1. It is impossible to permanently stay up-to-date with your industry
Indeed you are already working 60+ hours per week, so no time to read all the latest news. But we all know that innovation and trends are accelerating.
Consultants actually bring the value-added of the latest trends to your company. If they did their homework correctly they may have also spotted newcomers in your industry, i.e potential competition or source for innovation/acquisition.
2. They will bring new tools and methods
Even for the best founders and managers, tools and methods are always changing. Getting the latest gadget methodology doesn’t matter. But good method used in other industries, the Scrum/Agile method for development for instance, could be a great help to your business.
They will also help you implement it and onboard the team, while you can concentrate on what you do best. Indeed change management in companies is often a reason for conflicts within teams and management. A third-party could be a great asset in that case, if he has a proven methodology.
3. They will force you to reflect on your business
This is the main value added of hiring a strategy consultant. Whether you like it or not, he will ask tough questions, forcing you to really see the holes in your business. That is where most business owner (including myself) are getting defensive. But at the end of the day you constantly need to get challenged and face the potential issues before it can kill your company.
Z Digital Agency created a digital strategy assessment matrix, you can download it on demand for free.
Those are tough questions, and if you are unsure about any answer, it means that you may require external help.
4. They will help you develop your product and strategy road map
Are you sure your market positioning is the right one?
Is your digital strategy complete on acquisition, activation and retention ?
Those questions will allow you to build a clearer road map, with the big picture in mind, but also the steps for implementation, test and iteration. Indeed businesses have a tendency to go all-in on some projects without any agility. A good strategy consultant will help you build the road map, but will take care of the test design and iterations.
5. They will boost your growth
Good consultants have a broad address book, whether you may need specific talents, or even new clients, you are capitalizing on a team who also contacts. Do not hesitate to call them for any need, even outside the scope of their mission, it could save you a lot of time. Some of our clients got contracts and talents from our network.
Over the years I learned that successful business people are surrounded with at least 3 people: A smart accountant, a good lawyer and a great strategy consultant.
