What's the difference between a consultant and a subject matter expert? Let's dive into it.
Typically, a consultant is someone who most likely has left corporate land to go out on their own and start their own business. As a consultant, you're essentially an extra set of hands brought in to help deliver projects.
You're doing what you would be doing as an employee but now you're doing it independently as a contractor. You're paid by the hour, by the day, maybe by the project, and you're really helping deliver on a project that's been laid out. You usually get paid a bit more than your old salary.
The subject matter expert
Compare that to a subject matter expert. This role isn't just about being paid for being an extra set of hands or helping deliver by doing the grunt work. You're brought in because of your smarts, your experiences, your intellectual property.
What you bring to the table helps your client either fast track results or avoid pitfalls. Essentially, you're delivering value that is over and above just helping get the work done.
The way to do this is to unpack a lot of your intellectual property, build it out into frameworks, methodologies and processes. This way when people engage you, they're not just getting your hours, they're getting your smarts, your IP.
You might have 5, 10, 20 years worth of smarts which a company can benefit from. Of course, that is a lot more valuable than just an hour of your time or a day of your time.
If you can factor that in as a subject matter expert, you're bringing a lot more value to the table. You'll be earning a lot more for what you bring, because it's a lot more valuable.
It's okay to start as a consultant, but if you can also be a consultant who is also a subject matter expert, that's where things start to get really exciting.
That's the difference between a consultant and a subject matter expert. Which camp do you fall into?
