Whether you’re just starting out in business or revisiting how you show up and market yourself, what to call yourself might be weighing on you.
That’s with good reason. It’s one of the most important decisions you’ll make—especially if you consider yourself a coach, consultant, strategist, advisor, or another type of expert-led business.
Even though the differences may seem like semantics, over the last decade+, I’ve seen how the title you choose can impact how people see you, the perceived value you bring, and the clients you attract.
With that in mind, I’m sharing what to consider as you decide on coach vs consultant (and the other related titles) to help you choose the one that best fits your experience, goals, and business.
Coach Vs. Consultant — The Short Answer
Both coaches and consultants help businesses move forward, albeit through different approaches. So before we go any further, let’s get some quick definitions out of the way.
What is a Coach?
A coach is someone who specifically hosts a series of conversations, initiated with questions, to help the client find their own answers. These coaching sessions go deep, asking questions designed to inspire thought in the client, so they can take their next best step.
Coaches have a certification in a specific coaching style or approach and often have a specialized focus.
For example, based on your experience or expertise, you might call yourself a:
- Business coach
- Life coach
- Executive coach
- Career coach
- Public speaking coach
- Relationship coach
Of course, the possibilities are endless.
What is a Consultant?
A consultant is someone who has a specific skill or expertise that achieves a specific outcome. As a consultant, you typically offer specific, actionable recommendations to solve a specific challenge.
For example, if you call yourself a marketing consultant, you might help clients identify their marketing strategy or plan, map out a campaign, or—in some cases— implement your recommendations.
On the other hand, if you’re a management consultant, you might reorganize a company’s internal processes or recommend specific training programs.
Often, consulting engagements are project-based and focus on delivering a strategic plan, solution, or specific result.
The Main Difference Between a Coach and a Consultant
The main difference between a coach and a consultant is how they approach solving problems:
- A coach helps you find your own answers and supports you through self-discovery and goal-setting in a “you-focused” process, using questions to help you move along your journey.
- A consultant provides expert advice, specialized knowledge, or done-for-you solutions, often with less emphasis on your inner insights and more on strategic or technical outcomes.
Ultimately, the biggest difference outside of the approach is that coaches have some kind of certification.
Of course, I’ve found that it’s never quite that clear cut as some people do both, or incorporate aspects of both into the way they serve clients.
More on that in just a moment.
If you already find yourself questioning which bucket your services and expertise fall into, and want some help figuring it out, we can help. Schedule a call with Amy and she’ll walk you through the options.
Coach Vs. Consultant — The Long Answer
As I mentioned—while the definitions help clarify a few things, that’s not the whole story. And it’s not as easy as choosing the synonym that best aliterates with your industry, name, or company name.
When deciding what to call yourself, consider how you want to position your business, including:
- The clients you want to serve
- The problems you want to solve
- The amount you want to charge
- How you can differentiate yourself
For now, let’s go deeper into some of the different nuances.
Beyond Coach vs. Consultant: Strategist, Advisor, Specialist & More
I’ve tossed out several other terms, so I want to explore a few more that may resonate with you. Of note, I think most of these can fit under the broader umbrella of consultant, but you may feel more drawn to them:
Advisor: Advisors often have an ongoing role as a trusted partner.
Specialist: A specialist is someone with deep expertise in a certain area—think SEO specialist, Facebook Ads specialist, or branding specialist. When I think of specialists, I think of them as implementing the strategy, which may be why when people hire for job or contract roles, they use “specialist” in the title.
Worth noting—if you’re looking for high-value engagements, you may want to choose “consultant” or “strategist” over “specialist” due to the perception. However, there’s not an absolute here.
Mentor: Mentoring often implies sharing personal experience and guidance from a place of having “been there, done that.” They usually serve as more personal confidantes and can offer advice.
Strategist: I’m saving my favorite for last. A strategist focuses on high-level planning and connecting the dots—and they often get paid more because of the potential visionary, big-picture impact they bring. If you’re a strategist, you might call yourself things like:
- Marketing strategist
- Business growth strategist
- Sales performance strategist
Often the more specific you can get, the higher your perceived expertise, and the more perfect-fit leads you attract. More specificity here usually — though not always — makes it easier to market and differentiate yourself.
For example, I called myself a marketing strategist for years. But when I added the word “email” to the front, everything shifted. Sales grew, positioning was simpler, and my marketing and content got clearer. As an email marketing strategist, I now get better-fit referrals, too.
Now, if you’re not sure where you want to be, you can always get more specific later.
Pros and Cons of Each Title
There’s no “one title fits all,” and realistically, there’s some overlap. So, to help you make a choice, here are the pros and cons of each. Keep in mind that pros and cons are in the eye of the beholder—and each is subjective based on what you want.
Calling Yourself a Coach?
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Calling Yourself a Consultant?
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Calling Yourself an Advisor?
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Calling Yourself a Specialist?
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Calling Yourself a Strategist?
