FP for CFO Magazine: 7 keys to communicating an M&A deal effectively

Moira Conlon writes for CFO Magazine: "If your organization is planning an M&A transaction, you need to be ready to tell your story well and sell the deal to all stakeholders."

Just when you think that merger and acquisition transaction numbers can’t get any higher, they keep breaking records. Fueled by near-zero interest rates, monetary stimulus, and investor demand for corporate debt, M&A showed the highest level of activity over the past nine months than at any time in the past four decades. Moreover, there’s zero sign of a slowdown: Grant Thornton’s recent survey found that 68% of M&A professionals expect deal volume to keep increasing.

Here’s how to develop a potent story about a transaction and position it in the context of corporate strategy. Following are the critical points to keep in mind...