Practiced acquirers like Google, ITW, Oracle, EMC, who have closed dozens of deals get really good at three things:
- What questions to ask the target.
- How to listen and understand the answers.
- How to integrate targets effectively.
Less practiced acquirers can shortcut some of the pain of doing dozens of deals by practicing on the fly. Practicing 1,2 and 3.
Once you have a target in mind – practice 1 and 2 by role playing with your team. One member being the target company. Practice 3 by reviewing all possible scenarios of integrating the target.
You may not move quite as smoothly as a Google but you will look measured, professional and genuine. You will also materially change the odds of success!
Check out more blog posts on acquisitions by using the search bar – dozens of helpful posts.
Ian
