Creating long-term value for an institution, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, requires an acute understanding of the relationships between clients, customers, and markets. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to business development, so we work alongside our clients to understand their specific assets and build tailor-made strategies that equip them with the tools for success.

Karl Rutter Consulting LLC understands how to navigate through the maze of opportunities to find the right ones for our clients, based on decades of experience. Business development opportunities may present themselves in a variety of forms, including partnerships with for-profit institutions or international companies, launching new programs, and/or adding value to current programs. Our goal is to use a variety of tactics to create the right business development strategy that is unique to your institution.

Although an all-encompassing, across-the-board marketing approach may seem to save on time and expenses, we believe there is a better approach to our complex, interconnected world. The US higher education market is extremely varied; colleges and universities need to identify a unique value proposition and marketing plan. Karl Rutter Consulting LLC takes a more creative, unique approach to marketing, using a combination of tactics to achieve our goals.

We work with our client’s end goal in mind, building out unique strategies and tactics based on institutions’ assets. Marketing plans are often based on a combination of traditional and digital tactics, depending on the goal. We find low-cost, high-impact options for schools. To create your digital footprint, we align with partners such as Studio 23 on your campaign, enhancing the student experience through beautiful website design and unique microsites. We look to build traffic, boosting search engine optimization (SEO) and customer relationship management (CRM). As a boutique agency, we can assemble the best mix to achieve clients’ goals in the most cost-effective manner.

Partnerships can evolve in many different ways, including universities looking for foreign schools for non-monetary bilateral agreements or companies hoping to invest in a program or bridging academic programs. An institution must understand the strategic necessity for the partnership and to succeed in the international market cultural values and expectations need to be aligned appropriately.

Karl Rutter Consulting LLC can help to foster the right kind of collaboration and structure with your new partnerships. Historically, colleges and universities have legacy institutional partners developed organically and built on relationships. This situation may have been appropriate during a build-up stage. However, in today’s inter-connected world, more time and emphasis needs to be placed on strategic partnerships that align with a college’s or university’s goals; partnership portfolios need to be geographically balanced and have variety to limit risk. We have developed a broad variety of partnership types through a broad geographic scope, which helps minimize risk.

Past Partners with US Institutions have included: Copenhagen Business School; École Polytechnique; EDHEC Business School; Grenoble École de Management (GEM); Norwegian School of Economics (NHH); Science Po Paris; Universidad CEU; San Pablo; University Cattolica del Sacro Core; University of Lausanne; University of Liechtenstein; University Paris I; Panthéon-Sorbonne

South America: Insper; The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Tecnológico de Monterrey

Asia: Harbin Institute of Technology; Renmin University; Sichuan University; Xi’an Jiaotong University

Whether it is an enhancement of an existing program or building a program completely from scratch, our experience is in finding additional streams of revenue through program development, both in the domestic and international markets. With years of experience working exclusively within higher education on new program development, we understand the issues and concerns for colleges and universities. They have a broad range of experience, with special familiarity in launching non-degree programs that add value to a school’s mission and drive revenue.

Karl Rutter Consulting LLC is especially creative when it comes to program development, deriving inspiration from experience the for-profit world to ensure that new programs are built on sound business practices appropriate for non-profit institutions. Understanding business theory allows us to construct programs that satisfy clients’ goals and give the best possible experience to students. We have worked with programs for pre-college, summer, international students, and non-credit coursework. We have also found new forms of revenue to help offset the cost of the programs through creative problem solving and partnership development.

Higher education has become more competitive, with a greater diversity in program offers, locations, and platforms. Colleges and universities need to actively recruit students using a variety of recruitment tactics. Karl Rutter Consulting LLC has been working specifically in recruitment for the past 15 years.

Whether it is diversifying your student base or looking for new students pursuing a master’s degree, we have worked with a variety of school programs to help build out their recruitment strategy using tactics that are appropriate to your brand. With in-depth knowledge across the international education industry, we work with our clients on international recruitment plans and partnership strategies combining traditional and digital techniques. We understand the need for a balanced geographic mix and diversity of students. We can work with you to construct a program that is diverse, considering an all-inclusion approach that allows access for all.

Good strategy is the cornerstone of each of our engagements. Historically, there has been a more passive strategic approach allowing the market to drive enrollment. In today’s environment of razor-sharp budgets, competitive landscape, and fast-paced media, institutions need more than that. Research and experience enable us to develop solid strategy based on sound business theory, market demands, and research.

We specialize in building out the strategy for new initiatives, keeping in mind our clients’ school profile, student base, and ultimate goals. Whether that is a small private school with a religious affiliation or a large public institution in a rural community, we work to build out a strategy including reliable marketing tactics to meet these goals. We work with our clients to establish assessments and markers and, if requested, continue our partnership through implementation to help ensure success.