Could You and Your Business Benefit from a Business Coach or a
Consultant?
The surprising answer is "probably". Most individuals don't
realize that a certified business coach or business consultant
can add enormously to their home based or more traditional type
business. Many individuals think a business coach or consultant
will come into their business and tell them things that they
don't want to hear.
Nothing can be further from the truth. A business coach or
consultant will try to use the resources/personnel already
present in a business, and will implement strategies that will
enhance the interaction and productivity of all concerned.
A business coach or consultant will "steer" the business into a
clearer focus, better productivity, better management, and more
powerful interactions. Business coaches and consultants can
assist any and all types of businesses. Business owners who want
faster results for their businesses, are committed to excellence
in business, who want to develop their reputations, or who are
experiencing problems within their current businesses are all
prime candidates for business coaching and consultation.
Here is a small checklist of benefits that may occur with the
use of a business coach or consultant:
1. Increase in Clarity: Your business will draw clearer
distinctions regarding present conditions and situations and
have a clearer picture of the future.
2. Increase in Focused Direction: The possibilities become
clearer and the paths to each goal become more distinct.
3. Increase in Time: More time is expended productively, while
eliminating the time wasting activities.
4. Increase in Follow Through: Completeness and timeliness of
projects increases.
5. Increase in Commitment: A more thorough investment of all
personnel in processes and goals.
6. Increase in Effective Communications: A more effective manner
of communications is employed, for both clients and employees
and the business owner.
7. Increase in Cooperation: Once all members of a business feel
as if they are "understood" and valued, cooperation increases
significantly.
8. Increase in Awareness of Existing Situations: Many situations
may be exacerbated by expansion or additions, but can exist
without awareness by the business owner for quite some time.
9. Increase in Stress Free Environments: Both the business owner
and employees may indeed be much happier and stress free after a
coaching or consultation session. Issues are cleared up and
therefore the burdens are left behind, easing the stress.
10. Increase in Retention: The retention of both employees and
clients may significantly increase.
Many business owners don't recognize the need for a business
coach or consultant until they run into problems, either with
the expansion of a business, or with the addition of employees.
Any expansion or addition of employees adds to the business
chores, and shifts the focus and duties of employees. This is
when problems more than likely become apparent, although these
problems already probably existed to some degree before the
expansion or addition.
An actual example follows:
Katherine R. had significant success with her marketing business
right from the start. The business was popular with clients, and
employees were added routinely over the years. In the beginning,
the base clientele was small business owners, however, as time
went on, mid-sized to larger businesses were added, and more
employees were added. The new clientele, however, were
"different" from the older clientele, and the "older" employees
had more difficulty dealing with the new clientele. The new
clientele were less friendly overall (they were much busier),
and the older employees were not used to this new style of
behavior and interaction.
A business coach/consultant was called in, and using his
suggestions, i.e. role playing with the older employees,
incentives and scripts, and other basic "reworking" of employee
duties and interaction, the problems were solved.
Care does need to be given in the choice of a business
coach/consultant, and the business owner should check into
references, credentials, and the personality of the coach
themselves. In order for success to occur, a business owner and
all employees must feel trust when dealing with the
coach/consultant, and therefore the choice of individual must be
both careful and personal.
Overall, a good business coach or consultant can improve a
business significantly, and clear up any problems either before
or after they occur. If a business has the money for this type
of service, it can be very beneficial for the "health" of the
business.