Both at their creation and during their development, organizations and businesses continue to face challenges.

However, when we know that in the last quarter of 2023, 37% of French businesses failed, we understand the importance of a solid business strategy.

Do you want to create a business, perpetuate or develop your business, face difficulties? Business strategy advice is undoubtedly the contact person you need.

To make sure of this, find out what business strategy consulting is, its role.

Take stock of his multiple skills and the various types of missions on which he can assist you.

To find out how to make a effective business strategy for startups, check out our detailed guide hither.

What is business strategy consulting?

A passion profession, business strategy consulting has the main objective of allowing a company to develop while taking into account the realities on the ground.

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Global business strategy consulting

To do this, consulting firms or professional coaches in business development have the role of providing expert advice to managers of organizations on how to improve the competitiveness and overall performance of their structure.

These recommendations may relate to a variety of elements, from streamlining activities to develop a successful business strategy and the development of new business models

Strategy consultants help organizations define a clear vision for their business and develop corresponding strategic goals.

Targeted business strategy advice

While it can define an overall strategy, business strategy consulting can also provide advice on specific issues. So here is an overview of the areas where a strategic advisor is most often sought:

• human resources: these generally constitute an important driver of progress for a company. Indeed, in order to gain in productivity and competitiveness, a company has every interest in developing a relevant human resources policy in order to attract and retain its employees. Thanks to their agility and professional experience, a management and human resources consultant helps managers define and implement strategies (well-being at work, training, team cohesion, bonuses, profit-sharing, career development, etc.) that ultimately improve the company's performance.

• finances: good management, as well as rational investment, actively contributes to the success of a company. Financial coaches are therefore very often called upon to help companies define financial planning for the future, from the launch business plan to the takeover of competitors. They advise the manager and his teams on cash management (balancing the budget, achieving savings), on the process for raising capital...

• regulatory compliance: nowadays, regulations (labor law, consumer protection, computer law, environment, etc.) are very demanding regardless of the sectors of activity. And breaking these regulations can be highly harmful to a business, with potential legal proceedings as well as financial penalties. The profession of regulatory compliance consultant is therefore flourishing since it helps companies to ensure that they comply with all laws and regulations in force.
• marketing: essential to most activities, commercial strategy is one of the challenges of brand development. The mission of a marketing strategy consultant is therefore to support a company in the development of marketing plans. He can help her develop market studies, advise her on choosing solutions to market her products or services, increase her sales, or reach new markets. He works at the crossroads of various strategic areas: finance, communication and technology.
• technology: the coach assesses the use of technology within the organization that requests him. According to his diagnosis, in order to enable him to gain efficiency, he can indicate solutions to optimize the use of existing technologies or encourage him to use new technologies (new applications, AI, etc.).

What exactly is business strategy?

Business strategy consists in developing a plan that will allow a company to establish itself on a market, to develop and to perpetuate its activity.

This plan is based on choices and major orientations in terms of allocating resources in order to enable this organization to achieve its goals.

This fundamental preliminary step for any company helps to define the offer and the positioning to adopt to meet a market need and convince its target.

The business strategy therefore involves at least 4 phases:

• survey the market: for the company, it is a question of verifying that its product or service meets a demand.
• target your customers: this action consists in identifying a type of prospect who can be particularly receptive to your products or services.
• Define your positioning: this involves thinking about the image you want to give your company in order to get a message across, be quickly identified by your customers and prospects, and stand out from the competition.
• make choices for the allocation of resources and skills, whether human, financial, material...

Without a clear strategy, an organization is at risk of being affected by events. It will then not be at the initiative, but will content itself with reacting to the vagaries and actions of its competitors.

What are the 4 steps of the strategic approach?

Here are the main steps that make up the execution of a strategic consultant's mission:

1. Meeting with the manager and his teams to become familiar with the internal functioning of the organization and define working hypotheses.
2. Conducting an audit through a series of interviews and data collection.
3. Analysis of information, then writing and presenting recommendations.
4. From the last exchange, development of a strategic plan to meet the challenges set.

What is the role of a business strategy advisor?

The primary role of a business strategy consulting firm is to offer an objective perspective, a fresh and external perspective, on the organization concerned (private or public company, association, etc.).

This freshness then allows strategy consultants to:

• to assess the situation
• To define the objective to be achieved
• and to develop an innovative action plan for enable the business to transform and to achieve its goals.

This strategic plan is based, of course, on the vision of the organization, the mission it assigns to itself, and on a efficient governance.

