Does an independent consultant always advise spending less?
No. Plenty of the time the answer is to spend the money and do it properly. The point is that the yes is earned by evidence rather than assumed.
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The consultant who tells you what not to buy
Because almost everyone else selling you digital is paid when you say yes: the agency wants the build, the platform the licence, the reseller the margin. Money mostly goes wrong on the shiny purchase that was pitched well, so stopping one of those is worth more than optimising ten things you were right to buy. An adviser with no build, licence or development hours to fill can tell you when your current site is fine and the real problem is that nobody can find it.
Why is advice not to buy worth paying for?
Because money rarely goes wrong on the sensible, boring spend. It goes wrong on the shiny thing bought because it was pitched well: the platform nobody needed, the rebuild that solved a problem you did not have. Stopping one of those is worth more than optimising ten things you were right to buy.
After twenty-five years of this work I have seen the same pattern repeatedly. A business feels behind, someone persuasive offers a fix, and the fix is bought before anyone checks whether it addresses the real problem. The tool is fine; it answers a question nobody asked.
Why does having nothing to sell change the advice?
Because the adviser's only interest is you spending well. Even the well-meaning people selling digital are paid when you say yes, and that steers the advice. I am not building the thing, and I have no licence to shift and no development hours to fill, so I can say when the right amount to spend this quarter is less, or nothing at all.
That changes what you hear. An agency reviewing whether you need a new website will usually conclude that you do. Someone with no build to win can tell you the site is fine and the real problem is that nobody can find it.
What does independent advice look like in practice?
A yes that is earned rather than assumed. Plenty of the time the answer is to spend the money and do it properly. Before recommending any spend, I want to know what you are trying to achieve, whether the numbers you are working from are true, and what would have to change for the outcome you want. Answer those honestly and half the obvious purchases fall away, and the other half you buy with confidence because you know why.
Related evidence: How a mid size regional UK law firm grew online enquiries by 190% without rebuilding their website. Next in this journey: The hidden cost of vendor-led advice.
Questions people ask
What should you ask anyone recommending a digital purchase?
What they get if you say yes. If the honest answer is a sale, weigh their advice accordingly.
Not sure where to start?
Most clients begin with a conversation. No pitch, no hard sell.
Just a straightforward discussion about where you are and whether I can help.
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