In eCommerce, The Diagnosis Is Much More Important Than The Prescription
What is the Importance of Diagnosis in eCommerce?
Imagine you walked into a doctor's office with your child, and before you opened your mouth, your doctor was already telling you what to do:
"I surveyed 1000 kids last year, and most were diabetic, so here are these pills."
You would likely be horrified and walk out.
Yet we continually spout best practices, benchmarking, the right "app stack" (this term I hate the most), frameworks, headless, composable, components, without understanding business goals (step one) and learning why they aren't achieving them (most do not even attempt this step).
What are the Reasons to Call a Consultant in eCommerce?
There are a few good reasons to call a consultant, and one of them is you are unsure what to do next.
You could do many things that you read somewhere, and many of these prescriptions are well-meaning, and many of those things might help. Your team could be divided over what to do next, or maybe not even be interested in owning the problem. Or perhaps you know about one problem, but as a CEO if you happen to find this problem, you are almost certain there are others.
The point of the original doctor story is that without a proper diagnosis, any prescription is almost useless.
What are the Components of a Proper Diagnosis in eCommerce?
1 - Experience. Someone who has been in your shoes before will likely have made mistakes you haven't even made yet.
2 - Goal Clarity. Ensuring your business has a few clear goals is crucial, and it's easy for a third party to ask about this without politics or biases getting in the way.
3 - Data. Data about your products, customers, employees, profitability, traffic, and plans are necessary for a proper diagnosis. I like to say: high-level analytics and reporting will only tell you that the house is on fire; it takes much more profound analysis to learn what started the fire.
Why is Goal Clarity Crucial in a Proper Diagnosis in eCommerce?
These are the starting points. Without this, a consultant cannot even begin to ask the right questions. And you want to know the funny part? Most of the time, the problem is not the technology.
The problem is the people. For every significant problem you have in your business, there is a CEO who has not prioritized it, and this problem often does not have a single accountable owner with the resources they have asked for.
If you are struggling with a problem and everyone suggests it is technology, it may be time to look deeper.
And the key is in the questions you ask.
How Will You Grow Your eCommerce Company?
When growth is elusive, I am an expert at asking incisive questions to surface the real issues and then present straightforward ideas that your team can actually implement.
Mistakes are expensive. They cost money, of course. What’s worse is the opportunity cost. I work with investors and management teams worldwide to help them get a handle on their digital business plans to execute a clear path forward.
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