Strategy Development
Colmen Menard's professionals work closely with you to help determine your acquisition objectives and expectations. Do you want to expand your current business or diversify into new markets? Are you looking for new products/services or do you want to round out your current offerings? What would be the ideal size of the acquisition? Maximum and minimum size? Do you want to find a profitable company that will command a premium price or a troubled company that might have a greater upside potential? Do you require a competent, in-place management team or do you plan to insert your own management team? How important is the target company's culture? The answers to these and many other questions are critical to the completion of the assignment and the long-term success of an acquisition.

Before we start an assignment we will learn as much about your company as possible. If possible, we will interview members of your management team and help you select those who will be part of the acquisition evaluation. The more we know, the better we can represent your company and maximize its attractiveness to acquisition candidates.

Preparation of search profiles and marketing documents
Colmen Menard will then develop a search profile specifying the parameters that have been defined during the Strategy Development and use this document (after your agreement and approval) as a tool for screening potential acquisitions. We will also develop any material required to present your company to potential candidates after they are screened and qualified.

Developing lists of targeted companies
Next, Colmen Menard will conduct an extensive search for companies and subsidiaries that meet the specification defined above. Our professionals make extensive use of databases of corporate affiliations, industry specific databases, other purchased databases, and additional information sources available through the Internet and public and private sources.

In addition, Colmen Menard has established a large proprietary database of Private Equity Groups, other professional intermediaries, responsible M&A executives at both domestic and international Fortune 1000 firms, and, in many cases, personal contacts with companies in your market.

Contacting Targets
Colmen Menard will then begin contacting the identified targets. All contacts will be made by the professional responsible for this assignment. Since this professional will almost always have relevant industry experience, and in-depth knowledge of your company and its products/services, Colmen Menard can quickly establish credibility with targets and represent your company in a highly effective manner.

Usually the most attractive acquisitions are companies that are not up for sale. Their owners receive multiple "feeler" letters every month from business brokers and it is often difficult for a serious and qualified party to break through this "noise."

Our reputation and name recognition, combined with a well-written acquisition profile, can be very helpful in generating credibility for our clients and interest from these business owners. While we will always maintain the confidentiality of our clients when requested, we often recommend that the search be conducted on a non-confidential basis to show that there is a real company with real interest in making an acquisition.

Evaluation of selected target companies
Colmen Menard will evaluate all potential candidates to assess their fit with the acquisition profile, the competitiveness of their products and services, the competence of their management team, their financial status and forecast and other relevant criteria. After screening and qualifying candidates, we will present our evaluations to you and/or your acquisition team and then work closely with you during the due diligence process.

Assistance with negotiations and coordination of the closing process
Colmen Menard will assist you with final negotiations, work with your professional advisors to help define a transaction structure that takes into account tax, financial, and technical aspects of the sale. This will include coordinating due diligence, legal documentation, environmental audits, and any other required tasks.

Our objective is to reach mutually acceptable solutions to issues that might impact the finalization of a transaction and to accelerate a successful conclusion to this transaction.

Back to Mergers & Acquisitions
Selling a Business