The Art of the M&A Deal

The typical investment banker is continually quantifying and justifying the seller's financial information for the buyer. Nuanced seller needs and concerns are often lost or placed in a secondary position in the process. At Mentor Securities, our eyes and ears are always attuned to the emotional issues of our sellers. Thus, when deal hiccups occur (and these are often happening 8 to 10 times per deal process), we are never flat-footed. We know how to clearly assess and resolve the issues so they do not fester and break up transactions.

Aside from our exceptional record of closing deals that we accept, how many do we turn down to get to the ones that are right for us? We probably sign one client for every 8 to 10 that are referred. It may be that the deal size, industry or management team/owner(s) are not compatible with our professionals. We approach every prospect as if we are interviewing them, as much as vice versa. When we sign the client, we want to know the transaction probability for success exceeds 80%.