Are you a business coach or a consultant and does it matter?

Six years ago I wrote a blog titled 'What's the difference between a business coach and a consultant?' (you can see the original blog here? https://www.andrewford.com.au/blog/2023/1/31/whats-the-difference-between-a-business-coach-amp-consultant-7tp7b)??

I was struggling with what my role in the business was exactly and reached out to my network for advice and found?that a lot of other people had the?same issue.?

Fast forward to 2024 and I feel confident about my identity. I coach, I consult and I advise. These are very different roles so let me explain how I wear these different hats with my clients and why.

If you don't know our business, for context, Social Star is a personal brand agency that specialises in helping professional services firms e-ttract?more clients, staff and partners using compelling content marketing.?

Dealing with very smart and busy people I often advise them of the best marketing strategies for their particular phase of growth and niche offering. This isn't your normal 'what to put on social media', this is real marketing including all of the 4 P's. What Price structure to offer and how to charge, what Products can we package up and release to our clients for maximum value, what Places should we market to expand the business and what is the best Promotional avenue to gain both staff and clients.? Having 20 years of professional marketing?experience plus teaching at university and a two-time author in the space, I will take the Pepsi challenge with most people. Therefore I am confident to call myself a?consultant and lead my clients in this area of their?business.?

A lot of experts in their field would consult, so how do I coach?

I work very closely with my clients and we often become friends as?that's my personality.? Most of these leaders can't vent to their teams or life partners, so they lean on me. I have helped clients through divorces, large challenges in business, family conflicts, deaths, health concerns and more. This isn't a marketing agency role, it's a human one. This is where I coach them from my personal experience and they often find it useful just to have someone to talk to. As a business owner, I get this need to have someone external who isn't connected to their daily lives to open up to and be real. I am not a life coach, far from it, but I can be your friend.

I don't have to become close to my clients like this, but I choose to as it gives my relationships more depth. At first, I resisted calling it coaching but it seems an accurate?term, especially if they value my feedback and listening skills then I am happy to offer it. I don't promote it, but it's there for my clients if required.?

This leads me to my original question, does it matter if we consult and coach with our clients or should we stick to just one??