What does a business consultant do?
A business consultant is an individual who works directly with business owners on developing a business plan and identifying their marketing needs. Business consultants offer business owners a wide range of services, such as supplementing existing staff, provide expertise in a specific market, and influencing other people. To increase revenue in business, business consultants should have experience success with the previous business owners. Business consultants must also have a bachelor's degree in business management and received years of field training.
Business consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real business consultant resumes:
- Partner with PMO and lead testing effort to ensure completeness of test data sets and to manage risk.
- Manage requirements gathering, identify KPI s, and oversee design and architecture decisions.
- Manage various SOX, HIPAA and PCI compliance projects from the planning stages to completion.
- Apply the specific rules for HIPAA X12, Medicaid manage care requirements and industry best practices for transaction handling.
- Manage external technology suppliers to assure functional operations and system architecture meet the business needs.
- Perform successful UAT - good knowledge & experience in SDLC - SQL querying and data analysis.
- Implement cloud base ERP system - NetSuite for financial system with POS U/I for retail.
- Develop and implement strategic business plans with bank and CPA partners to prospect new clients for ADP on a referral basis.
- Receive level 2 ADP corporate sales training.
- Develop migration strategies from TDM voice technologies to VoIP communications.
- Create and maintain EDI programs for transmitting data to branches around the world.
- Demonstrate proof of concept for automate dispatching and tracking for production SAS reporting software.
- Conduct training programs on U.S. HR laws and best practices for firm's European employees.
- Educate potential clients about the benefits of SEO, user reviews and online brand exposure.
- Champion the development of the search strategy and review of SharePoint as the enterprise search product.
Business consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Business Consultants are proficient in Data Analysis, Project Management, and Strong Analytical. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Business Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Data Analysis, 10%
Contributed by finding new data analysis & material analysis methods and insightful information on variables using Correlation and Statistical Analysis tools.
- Project Management, 9%
Launched consulting business specializing in program development and project management for organizations that educate, support and provide services to entrepreneurs.
- Strong Analytical, 8%
Demonstrate strong analytical and problem solving skills and provide interpersonal and collaborative skills Build strong relationships with vendors and clients
- Analytics, 7%
Developed 2 user interactive analytics solutions for monitoring medical product spend and identifying actionable savings in Tableau.
- Healthcare, 5%
Assisted management of client engagements in business risk and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance focusing on the Healthcare, Manufacturing and Technology industries.
- Tableau, 5%
Performed BI analysis using Tableau and generated reports that forecast sales and performance to upper management.
"data analysis," "project management," and "strong analytical" are among the most common skills that business consultants use at work. You can find even more business consultant responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a business consultant to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what business consultants do because "management analysts must be able to interpret information and use their findings to make proposals." Additionally, a business consultant resume shows how business consultants use analytical skills: "performed data mining and visualization, calculated various metrics, identified problem areas. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform business consultant duties is communication skills. Business consultants responsibilities require that "management analysts must be able to convey information clearly in both writing and speaking." Business consultants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "influenced operations management strategies through collection, analysis, and communication of business process metrics. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for business consultants to perform their duties. For an example of how business consultant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "management analysts work with managers and other employees of the organizations for which they provide consulting services." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a business consultant: "managed the installation of management systems, key performance metrics and improved business processes through strong facilitation and exceptional interpersonal skills. ".
Problem-solving skills. business consultant responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "management analysts must be able to think creatively to solve clients’ problems." This resume example shows what business consultants do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "conduct system analysis for erp software solution for process and pharmaceutical manufacturing clients. "
Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in business consultant job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what business consultants do. Business consultant responsibilities rely on this skill because "management analysts often work under tight deadlines and must use their time efficiently to complete projects on schedule." You can also see how business consultant duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "processed weekly payroll in a timely manner in order to meet corporate deadlines. "
The three companies that hire the most business consultants are:
- Wells Fargo167 business consultants jobs
- U.S. Bank96 business consultants jobs
- Ernst & Young68 business consultants jobs
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Compare different business consultants
Business consultant vs. Program management consultant
A program management consultant is responsible for analyzing project requirements based on clients' specifications, developing quality improvement techniques, and reviewing project deliverables. Program management consultants work closely with the project team to identify project initiatives and resolve complexities that may arise. They also inspect the resources and materials to be utilized during the project and determine cost-reduction processes without compromising quality and efficiency. A program management consultant coordinates with the clients for progress updates and informs them of any plan adjustments as needed.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between business consultants and program management consultant. For instance, business consultant responsibilities require skills such as "data analysis," "analytics," "tableau," and "business analysis." Whereas a program management consultant is skilled in "management program," "hr," "scrum," and "sigma." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Program management consultants tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $107,612. In contrast, business consultants make the biggest average salary, $89,294, in the technology industry.On average, program management consultants reach similar levels of education than business consultants. Program management consultants are 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Business consultant vs. Contractor/consultant
A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, business consultant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "strong analytical," "analytics," "tableau," and "business analysis." Meanwhile, a contractor/consultant has duties that require skills in areas such as "post implementation," "medicaid," "opportunity analysis," and "hr." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Contractor/consultants may earn a lower salary than business consultants, but contractor/consultants earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $88,122. On the other hand, business consultants receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $89,294.In general, contractor/consultants achieve similar levels of education than business consultants. They're 2.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business consultant vs. Business advisor
Business Advisors are consultants responsible for implementing business strategies to improve financial and operational efficiency. They are involved in preparing financial budgets, recommending a change in the operational process, identifying new business opportunities, evaluating a marketing strategy, and reviewing supplier and labor contracts. Business advisors also help to manage risk by performing risk analysis and consumer behavioral analysis. They are involved in report preparation and work to maintain open communication with different departments to implement change.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, business consultants are more likely to have skills like "data analysis," "analytics," "tableau," and "business analysis." But a business advisor is more likely to have skills like "business strategies," "excellent organizational," "sql," and "lean six sigma."
Business advisors earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $92,206. Comparatively, business consultants have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $89,294.Most business advisors achieve a similar degree level compared to business consultants. For example, they're 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business consultant vs. Implementation consultant
An implementation consultant is an individual who travels to various job sites to help clients with the installation of different software and hardware solutions. Implementation consultants must be knowledgeable of the software application so that they can conduct training sessions for internal and external customers. They develop system teaching aids such as training handbooks, demonstration models, and multimedia visual aids. Implementation consultants must also obtain technical certification, particularly on the specific software and hardware they install.
Types of business consultant
Updated January 8, 2025
