Why You Should Hire a Web Coach or Consultant

Hire a Web Coach or Consultant to ensure that the money and time you spend on the Web is coming back to you in bigger amounts.

People need to have information. Uninformed people generally make uninformed decisions and that invariably leads to poor results. The better you know the lie of the land the better your decisions will be.

If your toilet stopped working would you call your local Aquarium Supplies shop? Fish tanks are all about pumping water and filtration. These are the exact concerns you have when 'pottie' is on the blink. Still not convinced? Rightly so. You would call a plumber because toilets are what they do.

Many of the people who offer to build web sites - which are pure sales - are in actual fact not the right people for the whole job.

The Experts

The Experts are the technicians who perform specific roles.

Graphic Designer or Graphic Artist

Graphic Artists are Commercial Artists. Their skills are in making things look nice. They build art. A few can genuinely be called designers but most can't. Another thing that concerns me about having artists make decisions about sales is that a high percentage are anti-sales - they have Socialist tendencies. Is it wise to put your sales in the hands of someone who doesn't fully believe in the profit motive?

IT Programmers

This is a common place to start. The web is on computers and IT people do things on computer: Q.E.D. IT people can build sales processes? Um, NO! Would you hire an IT person as your lead salesman? Most likely not because the temperaments are very different. IT people tend to be detail oriented and inward looking. They like the process but for the technical reasons and not the people reasons.

SEO Person

I'm not sure that anyone knows what these people really do. Just hope that they are honest and morally upright in the ways that they get you better exposure in Google and other Search Engines. Many claim to be marketing experts but in reality most only know how to rank websites and have never been involved in either sales or psychology.

Now don't get me wrong. Graphic Artists, IT Programmers & SEO Specialists are very necessary parts of the process. I have worked with some wonderful people from these disciplines (I even indulge in them myself) but letting them lead the process in the strategy and design seats is generally unwise. These roles belong with a Generalist.

The Generalists

Web is all about big picture. Common experts specialize in one or two narrow disciplines. A Generalist specializes in seeing and understanding the big picture and helping specialists focus on what they are best at.

Web Coach

As a Web Tutor I sit with a client as they develop a Web Site, Email Marketing Campaign or similar. My role is to teach the client how the technology works, how the users (customers) work and most specifically help the client know how to do the specific tasks needed to achieve the desired result.

In many ways the Web Coaching role is the same as a running coach or a piano tutor; someone who sees the overview and helps the student in detail to improve their performance by increasing their personal skill-set. The runner does the running. The piano student does the playing. The Coach and Tutor guide the activities of the student to greater performance even when they are not there.

There is never a Piano Tutor who goes on stage in a concert to sit on the stool with the student/performer to handle the bits that are beyond them. If this is the case the extra performer is hired as a "sideman" or in modern business terms a Consultant.

Web Consultant

The Web Consultant role is a more active one and generally involves more 'doing'. As a Consultant I will go to a business that wants to a achieve a specific goal. My job is then to plan and ensure the execution of the plan in whatever way necessary (and agreed) at the start of the project. At the end of the project the Consultant will generally move on, unless retained for a second project.

A Consultant will generally need to have a solid working knowledge of the technologies available. Most importantly however a Consultant should have a good understanding of Sales Process and some Marketing so that every project undertaken is well planned. I prefer to be involved very early in this process as sometimes the goal itself needs to be altered to achieve success.

While either of these services add cost they should also greater profit at the other end of the project - as well as often saving on false starts and re-working.