Every business leader has their own set of goals, but in most cases, they fail to meet them, especially when it comes to small businesses and startups. When a business struggles, a big mistake many leaders make is adjusting the wrong things. This is why GAP analysis is so important; it helps you understand exactly which parts of your business process are causing you to lag behind. Many business growth consulting firms stress the importance of identifying key factors in your business model which are causing negative effects.
Let’s say you have a certain number of sales you wish to reach by the end of the quarter, but the current numbers aren’t looking so good. Is this the fault of your sales team? Before you start replacing valuable members of your sales force, it may be wise to analyze all factors which could be turning customers away. In many situations, what business leaders think customers want actually differs from reality. If your offering is not as appealing as you think it is, it may be time to analyze your target market thoroughly. With GAP analysis, you can identify these issues and implement an effective strategy to fix them, instead of blindly making changes which you think will improve the situation. However, keep in mind that using a business consulting firm for this process will yield better results.

With so many online tools at your disposal, you could try to analyze the issue yourself. However, most of those tools will present you with raw data. If you understand how to make sense of this data and put it to use, you should be fine. However, most business growth consulting firms will tell you that misinterpreting raw data can have severe consequences.
Source: National Business Services