Best Practice Briefs Diligence Matters CDD Best Practices for Principal Investors

Gaining Momentum Around Price Early in Diligence

By Jeff Merkle   VIDEO

During the diligence window, savvy investors are increasingly seeking early signals on the pricing opportunity – for both valuation and value gen considerations. Gaining an understanding of the pricing opportunity starts with a walk-through of multiple pricing factors. Chief among the various diagnostics is the pricing waterfall - the walk-down from list to pocket price, and identification of…

The Importance of Product-Market Fit in Commercial Due Diligence

Globalization, digitalization, information access, and an increasingly discerning customer base have been contributing to a business environment that continues to build in competitive intensity year after year. To survive and thrive, companies must demonstrate meaningful growth that outperforms competitors or displaces incumbents. This growth can take the form of enhancement of existing…

By Nature, it’s the Channel (and a Leading Value Gen Lever)

By Mark Stein

The Target Co. is playing in a great space (e.g., strong tailwinds, right segment(s), etc.), has product(s) that attract valuable customers, the diligence indicates that the product line is differentiated, and the management team is presenting a very good, if not great, growth case. Unit economics are strong, and the IC can reasonably conclude that this might be a great opportunity. A nice find…

Pricing Journeys

By Jeff Merkle

The origins of this GRAPH Papers® article are in recent client requests: with deal prices necessitating robust value creation plans, clients have been continually driving projects around EBITDA growth. As commercial specialists, we think about growing the top line as four factors:

Integrated Offerings will More Easily Provide Greater Returns than the Cross-Sell Opportunity

By Mark Stein

Many commercial diligence exercises and value gen plans based on platforms and add-ons (a plurality these days) call for testing customer interest in, and potential for, the “cross sale.” While cross-sale opportunities have value gen potential, I have seen scant evidence that even the better ones produce much more than modest returns and valuation yield - i.e., maybe an increase in earnings,…

Assessing Price Sensitivity

Price sensitivity is a tricky subject to interpret correctly – doubly so in the tight timeframes common to current diligence windows. I’ve seen a lot of consulting reports that I believe misinterpret price sensitivity – either overstating or understating price in a ranking of decision makers’ Drivers of Choice. The importance of price in decision making is a critical question in any…

Commercial Due Diligence and Value Generation via Network Effects

By Jeff Merkle

Many attractive investments are predicated on network effects – these are businesses that connect users, buyers, and/or suppliers. Companies like Visa, eBay, and LinkedIn have famously enjoyed the benefits of network effects to accrue immense, highly durable value. Outside of software, businesses such as recruiting, retailing, media, health provider networks, and many others, enjoy network…

Diligence Methods to Measure Price and Price Sensitivity, and the Opportunity to Improve Margins

By Mark Stein

Most commercial diligence projects will query the channel and the end-customers to measure price sensitivity. Most CIMs will have a graph indicating the degree to which customers are, or are not, sensitive to price – and suggesting room for margin enhancement. However, relying on customers’ or the channel’s expression or “vote” on price sensitivity can lead to false commercial diligence…

Uncovering a Platform Play

By Mark Stein

The common case: The target asset (i.e., the target company) has a demonstrated track record of running a good business, enjoys healthy margins and some nice growth. The research indicates that drivers of demand are strong and sustainable. But the diligence also surfaces the fact that none of the providers, including the target company, have a materially differentiated solution – and the market…

Indefensible (Competitive Position)

By Mark Stein

I’m fairly certain that just about every commercial diligence assignment conducted is going to include measurement of the asset's commercial strength relative to customer needs and expectations, and relative to perceptions of competitors and alternatives.