 

A coach explores possibilities; a consultant provides possibilities

As the word explore means, a coach helps a client to think about, talk about, or study something that may happen or be the case, or to experience it, to find out more about it. You can also say a coach takes a client on an exploratory journey with many outcomes to choose from. 

A consultant makes available a host of chances, likelihoods, and probabilities for the client's use. These changes, likelihoods, and probabilities the consultant is presenting come from the in-depth examination and analysis they have done of the problems plaguing the client. 

A coach helps you find the right course; a consultant enables you to stay on course

In many cases, a coach may work with a client before the conception of a business. Or they may be integral in the day-to-day decisions a client makes. Thus, a coach helps a client with key strategies to find the right course for their business, as well as help them narrow down to the business that is right for them. 

A consultant helps a client to stay on course. A consultant does this by providing tools to help clients when they veer off-course.

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