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What does a freelance M&A consultant do?

A freelance mergers and acquisitions consultant is a professional who advises companies on how to grow by acquiring other businesses. They help their client companies evaluate the worth of acquisition targets, negotiate prices, and make sense of data like balance sheets and income statements.

Consultants provide strategic guidance to companies during the acquisition process, in order to help their clients make informed decisions. A merger and acquisition consultant may identify potential targets and evaluate how a particular business will fit with a client company’s long-term goals

Hiring the right mergers and acquisitions consultant

The role of an M&A consultant ranges from providing strategic advice to CEOs, to assisting in transactions as a trusted advisor, to financing the deal as the lead investment banker.

Determining which type of M&A expert you need depends on what part of the process they can help with. A corporate finance expert would only be needed if your company wants to raise money for a transaction through debt or equity financing, whereas an industry-specific advisor might be more appropriate if you want them to help with valuation due diligence.

There are a wide variety of merger and acquisition specialists in the market. Some specialize in a specific industry, such as healthcare, media, or technology. Some specialize in a function within the business, such as finance or HR.

The majority of M&A consultants have been involved with large transactions outside of their own industry, so they bring a unique perspective to thinking about your situation from a global perspective. In addition to their transactional expertise, they may have business acumen and industry domain knowledge so you will benefit from their thinking on how the market has changed and how that could affect your transaction. Some mergers and acquisitions consultants also have experience working at an executive level before transitioning into freelance work.

A freelance M&A consultant may help with:

• Business and strategic advice, such as identifying growth opportunities or determining if your company is a good acquisition target.
• Due diligence of the target company to make sure it’s a good fit for your company. An industrial/financial/strategic advisor would review financials, industrial strategy and future prospects, operations and supply chain operations, technology and patents, regulatory issues. A corporate finance M&A advisor would provide financial advice on valuation and financing structure for the deal.
• Strategic planning for implementing an acquisition. An industrial/financial/strategic advisor would review integration scenarios and synergy opportunities. A corporate finance advisor would help with the financing and structuring of the deal.
• Valuation due diligence to determine if the target company is a good fit for your company and if it’s worth pursuing. An industrial/financial/strategic advisor would review financials, industry and market trends, and potential future revenue and profit growth. A corporate mergers and acquisitions advisor would provide valuation advice and assistance with structuring a transaction.
• Preparation for purchasing an existing business; such as acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity investments, stock swaps or other types of transactions that involve business combinations between companies or their subsidiaries.
• Post-transaction assistance/advisory.
• Strategic planning support.
• Due diligence service for the M&A process.
• Put together a syndicate of lenders, investment bankers, deal advisers, accountants and attorneys to work with your company on a specific deal.  The lead investment banker is the person who will be responsible for knowledge of the target company’s industry and who will be working directly with management teams to accomplish the closing.

What makes a good M&A consultant?

• There’s a lot that goes into the making of a good freelance mergers and acquisitions consultant, and it goes well beyond what you might expect.
• They’re versatile: there’s no such thing as “just an M&A person,” and the same goes for freelance M&A consultants. They must be able to perform many different functions in addition to leading mergers and acquisitions projects. It would be surprising if they weren’t able to provide services for regulatory purposes too, or if they weren’t also able to coordinate with your existing in-house M&A team.
• They’re experienced: mergers and acquisitions consultants often have extensive experience working with similar types of deals. It’s not unusual for them to have worked on dozens of different transactions over the years, which helps them identify potential risks and trouble spots for each client.
• They’re strategic: you want someone who’s good at developing a strategy that can realistically guide you through complex transaction challenges. This includes critically evaluating how your resources currently fit into the deal as well as identifying any gaps that may need to be filled.
• Their interpersonal skills are strong: they need to communicate clearly and effectively with the people on your team, especially when they have questions or need direction. They also have to be able to work well with the in-house staff responsible for handling a transaction, in order to ensure a smooth transition between freelance services and a company’s in-house M&A team.
• They have good writing skills: being able to write clearly and concisely is an extremely important skill for a freelance M&A consultant. In addition to crafting reports that can help you assemble a compelling case for your investment committee or the advisory board.
• They’re professional: they must be able to show up on time, every time, and to maintain a great attitude throughout the course of your project. People in mergers and acquisitions need to ensure that they deliver on their promises and that they can help you find a mutually beneficial outcome for everyone involved in the deal.
• They have a strong networking strategy: finding a M&A consultant isn’t always easy. It’s important for you to have a good plan of action so that you can talk to different people about your needs without wasting too much time. This will ensure that you can get to know someone who’s right for the job, and who’s available at the right time.

These are all great starting points for any consultant in mergers and acquisitions, but in order to have an effective working relationship with them, it’s important to understand something about their environment in particular.

Difference between M&A consultant and advisor

M&A consultants and advisors are used interchangeably. Generally, advisors work on long-term projects, while consultants work on short-term projects. However, these definitions are not always used consistently.

Communication with the M&A consultant/specialist

We all want someone who is reliable and professional, but this is often hard enough when dealing with in-house teams. When you’re talking to someone outside of your organization, communication and setting expectations right is key!

Bad communication: this is typically the biggest cause of frustration. In many cases, the M&A consultant’s team is able to handle most of the communication to and from you. Or they may not have a team at all, which means you’ll have to fill in the gaps yourself. Whatever it is, it can quickly become hard for you to make sense of what’s going on with your deal during these times.

How do you find a good freelance M&A consultant?

Short answer: On our Fintalent platform 🙂

We recommend starting by making sure that they’re familiar with your industry and your business needs. You can also use their previous experience to see if they’re the right fit for your transaction. Additionally, you should probe their network to see how they’re familiar with your area.

You should also do some research into the type of work that they’ve done over the course of their career. Look at the types of clients that they’ve worked alongside in addition to which industries they’ve served most often. This will give you a good idea of whether or not they’ll be able to handle your project effectively.

Ideally, you’ll want someone who has handled similar transactions before, who understands the risks involved with this type of deal, and who can help you avoid unnecessary trouble down the line.