How To Handle A Low-Ball Offer

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You’re excited to get an offer for your company, but it’s not what you had hoped for. You’re tempted to react with righteous indignation – but is that really the best way to maximize an acquisition offer?

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Gary Miller is the founder of management consultancy Aragon Consulting which grew to employ more than 150 people. Miller, along with his team, built a proprietary modeling technology and was banking on attracting a premium multiple for the consultancy—which is why he was so disappointed by IBM’s original acquisition offer of just three times Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA). Many founders would have been tempted to react with disgust but it is what Miller did next that resulted in IBM ultimately paying the highest multiple they had ever paid for a service business.

The new year is a great time to take stock of how your business is doing and what you need to do to improve its value over the next 12 months. Benchmark your company now against the Eight Key Drivers acquirers care about by getting your Value Builder Score.

About Our Guest

Gary Miller is the founder of GEM Strategy Management, an M&A consulting firm serving middle market companies on the Sell-Side, Buy-Side and Capital Formations. Miller has been responsible for buying and selling 31 companies and raising over $750 million in capital for his clients. Prior to forming GEM Strategy Management Inc., Miller has served as Managing Director of Ackerman Medical Building Funds, a private equity fund, where he led the formation and organization of a $500 million medical office building fund portfolio.