Frequently Asked Questions About Business Development Consulting
Choosing the right business development consultant can significantly impact your company's growth trajectory. These questions reflect the most common concerns I hear from prospective clients during initial consultations. Each answer provides specific details about my approach, methodologies, and what you can realistically expect from a consulting engagement.
Business development consulting is not a one-size-fits-all service. The strategies that work for a venture-backed SaaS company differ dramatically from those suited to a family-owned manufacturing business. My responses below explain how I customize approaches based on company size, industry dynamics, growth stage, and specific objectives. For additional context about my professional background and consulting philosophy, visit the about page where I detail the experiences that shaped my methodology.
Who is Grant Bachelor?
I'm a business development consultant with 12 years of experience helping companies build strategic partnerships and expand into new markets. My background includes roles at two venture-backed technology companies where I built partnership programs from scratch, plus six years running my independent consulting practice. I've worked with 67 companies across technology, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and professional services sectors. My educational background includes an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business with concentrations in strategy and entrepreneurship. I'm based in Chicago but work with clients throughout North America and Europe, conducting roughly 40% of engagements remotely and 60% with significant on-site involvement.
What services does Grant Bachelor offer?
My consulting services fall into four main categories. Partnership strategy development involves identifying the right partnership models for your business, building target partner profiles, and creating outreach strategies—typically a 6-8 week engagement costing $28,000-$42,000. Market entry consulting helps companies expand geographically or into new customer segments through systematic research and phased execution plans, usually running 3-5 months at $55,000-$95,000. Ongoing partnership management provides fractional business development leadership for companies not ready to hire full-time, billed monthly at $8,500-$15,000 depending on scope. Finally, I offer workshop facilitation and team training, typically 2-3 day intensive sessions priced at $12,000-$18,000. Most clients start with strategy work then transition to implementation support.
How can I contact Grant Bachelor?
The most efficient way to initiate contact is through the contact form on this website, which goes directly to my primary email and typically receives a response within 24 hours on business days. For time-sensitive inquiries, you can email directly at grant@grantbachelor.xyz. I don't publish a phone number publicly to manage inbound volume effectively, but provide direct dial access to all active clients and serious prospects after an initial screening conversation. I'm also active on LinkedIn where I publish weekly insights on business development topics—you can find me by searching 'Grant Bachelor Business Development' though I prefer initial business inquiries through email rather than LinkedIn messages. I typically schedule exploratory calls on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, with most initial conversations lasting 30-45 minutes to assess fit and discuss your specific situation.
What is Grant Bachelor's professional background?
My career in business development began in 2012 at a healthcare technology startup where I was employee number 23 and built the company's first channel partner program. Over four years, that program grew to include 87 active partners generating 43% of company revenue. In 2016, I joined a financial services software company as Director of Strategic Partnerships, where I led a team of five and closed partnerships with three of the top ten U.S. banks. I launched my consulting practice in 2018 after recognizing that mid-sized companies needed sophisticated business development expertise but couldn't justify a senior full-time hire. My MBA from University of Michigan (2015) provided theoretical frameworks that I've since tested and refined through hundreds of real-world applications. I maintain active involvement in the Strategic Account Management Association and regularly speak at industry conferences on partnership economics and market entry strategies.
How long does a typical consulting engagement last?
Engagement duration varies significantly based on objectives and scope. Pure strategy projects typically run 6-10 weeks and deliver comprehensive partnership strategies, target partner lists, and outreach frameworks. Market entry projects average 4-6 months because they include both planning and early-stage execution support. Implementation-focused engagements where I'm actively helping close deals and manage partnerships usually run 9-15 months, allowing time to complete full sales cycles and optimize processes. My longest client relationship has spanned 4 years with evolving scope as the company grew from $12 million to $67 million in annual revenue. About 60% of clients engage for follow-on work after initial projects, either expanding scope or addressing new growth initiatives. I structure all agreements with clear deliverables and milestones, and include quarterly review points where we assess progress and determine whether to continue, adjust, or conclude the engagement.
What results can I expect from business development consulting?
Results depend heavily on your starting point, market conditions, and execution capabilities, but I can share typical outcomes from recent engagements. Strategy projects deliver 15-30 qualified target partners with customized outreach approaches, plus internal frameworks your team can use independently. Market entry projects have averaged $1.9 million in first-year revenue from new markets, though this varies from $400,000 to $8.2 million depending on market size and company resources. For partnership development, clients typically close 3-7 significant partnerships during a 12-month engagement, with those partnerships generating 18-35% revenue growth in year two. I track success rigorously—across all 2023 engagements, clients averaged 4.2x ROI within 18 months of project completion. However, I'm selective about client engagements and decline roughly 40% of inquiries where I don't believe I can deliver meaningful impact, usually because of market conditions, internal capability gaps, or misaligned expectations.
Do you work with companies in my industry?
I maintain broad industry experience rather than specializing in a single vertical, which allows me to bring cross-industry insights to each engagement. My client portfolio includes 23 technology companies (SaaS, hardware, and services), 14 healthcare organizations (providers, technology vendors, and services), 11 financial services firms, 9 manufacturing companies, and 10 professional services businesses. The business development principles I employ—partner evaluation frameworks, negotiation strategies, market analysis methodologies—apply across industries with customization for sector-specific dynamics. In fact, some of my most successful strategies have come from adapting approaches from one industry to another. That said, I do minimal work in retail, hospitality, or consumer packaged goods as those sectors require different expertise. During initial consultations, I'm transparent about my relevant experience and will decline engagements where I lack sufficient industry knowledge to add value.
What makes your approach different from other business development consultants?
Three elements distinguish my practice. First, I focus on implementation, not just strategy documents. According to research from PMI, most strategies fail during execution, so I work alongside your teams to build capabilities and close actual deals, not just create PowerPoint decks. Second, I employ rigorous data analysis uncommon in business development consulting. My 23-variable partner scoring system, pipeline analytics, and market sizing methodologies bring quantitative discipline to what's traditionally been a relationship-driven field. Third, I maintain a deliberately small practice—I personally lead every engagement rather than delegating to junior consultants. This means I can only accept 8-12 clients annually, but those clients get direct access to my full experience. I also publish all my fee structures transparently and never charge for initial consultations, contrasting with firms that obscure pricing or bill for exploratory conversations.
| Service Type | Typical Duration | Investment Range | Primary Deliverables | Success Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partnership Strategy | 6-10 weeks | $28K-$42K | Strategy framework, target list, outreach plan | 15-30 qualified targets identified |
| Market Entry | 4-6 months | $55K-$95K | Market analysis, entry plan, pilot execution | $1.9M avg. first-year revenue |
| Partnership Management | 9-15 months | $8.5K-$15K/month | Active deal support, process optimization | 3-7 partnerships closed |
| Team Training | 2-3 days | $12K-$18K | Workshops, frameworks, skill development | Team capability improvement |
Additional Resources
- Strategic Account Management Association - I maintain active involvement in this professional organization and regularly speak at industry conferences on partnership economics and market entry strategies.
- University of Michigan's Ross School of Business - My MBA with concentrations in strategy and entrepreneurship provided the theoretical frameworks I've tested and refined through hundreds of real-world applications.
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