Executive Advisory · Services
Business Development: Strategic Partnerships, Go-to-Market and New Markets
Business development in technology companies is not a sales function with a different name. It is how a company builds the partnerships, channels and markets that sales will later depend on.
Technology companies often hire business development late, define it loosely and measure it like sales. The result is activity without direction: many meetings, few strategic outcomes. Effective business development has a clear mandate, a short list of targets and a direct link to the company’s strategy.
Three jobs of business development
- Strategic partnerships: with OEMs, integrators, distributors or technology partners that extend reach, credibility or capability.
- Go-to-market: defining the segments, value proposition, pricing, channels and sales motion for each market.
- New markets: assessing, entering and building presence in new industries or geographies.
Partnerships that create value
A good partnership solves a problem for both sides. Before investing in one, it is worth being precise about what each side gives and gets, what success looks like in numbers, who owns the relationship on each side, and how the partnership ends if it does not work. Many partnerships fail not because they were wrong, but because no one owned them after the announcement.
Go-to-market as a set of decisions
Go-to-market is a set of connected decisions: which customers first, what problem we solve for them, how we price, how we reach them and who sells. In technology companies, the most common mistake is a single go-to-market for very different segments, such as defense and commercial, or enterprise and mid-market.
Hardware, software and cyber
- Hardware: partnerships with OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers often decide market access, and qualification cycles shape the timeline.
- Software: integrations, marketplaces and resellers can accelerate reach, if the product and support are ready for them.
- Cyber: trust is the currency. Integrators, managed security providers and technology alliances are often the fastest route to enterprise and government customers.
How we work
We help define the business development mandate and targets, build the partnership and market-entry plans, prepare for key negotiations, and, where useful, open doors and join meetings with partners and customers. Our experience across defense, aerospace, semiconductors, automotive and industrial markets, in many countries, helps companies avoid learning each market the hard way.
Common traps
- Measuring business development by the number of meetings.
- Announcing partnerships without a joint plan and owners.
- Entering several new markets at once with the same team.
- Leaving pricing and commercial terms to the last minute.
Questions for the leadership team
- Which three partnerships would change our trajectory, and who owns each one?
- Do we have one go-to-market or several, and should we?
- What would we need to be true before entering the next market?
This service is part of our Executive Advisory division. See all Executive Advisory services, or talk to us about your situation.
This article reflects the author’s professional opinion only. It is general information, not professional advice or a recommendation to take any action, and any use of it is the reader’s sole responsibility.