Why Standard Management Consultants Don’t Help Digital Agencies

Posted: June 13, 2018 by Robert Craven

A lot of digital agency owners talk to me about their experiences with non-executive directors, management and business consultants and coaches. I am afraid that their customer experience is often a little underwhelming.

Typical comments include:

• “They just didn’t understand the industry”
• “They insisted on trying to apply one-size-fits-all/generic/out-of-date/business school models to our specific issues”
• “They didn’t understand me”
• “They didn’t understand the business or our business model”
• “They made me do exercises I couldn’t see the point of” and so on.

I fear that I now enter the world of sweeping generalisations.

Outside support can –

• prove invaluable… but it needs to be focused and relevant.
• be sector-specific… but it still needs to be relevant and add value.
• be of the “I’ve been there and got the t-shirt” variety… but the advisor still needs to know how to articulate the lessons and know how to help and assist a client.

Outside support needs to –

• understand and be able to use the various coaching and consulting styles
  and
• have the interpersonal skills required.

Outside support, at its best, adds significant value to your business. I use outside advisors to help me grow my own business.

The skills set is varied but I would suggest you need most, if not all of the following characteristics:

• Industry and market experience and understanding (including understanding of the latest research and benchmarks)
• A critical and analytical understanding of the art of business growth as well as understanding the standard business growth models as applied to owner-founder businesses
• A critical and analytical approach to the art of coaching: a variety of styles and approaches to reflect the different needs and requirements
• An evidence-based approach, drawing on relevant client and own business experience
• Experience and skill at coaching and mentoring effectively
• Experience and skill at listening and sharing relevant information
• Experience and skill at running a business
• A thorough understanding of how to design and deliver in the fields of strategy, marketing, and people
• A thorough understanding of relevant (and contemporary) business models as they are applied in digital agencies.

That’s it, simple enough. Need our help? Mail rc@directorscentre.com