As an agency owner, knowing your limitations is a sign of maturity, both in life and business. Sometimes, we don’t know the next move. Other times we need help with decision-making and support with our companies. This is where agency consultants help. In this article, we’ll explore how an agency consultancy can support your business now and in the future.
What does an agency consultant do?
Think of your business. You’re an expert at the services you offer. But by the admission of many business owners we work with, they’re not traditionally business people. Either they’ve grown their passion or hobby into a business, or like the majority, they’re learning as they go.
An agency consultant is an experienced business consultant, but more specifically in our instance, we’re ex-business owners who are here to support and advise on all aspects of your business.
- Growth consultancy
- Operational efficiency
- Strategic planning
- Marketing
- People
- Profitability
In short, they advise you on areas of business where you need support. Because of this, their advice can be valuable in strengthening your business.
Imagine you build a business of amazing developers, you build a significant internal project and want to bring it to market, but unfortunately, you do not know how to do so. Or maybe you’re moving into a new phase of business maturity and need to build systems and processes to support this.
“You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know”
Sometimes you don’t know the answers, others you don’t even know the questions to ask. This is where advice or knowledge from experienced professionals helps your business.
But this isn’t the only benefit of using an agency consultant, there are many
Benefits of using agency consultants
Objectivity in support
A great agency consultant looks at the bigger picture and provides objective support in your decision-making process. Many of the decisions we make in business are based on emotion and removing this emotion often allows for better decision making. Better decisions help us to achieve our goals more effectively and efficiently.
There have been many occasions in business where I’ve been talked off the ledge so to speak with an emotional decision could have negatively affected the business. A trusted and objective voice to help guide you is key.
Experience
With years of experience building businesses like yours, the knowledge provided can be invaluable in choosing the right course of action. Learn from their mistakes, because the challenges you face today are the same as those that many before you have had to overcome. On the contrary, this experience will help you to understand the opportunities in the courses of action you are yet to take. It’s not that agency consultants offer a shortcut, but they offer
Cost saving
As an agency consultant with direct experience in building my own agency, I can spot waste or overspending a mile off. Whether it is alternative but equally effective systems, or overpaying for materials and services, a primary purpose of a consultant’s support can be to help your business save money.
One area of cost-saving focus for an agency consultant could be the time efficiency of your billable team. Often as agency owners, we accept ineffectiveness in our billable hours. But this shouldn’t be overlooked as maximising the capacity of current team members ensures we don’t add additional team members and unnecessarily increase operational overheads.
Business planning
I love planning. No seriously!
Failing to plan, is planning to fail
I have studied business for over 30 years at this point and I vividly remember my first business plan in school for a mobile DJ business. Yes, I did do that for a period and it’s partly why I’m here today! Mainly because I didn’t make it as a successful international DJ, but also because it did ok as a business.
Since then I’ve written many business plans for my own business and for that of our clients. A good business plan is written with the understanding that you may deviate from it at any time. But being able to return to the plan at any point assures that your off-piste adventures don’t derail the overall focus of your business.
Systemisation of processes
If I were to stop any business leader in the street right now and tell them to do one thing, it would be to systemise their business processes NOW!
It’s hard running a business and it’s even harder growing it, but taking time to document and put processes in place right now will compound the benefits to your business now and forever.
Start small, but make frequent documentation for those around you to follow. It’ll save time, reduce mistakes and ultimately save your business money.
Leadership mentoring
The leader you are today is far removed from the person you were 5, 10 or 15 years ago. You will accumulate knowledge and experience on your journey, but a trusted business mentor such as an agency consultant will have walked in your shoes just a few steps ahead of you. They know the challenges you face because they have previously faced them also. To become the best leader possible we must use all available resources and an agency consultant is one of the best partners we can utilise to build our knowledge and skills faster.
Sales techniques
At Move at Pace, we’re unapologetically salespeople. Look I was a salesperson before I was a business owner and it was bred into me from birth. But any good agency consultancy will discuss sales strategies for your business. Whether it’s inbound or outbound, online or offline, the more effective your sales team, the better.
How do I know if my agency needs help from a consultant?
This really does depend on the goals of your agency. For some the decision to hire a consultant stems from the need to add experience where there is a need. For others, a consultant can provide additional business support to improve business functions.
If you choose to hire an agency consultant it’s wise to look at their direct experience to understand if they’re a potential fit. Then it is always advisable to meet them to see if you can work with them. Not everyone works well together and the relationship you have with your consultant is critical.
A good agency consultant can help transform your business. I don’t mean 10 or 20 x’ing it, but rather support you to make it the most effective and efficient business possible—frequent changes for the better compound to much greater benefits over the long term.
By using an experienced agency consultant you can increase your chances of success through the experience to avoid mistakes and to capitalise on opportunities that could be overlooked.