Before the Sale: What a Sell-Side M&A Process Really Looks Like (On-Demand Webinar)

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What does a sell-side M&A process really look like from start to finish? What are buyers looking for when a business comes across their desk? And why might one company have a premium valuation while another doesn’t?

What happens during due diligence? How do you reach the right buyers? And what can create competition for a business once it goes to market?

In this on-demand webinar, “What a Sell-Side M&A Process Really Looks Like,” Jordan Houtz, Managing Director at Benchmark International, explores these questions and more, offering a closer look at buyers, business value, and the bigger picture behind an M&A transaction.

Key Highlights

• Think like a buyer. Understanding how buyers assess opportunity, value, and risk can give business owners a different perspective on their company.
• Business valuation goes beyond revenue and EBITDA. Buyers may consider revenue, quality, customer concentration, management depth, scalability, growth opportunities, and other characteristics when assessing a potential acquisition.
• Exit readiness isn’t a destination. It’s an ongoing process of strengthening your business.
• The right buyers matter. Different buyers may see different strategic value in the same business. Positioning, targeted outreach, and competitive interest can play an important role in an M&A transaction.
• Learn the M&A process and roadmap. From engaging with an M&A expert, market process, due diligence, negotiations, and closing.

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What You’ll Learn in this Webinar

The webinar takes you through five areas that can influence valuation and the M&A process:

1.  How Buyers Assess Businesses

Before a buyer makes a decision, what are they actually looking at? Jordan explores the buyer’s mindset when an opportunity first reaches their desk; the factors buyers prioritize beyond revenue and EBITDA; how buyers weigh risk and opportunity; how different buyer types evaluate businesses; common misconceptions owners may have about value; and the patterns that shape buyer confidence and transaction outcomes.

2. What Drives a Premium Valuation

Financial performance is part of the equation, but similar businesses can be valued differently. Jordan examines the factors that can influence a premium business valuation, including revenue quality, recurring and predictable earnings, management strength, owner dependence, customer diversification, technology adoption, operational maturity, Quality of Earnings, and characteristics that can generate competitive buyer interest.

3. Uncovering Value Gaps During Due Diligence

As a transaction moves into due diligence, buyers get a deeper view of the business. Details come into focus, and the differences can become decisive.

Jordan looks at how the M&A due diligence process can reveal potential value gaps, how buyers interpret their findings, and why these discoveries can influence buyer confidence, valuation, and the direction of a transaction.

Direct Access to Industry Experts

4. Building Your Exit Readiness Over Time

Exit readiness can begin well before a business goes to market. Building value, bolstering leadership, and broadening opportunity can help shape the company a buyer evaluates.

Jordan explores how business owners can build exit readiness over time by aligning performance with market opportunities, creating measurable value-enhancement initiatives, strengthening management and succession plans, preparing for future buyer scrutiny, tracking market-readiness milestones, and making long-term improvements that can contribute to stronger outcomes.

5. Positioning Your Business for the Right Buyers

What makes your business unique and valuable? Reaching the right buyer can change the conversation. Jordan discusses how understanding the buyer landscape, identifying buyers most likely to value the business, and strategically positioning the company can maximize buyer interest, create competitive tension, influence valuation and deal terms, and demonstrate why different buyers may value the company differently.

Watch the Webinar On-Demand

There’s much more behind each of these topics. Rather than give it all away here, hear the full perspective directly from Jordan. Watch Jordan explore how buyers think, what can influence a premium valuation, and how the pieces of the M&A process come together.

Gain access to the on-demand webinar, and you'll receive our complimentary Executive Principles for Exit Readiness guide. The guide offers practical insights to help you evaluate your readiness and prepare for a successful business exit.

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