Verabrede dich zum Casen über das Meeting-Board, nimm an Diskussionen in unserem Consulting Q&A teil und finde gleichgesinnte Interview-Partner:innen, um dich auszutauschen und gemeinsam zu üben!
Zurück zur Übersicht

Management Consulting vs Business Development

Hi everyone, I have a question about the differences between working as a management consultant at an MBB firm and working in in-house business development at a Fortune 500 company. I'm curious about the overall experience, including but not limited to the nature of the work, career growth, and exit opportunities. Could anyone share their insights or experiences?

2
2,2k
58
Schreibe die erste Antwort!
Bisher hat niemand auf diese Frage reagiert.
Beste Antwort
Hagen
Coach
am 23. Aug. 2024
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

  • First of all, business development is typically a regular business function within an organization with a strong focus on sales (opportunities).
  • Moreover, there are very few similarities to consulting, and career growth as well as exit opportunities can be more considered like for any other business function, i.e. you might become a “senior business developer” and “head of business development” over time and your exit will most likely be in a business development or sales-related role somewhere else.
  • Lastly, I would advise you to reach out to professionals of both occupations and find out in more detail on your own.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Florian
Coach
am 23. Aug. 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

It's two vastly different roles.

I worked both in consulting for McKinsey and in biz dev for a scale-up.

Consulting

  • You will work on many fast-paced and short strategic projects across various industries and contexts. Typical project length is around 8-12 weeks
  • You will also travel a lot as projects are usually in a different city or even country. You will see a lot of cool stuff in a very short amount of time. Biggest upside for me
  • You will work in small teams (EM+2 is the standard model), often collaborating with the client's internal teams
  • Offers a fast-paced, diverse career path with opportunities for rapid advancement and exposure to various industries
  • Salaries are much higher than in biz dev and the career trajectory is much faster and more rigid (entry to partner is possible within a few years if you are good)
  • You will mainly work on the theory part (strategies, plans, etc) but implementation is still mainly done by the client

Biz dev

  • Involves identifying growth opportunities, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions specific to the company, with a focus on long-term business growth
  • You have several projects/responsibilities at the same time and complete ownership of them. The projects themselves are longer-lasting
  • In that sense, it's much more stable and travel is limited, yet also a much slower environment. Things take ages to get done compared to consulting. Biggest downside for me personally
  • Typically offers a more stable, company-specific career with a focus on deepening expertise within one industry or company
  • You are more directly involved in decision-making and implementation

I enjoyed both roles for different reasons but would not have wanted to miss consulting, whereas biz dev I could have done without.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,

Florian

Ähnliche Fragen
Consulting
Do consultants use AI for PowerPoint or excel or anywhere in the Process??
am 24. Aug. 2024
Global
7
2,2k
Beste Antwort von
Nilay
Coach
Former McKinsey Sr Engagement Manager | Trained McKinsey interviewer (100+ interviews, 500+ coaching sessions)
50
7 Antworten
2,2k Aufrufe
+4
Consulting
What do they look in a candidate?
am 31. Aug. 2024
Global
5
1,3k
Beste Antwort von
Hagen
Coach
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | 8+ years consulting, 8+ years coaching and 7+ years interviewing experience
65
5 Antworten
1,3k Aufrufe
+2
Consulting
Consulting career
am 28. März 2025
Global
9
300+
Beste Antwort von
Evelina
Coach
EY-Parthenon (6 years) l BCG offer holder l 97% success rate l 30% off first session l free 15' intro call l LBS
19
9 Antworten
300+ Aufrufe
+6
Wie wahrscheinlich ist es, dass du uns einem Freund oder Kommilitonen empfiehlst?
0 = Nicht wahrscheinlich
10 = Sehr wahrscheinlich
Vielen Dank für dein Feedback! Deine Meinung hilft uns, PrepLounge noch besser zu machen.