An excellent M&A consultant will guide you and your team through a sale or purchase with confidence. The experience should be as pleasant and stress free as possible.
Choosing the wrong M&A consultant is like shooting yourself in the foot. You are setting yourself up for chaos, confusion, disenchantment and far too much anxiety. All avoidable.
The five core areas to consider when searching for a M&A consultant:
- Process management.
- M&A experience.
- Marketing capabilities.
- Communication capabilities.
- Industry ties.
Research is imperative. If you can happily take several hours to choose a holiday why wouldn’t you invest time in a decision that has far reaching consequences?
The person working with you during the M&A process must be able to organise and co-ordinate effectively. A M & A consultant can offer their services for decades and cite this as invaluable experience but longevity in a career doesn’t guarantee the best service.
Are they 100% committed to the process? This is a vital question.
Your consultant also needs real M&A experience. It may look promising if someone has been in property management for thirty years and they are hoping to handle your process but they need actual M&A experience to be able to work effectively and optimally.
Whilst their attributes and career history are important, you need to know that the person you entrust your M&A consulting to is the right person for the job. A real world and not a textbook expert.
Ask to see proof of their abilities in terms of past acquisitions, qualifications and testimonials.
M&A consulting utilises marketing. The best and worst marketing can define a sale or purchase or its failure. Check that your specialist has marketing capabilities.
The mergers and acquisitions process demands transparency so when communicating information, the M&A consultant should make everything clear to all concerned. One miscommunication or misconception could cost a sale or purchase. Don’t take any chances.
Industry ties are immeasurably helpful.
Mergers and acquisitions involves several parties and the consultant must have strong links with the relevant people and organisations to smooth out the process. It’s worth checking that they are friendly and keen to work with others. Loners may prove to be detrimental to your M&A transaction. Your consultant needs a good reputation.
Don’t choose anyone or you may regret not carrying out thorough investigations.
Example: A M&A consulting specialist
Tim Luscombe works with Thames Valley Business Advisors and helps SME’s and small business brokers to sell or purchase a company and he is a leading M & A consultant. He has been in mergers and acquisitions since the 1980’s and owns his own business. His extensive career has taken him in to the oil industry, engineering, manufacture, post-acquisition integration and inquisitive IT sectors.
His professionalism and competence have been proven transaction after transaction. As a M&A consulting specialist, he understands what you need and efficiently manages the process.
Don’t settle for a mediocre experience, harness the experience and skills of a proven expert.
