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Consulting Uncensored
The good, the bad and the ugly of the world of consulting.
Consulting Uncensored is where we have straight talk on key topics impacting the consulting industry. Hosted by industry veteran Neal McNamara, who is never short on unfiltered opinions on most things but in particular matters of strategy, leadership, talent and culture.
With decades of experience building and leading high-performing consulting teams, Neal sits down with other industry participants, investors, executives and consumers of consulting services to talk openly about realities of the industry - especially realities that many don't openly discuss or analyze.
Whether you’re a veteran in the industry, early in your career or someone considering a career in consulting, Consulting Uncensored offers an unfiltered look at the industry, what it takes to succeed and ways to grow and build great practices and/or businesses with some fun and entertaining dialogue along the way.
No consulting speak. Real talk. No filters.
Consulting Uncensored
The Long Game: Building Relationships and Credibility in Consulting with Grant Marcks
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What separates great business development from everyone else?
In this episode, Neal sits down with Grant Marcks, Partner at The Riverside Company, to explore why winning work in private equity and consulting depends on patience, credibility, and long-term relationship-building.
Grant explains how thoughtful “no” responses can create future goodwill, why silence damages trust, and how strong references compound across tight professional ecosystems.
The conversation also dives into what private equity investors actually want in consulting firms, including specialization, recurring revenue, retention, growth, and infrastructure that can support scale.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why great business development starts with long-term relationship thinking.
- How thoughtful “no” responses can strengthen future deal flow.
- Why reputation compounds across bankers, founders, consultants, and service providers.
- How “sourcing” and “closing” require different skills in consulting.
- Why private equity loves specialized, recurring, growing professional services firms.
- When buy-and-build works better than building new services organically.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
- “Don't let yourself get caught up in the day-to-day transactional part of this job. Think about every interaction you have as an investment for the future, whether it be three years, five years, 10 years down the line.” - Grant Marcks
- “Leave good references in your wake... it can't just be the five that you put on a reference card. It has to be the fact that I can sub rosa call really anyone that you've worked with before.” - Grant Marcks
- “You're only as good as your last deal, and you're only as good as whatever that business owner is going to tell the market.” - Grant Marcks
Resources:
- Grant Marcks: The Riverside Company | LinkedIn
- Neal McNamara: Website | LinkedIn
- Email: nmcnamara@virtaspartners.com
Connect with Neal:
If you lead a consulting, finance, or professional services team and want to stay close to how investors and private equity are really thinking about growth and value creation, connect with Neal on LinkedIn to keep the conversation going and share your perspective.
To learn more about how Virtas Partners helps clients navigate major financial transitions from acquisitions and carve‑outs to IPOs, restructurings, and other complex changes, visit the Virtas Partners website.