Alumni Dialogue: “Roland-Berger Partner Patrick Müller-Sarmiento on the question "What is consulting?"
True to the motto "You have to try everything once", the half-Colombian who speaks Spanish as a second native language has worked in the trading department of an investment bank in San Francisco and in the marketing department of a fragrance and aroma producer in Buenos Aires. He realized he was particularly suited to the consulting industry after completing an internship at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, who he joined as a consultant in 2001. Among his clients are larger food and non-food retailers as well as consumer goods manufacturers. "Working for a large German food retailer, I learned the importance of analysing consumer behaviour using mass data generated by market research, customer loyalty programmes, and GfK/Nielsen and other sources. These data provide a wealth of information for the company, ranging from important strategic issues to the right time for advertising", explained Müller-Sarmiento to the students. His professional responsibilities extend from strategic re-orientation to brand positioning, restructuring and turnaround management.
What's so special about management consulting, says the consumer goods and retail expert, is that you're expected to express your own opinion at all hierarchy levels. The wide range of topics is also a great advantage. "Each month brings new challenges and numerous diverse projects – from all across Europe. And this is coupled with a freedom that's hard to find in other industries. The client or the company is the boss", says Müller-Sarmiento.
Important for a good consultant is to be able to put yourself in a client's shoes. You must listen to clients, understand how their minds work and be able to build a trusting relationship. This also involves asking the right questions. Consultants must be able to recognize trends, understand the implications involved for their clients and develop appropriate solutions. Trends under observation include sustainability, online developments, demographic structure, convenience, healthcare, etc.
Besides good grades, own initiative, intercultural understanding and language competence belong to the standard repertoire of skills. These are complemented by a sound analytical understanding, which is needed to obtain results and derive trends from mass data, a well-developed personality and reflective ability. But a good work-life balance is also important for the father of two sons who is married to a journalist and lives in Hamburg. He enjoys spending his spare time with his family and playing the piano.