Some companies grow organically, others through mergers and acquisitions. Others, especially in the retail, oil & gas, and airline industries, are filing for bankruptcy protection because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and they will become ripe M&A targets.

Selling or merging a company is akin to raising investment capital: one must deftly pitch its value proposition — its brand — to those with the cash.

A company is an asset to the acquiring party. The value of this asset is the benefit it will offer the new owner — not its collection of bricks or components. This is akin to the value of real estate being contingent largely on its location.

If your company’s brand — its customer-validated reason for being — is nebulous, the merger or acquisition process may exceed your timeframe. Worse, the deal may never happen. This is true regardless of your company’s size, location, industry, or age.

 

 

Pitching your brand in 15 seconds is essential, so that potential buyers will find it unique, compelling, memorable, and repeatable — and compete to acquire your enterprise.

Of course, if you represent an acquiring entity with a murky brand, the seller may reject your offer. It’s not always just about money. A proud founder doesn’t want to see his hard work and achievements disintegrate in a bad or marginal merger or acquisition.

Successful M&A requires strong, mutually compatible brands.

The key to successful mergers & acquisitions is answering, with ease and clarity, the fundamental buyer question:

What is your business, what makes it unique to customers, and why should we purchase or merge with it — versus others?

Translation: How strong is your brand? What is the unique value of your company?

The more ambiguous your reply, the weaker your brand — the more protracted, difficult, and costly the M&A process.

A weak brand = low price or no sale.

Conversely, a strong, crisp, unique brand — articulated in customer language, not industry jargon — increases the price premium and the speed of the deal.

Advice to CEOs: Never entertain mergers or acquisitions if your company has a weak brand. Doing so would not be in the best interest of your shareholders.

Components of the M&A Pitch

  • Brand + verbal pitch
  • Powerpoint presentation
  • Exec summary in business plan

Recommended Reading

 

Final Note: Reject any investment bank or business brokerage that asks you to jargonize your pitch. Jargon, ambrosia for the untalented, is the deathknell of branding.

Be Unique or Be Ignored™

 

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