Do you have a thing for working with entrepreneurs and assisting them in building their businesses and achieving their goals? Then, you may want to consider becoming a business development consultant.

You’ll need first to acquire a degree in business administration. Then, you can kick off your career in business consulting while in school, taking internship roles with a consultancy or at a local business.

After graduating, you can venture into business development consulting services by joining a consultancy firm. And since you have had some internship experience while in school, you may want to consider starting your firm straight away. 

What Is a Business Development Consultant? 

Business development consultants provide business advice to businesses and organizations. Many new companies look to business consultants to help them build a solid operational foundation. The consultant has to assess and analyze the current business practices before offering insights into being more strategic to boost marketing, efficiency, and sales opportunities. 

A consultant often has to work more with new businesses still trying to find stability, develop firm ground and a solid place in their market through proven best practices, and leverage data-driven research.

Internships are some of the incredible ways college students can acquire real firsthand experience in their fields. Hence, a fresh business development graduate who has taken advantage of internship opportunities while in school can reach out to local companies and consultancies to kick off his career, straight from college.

How Do You Become a Business Development Consultant?

Business development consultants must have some formal education and qualifications. They should consider relevant fields such as economics, business administration, and other related options.

You can easily leverage internship experience and skills to take up higher roles than other candidates. For example, most business development companies require some level of experience from job applicants, which you can earn during an internship. For further opportunities, you may want to apply to international development agencies or spend the summer with a national consultancy.

Additionally, to succeed as a business consultant, you must possess excellent communication skills and in-depth knowledge of the best business practices you consult in a specialized segment of the industry.

As a starter, you can also seek work with a notable business consulting firm to build knowledge. Finally, with an undergraduate degree in business administration, you can focus on a specific consultancy area, such as product research and development, marketing, or investment.

Your school might also offer certificate programs in regional economics, global development, and business development.  

As a graduate in business administration, you’ll likely have a broader opportunity to gain management positions. And if you are interested in teaching and academic research, you could consider taking it further by acquiring a doctorate in business.

What does a Business Development Consultant do?

As a business development consultant, you can fit in gracefully into virtually any organization. However, the role you occupy will depend a lot on the industry you are in. It could be in a B2B or B2C business; the company’s specific goals also matter. 

Here are some of the duties you’ll need to perform in your business consultancy role.

  • Helping businesses generate leads
  • Creating a buyer persona
  • Narrowing down target market demographics
  • Generating product and brand awareness
  • Providing business relationship advice to critical players in a company
  • Determining resources that will bolster user experience for a specific target market
  • Curating and analyzing data to uncover areas where data should be improved
  • Study market niches, trends, and competition
  • Helping businesses close more incredible deals
  • Executing a follow-up process to determine if customers and clients are satisfied with the service they receive — and potential repeat purchases

As a capable business development consultant, you’ll need to be able to face challenges and create approaches to overcome them head-on. However, your job doesn’t end with struggling companies. You can also help established businesses identify areas that need improvement and create a path for increasing revenue.

Where Can They Work?

As a business development consultant, you can work in diverse areas — whether from your own firm or in other corporations across a wide range of industries. Your key focus is to address business issues lingering on growth and achieve business goals. In addition, you’ll have to contribute innovative ideas to the company you work with and its development.

In a Nutshell

Business development consultancy is a remarkable job for individuals willing to do the required work. Many companies use business development consultants to generate leads and coach the team. 

Aside from helping businesses locate new clients, you’ll also need to enable enterprises to close deals. You may also need to show the company ways to close deals in ways they hadn’t imagined. You will need to be highly creative in studying the market and proffering top-level solutions to an organization, thereby helping them close incredible deals.