Can a B2C Consultant Really Call Themselves a Consultant?

For quite some time I’ve noticed the word consultant used rather loosely to define a person working independently. He or she has their own business with proprietary goods and services, however they may be affiliated with a known product or service they are offering. Some may attach themselves to a brand to help increase their visibility.  While there is nothing wrong with that, I’m sure my commentary may rub some people the wrong way as I believe if you sell something like candles or cell phones in the Business to Consumer space (B2C), you are not really a consultant. It is not my intent to offend, rather it is my attempt to define the term consultant and bring clarity to what is often a misrepresented profession in the minds of the public and business community.

Perhaps this may help. Here are few definitions for the word consultant.

• Adviser: an expert who gives advice.
• Consultancy: the practice of giving expert advice within a particular field.
• An individual who provides guidance and information to another individual. A professional that helps you plan that appropriate course of action.
• Consultants: people providing professional advice for a fee.

You get the point. Essentially it is one person with knowledge on a given subject providing advice and guidance to another person, often times for a fee. Even though you may have knowledge of technology like cell phones and which models meet the needs of a buyer, I still don’t think it justifies labeling one’s self as a consultant.  If that’s true, in an early career I could have called myself a clothing consultant as I sold clothing in my parent’s clothing store. I had knowledge of which clothing works best for people based on weather conditions or the environment where someone would work.

I guess rather than trying to define the term consultant and defend it for the Business to Business space (B2B), I should be flattered that people in the B2C space wish to call themselves consultants to help elevate their level of professionalism. 

Think about it: would you rather buy from a salesman or from a consultant?

I rest my case.