Quality research is essential to the success of any acquisition plan. Once you have identified a specific company as a prospective acquisition, it is essential that you perform primary research in addition to typical secondary (online or database) research. Primary research involves getting on the phone and talking to people who deal with the company on …
Tag: Research
4 Helpful Sources for Researching International Markets and Companies
Expanding internationally can provide numerous opportunities to grow your business using acquisitions, joint ventures or strategic partnerships, but before you can decide which market to enter, you’ll need to do some research. The data sources you use for your research will vary depending on location and industry and the specific information you are seeking. We’ve …
The Acquisition Librarian – Organizing Your Data
“Keep your pipeline full,” I often tell clients when speaking about their acquisition prospects. By this I mean that in pursuing M&A you should research 75 to 100 companies. That’s a lot of companies and research, which of course you must record in an appropriate manner. How can you keep track of all your data? …
Resources for Researching Prospects
Once you’ve determined the characteristics of your ideal acquisition prospect, you’re ready to start researching specific companies. You can begin by using secondary research to identify companies and obtain key data. With secondary research we want to leverage the information we find to evaluate whether companies are qualified. We’ve listed a couple of resources below: …
Uncovering Liabilities Early On
The message I want to share with you here is simple but critical: start your due diligence early. In fact, start it the moment you begin the acquisition process. Conducting due diligence uncovers liabilities or hidden problems that can decide the success or failure of an acquisition. This could include issues such as past litigation, …
Committing to Research: Primary vs. Secondary Research
Research is essential to the success of any business plan, including acquisition. The demand-driven, “markets first” acquisition process that I advocate requires thorough research. Only thorough research uncovers the most appropriate markets, helps you identify the best prospects, and sets you apart from other potential buyers. There are two levels of research to consider: primary …
Quality Research: A Key to Successful Acquisitions
Quality research is an important part of the acquisition process. Thorough research allows you to fully understand the market and prospects for acquisition. In the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) blog, I explain how to effectively conduct primary and secondary research, including who to contact and how to overcome challenges you may encounter during your …
Conducting Primary Research: The Information Dance
Let’s say you have identified a specific company as a prospective acquisition. To get to know that company, you must do primary research, not just secondary (online or library) research. This involves getting on the phone and talking to people who deal with the company on a regular basis, and eventually to the principals themselves. …
The Prospect Funnel
If you have started to look at individual acquisition prospects, you may be wondering, why use a prospect funnel? That’s to say, why pursue lots of possible acquisitions, rather than focus on just one? I have frequently been approached by clients after a deal suddenly fell through—a deal they had been working on for months …