But in addition to developing major strategic guidelines, strategy consulting is also responsible for supporting managers in the concrete implementation of strategic choices.

Focus on the missions of Business Strategy Consulting

Consulting a strategy consultant is occasional. Its intervention is carried out on a short-term basis.

In a few weeks at most, the strategy consultant must be able to propose action plans for an organization.

However, depending on its expertise and the wishes of the sponsoring structure, the consulting firm may stay longer within the structure in order to help implement the defined plan.

Diagnosis

First, the strategy consulting firm or coach is responsible for establishing a diagnosis. He discovers the situation of the company and its functioning without any preconceived ideas.

Indeed, as a stakeholder, it is often difficult for the management team to identify problems objectively.

This is therefore the first mission of the strategy consulting service: to observe and analyze the situation with the necessary perspective by taking information from the field.

Action plan recommendation

In a second step, the consultant develops a tailor-made action plan to help his client achieve his goals.

To do this, it analyzes the data collected concerning the strengths and weaknesses of the company, its resources, the opportunities and threats of the market where it is positioned...

His recommendations, which he considers to be the best strategy for the client company to follow to overcome its difficulties or meet new challenges, generally commit the client company over the long term.

They may consist of:

• a strategic plan over several years (triennial or five-year)
• the development of a new commercial strategy
• A growth plan
• the realization of savings
• the development of certain resources...

Enforcement assistance

Once the strategic plan has been defined in consultation with management, the expert continues his mission. He prepares the various action plans, specifies the details to facilitate their implementation, and ensures their feasibility.

Note: some business strategy consulting firms may also offer the services of stakeholders who can come, with certain skills, to reinforce the teams to carry out the defined strategy successfully.

Why use a business strategy consulting firm?

The management bodies of a company generally play the role of advising on business strategy.

However, in some cases, the intervention of external consultants may be necessary.

The most frequent cases of intervention

This is often the case for small and medium-sized structures (VSEs, SMEs, even ETI) where the manager must decide alone.

It may, in fact, need support to develop business policy.

In these circumstances, calling on strategic advice allows the company concerned to gain new momentum and to reach the desired level of development.

The contribution of an objective and external opinion is decisive.

As for large companies and large groups, they are also required to contact business strategy consulting firms, but for more specific projects: solving a problem or implementing transformation projects.

Whatever the challenges, strategic consultants offer consulting services in all areas relating to business management.

Indeed, with extensive training and expertise in business development, he has advanced skills, in particular in business law, accounting, taxation, human resources, but also in management and marketing.

To solve internal problems

During certain decisions, a situation of misunderstanding may arise. Management and employees can then come into conflict. It is therefore one of the most appropriate situations where the intervention of a business consultant can constitute a solution for exiting a managerial crisis.

Her assets to get out of a conflict situation: her perspective and impartiality, her communication skills and her experience in change management.

These are all qualities to make employees better understand and accept strategic choices.

To strengthen management teams

In some circumstances, hiring additional managers or managers with specific skills can be decisive.

However, it is not always possible for a company to recruit new staff on a permanent basis.

This is therefore one of the situations in which calling on a consultant is relevant.

Its assets to complete the team: beyond their skills in strategic consulting, a consultant can contribute their operational skills and experience.

Demonstrating rare ability to adapt, he succeeds easily in finding his place and helps existing teams achieve goals.

For a variety of missions

Whether he is a freelancer or a member of a consulting firm, the missions of a business strategy advisor can be varied. It can thus:

• Help the company manager to establish a strategic plan, to set goals using strategic tools (business model, SWOT matrix, PESTEL analysis, Porter's 5 forces, BCG matrix, strategic plan...).
• Offer an objective point of view and bring a new perspective with the identification of growth drivers for the company.
• Intervene for a specific mission: he then establishes a diagnosis, analyzes the data, formulates innovative recommendations.
• Provide specific skills to complement the existing team (digital transformation, development of a new market, international expansion, etc.)

Some examples of possible intervention by a consulting firm

The missions of business strategy consultants are very varied. They can thus intervene:

• at the launch of a business: advice on legal status, assistance in setting up a business plan, HR advice, creation of a hierarchical organization...
• with the aim of growth: increase in sales, launch of a new range of products, acquisition, association...
• In a performance optimization project : optimization of the business plan, reduction of operational costs, improvement of certain processes, merger, elimination of an element prejudicial to the profitability of the company...

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With the main objective: to allow you, thanks to our business strategy coaching, to develop yourself sustainably in your job as a manager in a fast-growing company.