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Need a quick chat about choosing, marketing, or positioning your title? Drop by our office hours — we host them every month to help you solve your problems!
Additional Considerations for Your Title
Earlier, I talked about some of the positioning considerations as you’re choosing whether to call yourself a coach or consultant—or something else.
Here are a few more questions to think about:
- What are the industry norms? If everyone in your niche is a “consultant,” do you want to fit in or stand out? Keep in mind that there are benefits to each approach.
- How do your competitors position themselves? If your audience only wants “consultants,” it may not serve you to call yourself anything else. However, if your competitors are all “consultants,” would a “strategist” get more eyes on you?
- What price point do you command? Remember, some titles come with higher fees.
- How do you want to work with clients? If you want 1:1 coaching sessions, you may already have your answer. On the other hand, if you want project-specific engagements or ongoing advisory relationships, you may want to think about this more carefully.
- How specific can you get? If you’re a marketing consultant who advises on content, then you may want to call yourself a content marketing strategist. Greater specificity means greater memorability. 🙂
- What drives you? In the end, I want you to have clients and engagements that bring you joy. So if something fits better and will make that joy easier to come by, consider that direction.
Lastly, I want to ask one more question of you —do you want to implement or hold people accountable?
As an aside, “accountability” is a hard word for me because the only person you can truly be accountable to is yourself and your own dreams and goals.
In JoyFueled™— our business growth program, we build accountability into the plan. Every time we meet with you, you’ll know your next steps and have homework. And Amy and I have homework, too, based on your customized, overall strategy. We are all accountable to your growth and success. –
What Happens if You Make a Choice You Don’t Love?
It isn’t the end of the world. For most of us, it’s a lesson learned that helps us refine what we want to do more of. That said, there are a few very real pitfalls:
- Attracting mis-aligned clients and working on projects you don’t love
- Feeling drained by projects that don’t inspire you
- Spending too much time clarifying your services on every single sales call
- Longer, more painful sales processes
- Referrals for poor-fit clients
Keep in mind, even with the best marketing and vetting processes, occasionally some of these clients, sales calls, and projects slip through.
Before you burn everything down, make sure it’s a pattern or at least that there’s something actually wrong with your title or messaging.
The Upsides of Choosing “Right”
On the flip side, when your title fits what you’re doing, there are some very real pros:
- Sales calls are quicker and more targeted.
- Your marketing becomes clearer and more effective
- You can shape your offers around the services you love most.
- You attract clients who are already looking for exactly what you do.
- Your brand feels authentic and aligned with your personal values and goals, which generates more joy and less burnout.
Are You Stuck With Your Choice Forever?
Heck, no! Just about everyone I know makes at least slight pivots or shifts 1-2x a year.
As business owners, we’re in a unique position — if there’s something else we want to be or do, we can just go do that.
And, if you choose wrong, you’ve learned something important and can make a shift. Now, I’d caution you not to chase shiny objects, but you can absolutely change your title.
Once you decide it’s “go time,” you don’t have to make a big deal or rework everything before making the shift. You can just run with it. That said, there are a few things you may want to do fairly early in the process.
- Change your title on LinkedIn and update your social bios
- Update your email signature and email marketing footers
- Drop a note to your top referral partners
- Send an email to your newsletter
- Post something on social media
- Everywhere you routinely teach/show up
- Update any slides that you’re using regularly
- Record a new voicemail message
- Nurture sequences that are set and forget (not that yours should ever be set and forget—read my take on nurture sequences here)
Pro Tip: Because you may make several small shifts that lead to a larger pivot, set a reminder once a quarter or so to:
- Audit your marketing to make sure it represents the latest iteration of your business.
- Reintroduce yourself on social media to stay top of mind with your audience and remind them what you do.
If you’re looking to reinvent yourself in business, we can help! Check out our events page for our upcoming retreats.
Should You Get Certified Before Calling Yourself a Coach?
I’ve alluded to this a few times, but I want to be absolutely clear.
If you’re going to call yourself a “coach,” I believe you should pursue a credible coaching certification or training program. It’s not legally required, but there’s such a great industry around making sure people have the knowledge and skills to perform as a coach.
Plus, that certification comes in handy when it comes to building credibility and differentiating yourself.
What about if you include some coaching in what you do but don’t call yourself a coach?
If you want the certification, go for it. However, if you’re calling yourself a strategist, consultant, mentor, or one of the other titles out there, and you use some coaching strategies as you serve clients, a certification isn’t needed.
What You Call Yourself Matters—Think it Through
The bottom line here is that your title impacts how your clients see you and the energy you bring to your business. But don’t let choosing a title get in the way of forward progress.
You can always start out calling yourself one thing, and as you get clarity on the direction you want to take things, you can refine as you go on.
My best advice is this—whatever you choose, err on the side of joy.
Want to dive further into this? Listen to episode 903 of our podcast about Profits for Purpose.
