How to Prepare an M&A Management Presentation
Merger and acquisition (M&A) management presentations provide critical pieces of information to prospective investors who are considering either investing or buying your SaaS business and or SaaS product. Depending on the size of the potential deal, a SaaS company may engage an investment bank to help put this together, or it may lay solely on the shoulders of a founder. In any event, creating an M&A management presentation that paints a SaaS business in the best possible light is a heavy lift for everyone involved.
The article will review the role of M&A management presentations and its key elements, such as financial information, value proposition, crafting an engaging narrative, and ways to build trust with potential investors and buyers.
The Role of Management Presentations
Management presentations are essential components of the M&A process, giving potential investors and buyers a chance to hear from management and get insights into a company’s current performance, future plans, and projected performance. The management presentation will typically be the first step in a potential M&A transaction and is commonly called a Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM). The idea is to give prospective investors and buyers enough detail to allow them to determine if the SaaS business or product is something they may be interested in.
By presenting an informative and well-prepared management presentation, a SaaS business helps create trust and credibility with prospective bidders, which will benefit the eventual deal to be negotiated.
Key Elements in a Successful Presentation
M&A management presentations will commonly include the following information, but not limited to:
- Overview of the SaaS company and market
- Current strategy and opportunities for growth
- Current SaaS products and services
- Leadership team and organization structure
- Past financial performance, forecast and SaaS specific metrics.
While each section of the management presentation is important and serves a purpose, it goes without saying it will be of keen interest to all potential investors or buyers.
Preparing Your Financial Information
Even the most seasoned SaaS may not have their bookkeeping and financial records up to date. Well before a SaaS is considering selling, an effort should be made to clean up its financial house. With the financial house in order with prepared financial statements, a SaaS business can focus on the most important part of the M&A process, getting the best bid and sale price possible.
Historical Financial Performance
Potential investors and buyers need to see how well a SaaS business has financially performed in the past and how the financial performance is trending. This information should be provided in an easy-to-consume fashion in the management presentation; however, this information will be pulled from prior period financial statements. Common financial statement ratios such as liquidity and leverage ratios will provide greater insight into the financial performance of the company. SaaS businesses should also consider including SaaS-specific metrics such as the Rule of 40 and SaaS Magic Number. These industry-specific metrics provide valuable insight into the SaaS business and allow prospective investors or buyers to be able to compare the results with industry peers.
Creating a Comprehensive Forecast
It’s critical to include thorough forecasts in the management presentation, which should be taken from a very detailed and accurate financial model that is typically created and managed in Microsoft Excel. This comprehensive forecast needs to include forecasted revenue by product line with assumptions about customer churn rates, upsells and cross-sells, etc., along with Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and OpEx/overhead expenses such as General and administrative (G&A)
Showcasing Your Company’s Unique Value Proposition
In an M&A management presentation, it is critical to articulate the company’s distinct value and show prospective investors why they should be interested in either investing or buying the business.
Identifying the Competitive Advantage
Identifying what sets the SaaS business or product apart from others in the industry helps reinforce the company’s unique value proposition. To identify and showcase this competitive advantage, the management presentation should clearly state where the business stands in the market, customer demographics, and how it prices products or services offered compared with rival firms.
Crafting a Compelling Narrative
For a management presentation to be successful, it is essential for its overall narrative to be informative and captivating. To achieve this goal and create an impact on potential buyers, both intellectually and emotionally, management can voice over certain slides and information with storytelling techniques in combination with visual aids. This may include a short story on how the SaaS received recognition or awards for providing excellent customer service.
In order to craft memorable presentations that influence investors, we will explore different ways of narrating stories along with illustrating the importance of visuals/designs in M&A management presentations.
Storytelling Techniques
The importance of using storytelling tools, such as metaphors and anecdotes, in management presentations should not be underestimated. These techniques can help simplify concepts for potential buyers and help create an emotional impact whereby the information and presentation will be more easily remembered.
Visual Aids and Design
When creating a management presentation for investors, incorporating visual aids and professional design elements can be beneficial. These could include charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs, or videos to help communicate complex concepts and information more effectively. They may also emphasize important points while captivating the audience’s attention at an in-person meeting. For optimal results, it is key to maintain simplicity and clarity when utilizing these visual aids, such as using easy-to-read and consistent fonts.
Building Trust and Credibility
Successful M&A management presentations must help establish trust and credibility with prospective buyers. To help achieve this aim, when delivering a presentation, it is important to address any known reservations or doubts held by potential investors and how the business believes these apprehensions can be remedied. By addressing this head-on, the business will convey assurance these concerns can be addressed and continue to build trust through openness and transparency.
Demonstrating Integrity and Commitment
Another effective method to demonstrate integrity and commitment is through the emphasis on ethical and integrity-based practices. Revealing that management is reliable, moral, faithful, and committed continues to build trust with prospective investors or buyers. Now, this wouldn’t typically be a slide that says the business has these values but rather shown through the review of the management presentation. This may include not using confusing notes to financial or other information presented that clouds the information provided, using realistic forecast assumptions such as growth estimates, and being able to answer questions directly and succinctly.
Summary
To create a successful M&A management presentation that stands out to potential buyers and investors, careful planning, drafting, and review are essential. A thorough understanding of the company’s financials is required, as well as an appealing value proposition and narrative. Lastly, demonstrating trustworthiness is essential to make any potential transaction as smooth as possible, and to create an environment where investors and buyers can confidently bid for the SaaS business – ideally, at the higher end of internal valuations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a management presentation in M&A?
An M&A management presentation is where the sell side presents relevant high-level information to potential investors and buyers, the buy side. The presentation answers commonly asked questions and portrays the business in the best possible light.
What are some storytelling techniques that can enhance my management presentation?
Employing analogies, similes, metaphors, and stories can assist in rendering a complex management presentation easier for the audience to comprehend and relate to. It also helps make it more accessible by providing relatable comparisons.
How can I address concerns and doubts during the M&A management presentation?
For the management presentation, it is essential to demonstrate openness and truthfulness while providing current and accurate information.
