M&A Workshops

Bring your M&A game to the next level

M&A Workshop

The world of business is in a perpetual state of evolution. One of the most potent instruments for growth and transformation within this landscape is the merger and acquisition (M&A) process. However, M&A is not a straightforward path to success. It's fraught with complexities, pitfalls, and uncertainties. This is where M&A workshops step in as invaluable tools for organizations aiming to navigate the intricate journey of M&A transactions.

This guide introduces you to an M&A workshop designed to improve your M&A process and bring your deal success to the next level. During my roles as CFO and M&A project lead, I have organized such workshops for the companies where I worked, and I could see significant improvements. I usually organize it for one-day workshops, but you can shorten or expand it.

Enjoy this workshop guide, and let me know what you think. I’m always looking for ideas!

Best,

Michael

Workshop Design

A workshop approach results in significantly better results than just a presentation because workshops are interactive, specific to your company, and end with prioritized actions. I propose to use a 1-day approach, but you could adjust it to your needs.

  • 8:00 - 8:30 am - Introduction to a 5-Step M&A Process

  • 8:30 - 10:00 am - Step 1: Strategy Formulation and M&A Pipeline Development

  • 10:00 - 10:15 am - Break

  • 10:15 - 11:45 am - Step 2: Initial Discussions with Target and Letter of Intent

  • 11:45 - 12:30 pm - Lunch

  • 12:30 - 2:00 pm - Step 3: Business Case and Due Diligence

  • 2:00 - 2:15 pm - Break

  • 2:15 - 3:15 pm - Step 4: Negotiation and Closing

  • 3:15 - 3:30 pm - Break

  • 3:30 - 5:00 pm - Step 5: Post-Closing Adjustments and Integration

  • 5:00 - 5:15 pm - Break

  • 5:15 - 6:15 pm - Summary and Prioritization of Actions (Who, What, by When)

You set up each section with the same approach except for the topic of “Negotiation and Closing,” which I usually keep shorter:

  • 15 minutes to introduce the topic of the section

  • 30 minutes for teams to work in groups

    • What works currently well in our company

    • What needs to be improved and changed

    • How can we improve it (what by when)

  • 30 minutes for the teams to present their analysis

  • 15 minutes to wrap up and any other discussions about the topic

Change Requires Energy

Most people don’t like to change. Many studies show that people feel more comfortable when they keep doing what they are doing. That also means that you need to create during the workshop an environment that supports change.

Don’t Sit, Get Up

Set up discussion rooms without chairs, keep people standing during the presentations, and have the coffee break in a room without chairs. Being physically active helps to be mentally fresh.

Envision the Future

If you have time on your agenda, use the time to envision the future.

First, think about your company in 3, 5, and 10 years without changing anything. How does it feel when competitors take your place? When you repeat your problems and issues over and over?

Then, envision your future with change. How does it feel to be a market leader and the results of your M&A projects have improved significantly? How does continuous improvement, growth, and success feel?

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

(Tony Robbins)

Be crystal clear about what you want to achieve in the future

Step 1 in the 5-Step M&A process focuses on strategy development and M&A pipeline development.

The better you define where your company wants to be in 3, 5, and 10 years, the better you can define what role M&A plays to achieve those goals. Depending on the language and culture in your company, you can change the “want” to “must.” Make it non-negotiable to be successful.

In all of your workshop sections, use the past to learn from it, but don’t linger on it and avoid any kind of finger-pointing. Focus on the future and solutions.

Take Action and Follow Up

The last section of the M&A workshop is to define actions. Go through the list of proposed actions from each topic and prioritize them. There are always limited resources, and you need to focus on the things that have the biggest impact. It’s better to have a few actions with a high impact than a long list of actions where many of them don’t change a lot.

Define how you want to follow up on the actions. I propose that the M&A leader follows up weekly with the people and teams who work on the specific actions. Many companies don’t have an M&A department. In that case, you need to define someone who can take that project management role. Create a template for the actions and focus on the main topics.

On a bi-weekly basis, update the executive sponsor about the progress, findings, and learnings and discuss necessary adjustments. Life is always different than the plan. Don’t get discouraged by that. Adjust your actions to achieve your goals in a different way. The goals don’t change, but the way to achieve them can.