Three Key Business Roles

When selling a company, there are three critical roles you need to identify and work with to successfully complete an acquisition. Here's the breakdown of each role and their importance.

Executive Champion

• The person who really wants the deal to happen
• Must identify who is "pounding the table" for the deal
• Key person who says "let's figure out a solution" or "let's bridge the gap"
• Without identifying this person, no deal will happen
• Need to nurture this relationship throughout the process

Company Router

• The middle person who can connect you to different stakeholders
• Often the Corp Dev team in larger companies
• Person who can reliably get information from and to key decision makers
• Not necessarily the key decision maker themselves
• Helps navigate the organizational structure

Deal Doula

• 1-2 trusted advisors with M&A experience
• People you can text constantly for advice
• Helps with:
  • Wordsmithing communications
  • Reviewing if messages sound desperate
  • Providing guidance on negotiation tactics
  • Maintaining confidence during the process
• Must be someone who will keep everything confidential
• Acts like a birth coach helping through a difficult but rewarding process

Key Considerations

• Need all three roles working together
• Build relationships with each role differently
• Keep communications appropriate to each role's function
• Maintain confidentiality especially with the Deal Doula
• Use each role strategically during different phases of the acquisition