Sarah’s company had been speaking to the prospect for months and was almost ready to sign a letter of intent, when all of a sudden, the seller changed his mind and walked away from the deal. Sarah and her team were stunned and left asking, “What happened?” Unfortunately, deals do fall apart for a variety …
Tag: owner contacts
How to Buy a Company When the Owner is Not Willing to Sell Today
Despite your best efforts to convince an owner to sell, sometimes you will find that an owner of a not-for-sale company is just not ready to let go – even if he or she thinks partnering with your company is the right decision. In some cases, you will have to part ways and move on …
Does the Highest Bidder Always Win the Deal?
The short answer to this question is no. Some owners may sell to the highest bidder, but this is not always the case. Differentiating by price alone is problematic for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that someone can always outbid you. In addition, when it comes to privately-held transactions, especially, we find …
Pursuing Not-For-Sale Acquisitions: 3 Ways to Change an Owner’s “No” to “Yes”
“I’m not interested in selling my business right now.” “We already have a strategic plan in place.” “We are already talking to another buyer.” “Why should I listen to you? I get asked to sell all the time.” “I may sell in a few years when my company has a higher value.” “Who are you????” …
The Key to Successful First Meetings: Putting an Owner at Ease
Owners are usually skeptical or defensive when asked about selling their “not-for-sale” company. In fact, many will hang up or refuse to consider your offer. If you do manage to break through and get the owner to agree to a first meeting, your job is to put them at ease, dissuade fears and communicate the …
How You Can Get an Owner to Say “Yes” to Acquisition
When contacting an owner about acquisitions, don’t be surprised to hear “no.” Most owners, when asked about selling their “not-for-sale” business will automatically refuse simply because it’s unexpected. Remember, for an owner focused on running the day-to-day operations of his business, this offer is coming out of the blue. There are, of course, a number of …
Who is Your M&A Champion?
Q: Who is the internal champion on the M&A team? What is their role? A: The internal champion is an important member of your M&A team. Your acquisition team should include people from your own company such as the CEO, CFO, the internal champion, and functional leaders, and external experts such as lawyers, accountants, valuation experts, due diligence experts …
Why Price Is the Last Thing to Talk about When Buying a Company
Time your negotiations by understanding owner psychology. Everyone wants to talk about price in mergers and acquisitions. It’s often the number one focus of buyers and sellers…but for opposite reasons. Both are likely to say they are looking for a “good deal,” but this can have a completely different meaning depending on the perspective. Buyers …
5 Tips for Meeting with Owners about Acquisitions
“I felt so vulnerable. I didn’t know what to do or what to talk about,” Dan told me. As the CEO of a food manufacturer who was pursuing acquisitions, he had a first meeting with an owner of a packaging facility before he engaged Capstone. When we met he expressed feelings of uncertainty and how …
Approaching an Owner for a Possible Acquisition? Don’t Write, Call.
How do you begin your courtship of a not-for-sale company? Sending a letter is fairly common practice for contacting owners, but it’s not the most effective way to communicate. A letter will not attract the owner’s attention and likely will go into the trash without being read. There’s a better way to stand out from the …
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