How to Get Newly Acquired Team Members Aligned & Profitable—FAST

 

I believe everyone wants to be good at what they do.

In this episode, I’ll show you how to avoid the two years of “we-they” game playing that happens after an acquisition that robs the deal of any potential of a positive ROI.

If you’re the kind of leader:

  • Who has already made a few acquisitions that went fairly well, stay tuned. I’ll show you how to drastically decrease the risk of a future acquisition going bad so that you can have peace of mind.

 

Continue Reading

How to Avert the After-Acquisition Customer Drain

 

I believe you deserve to hang on to the customers you just paid for in an acquisition.

In this episode, I’ll show you how you can avoid the customer runoff that is “accepted” as the “way it is” and instead hang on to those customers AND make them profitable.

If you’re the kind of leader:

  • Who has already had an acquisition and lost over 20% of the customers you paid for, you’ll be thrilled to know that it doesn’t have to happen ever again.
  • If instead,

Continue Reading

4 No-Fail Steps to Prepare Your Team and Organization for an Acquisition

 

I believe a good acquisition should be “normalized” in within a quarter—and quickly profitable.

In this episode, I’ll share with you a few elements of a system we use with our clients that have allowed for them to normalize the culture and get everyone playing nice in the sandbox together within a week and assure the acquisition hits its financial expectations that first year.

If you’re the kind of leader:

  • Who feels like you have your marketing, hiring and sales franchise systems optimized and creating a powerful, predictable result,

Continue Reading

3 MUST-Do Steps to NEVER Miss Prior to an Acquisition.

 

I believe everyone goes into an acquisition hopeful.

 

Unfortunately, for too many banks, the acquisition becomes a profit-sucking, culture destroying, two-year battle of “we versus they.”

In this episode, I’ll show you how to protect yourself from what could be an acquisition nightmare or one that isn’t profitable for years.

 

If you’re the kind of leader who:

 

  • Has had several acquisitions already and your team has a “we’ve got this” attitude, you’re going to love knowing how to avoid the disagreeable surprises that often happen to the “we’ve got this” banks.

Continue Reading

The #1 Reason Bank Acquisitions Fail



Think you’re ready for an acquisition? Think you’ve got a bullet-proof plan?

Imagine if you take a “bring-it-on-and-make-it-happen-no-matter-what” bank culture where people are passionate about what they do, and combine it with a group with a “sit-behind-our-desks-until-we-need-Preparation-H, whine-and-complain-about-the-economy-and-being-too-busy” group. How’s that going to work? Without a “come to Jesus, we see the light” intervention, the likelihood of being able to save many of those people is slim.

And what a costly loss that is.

Nothing trumps culture. Culture means you don’t have middle management breakdown, because they know how to lead.

Continue Reading

If an Opportunity Falls in Your Lap, Are You Ready?

 

The coming bank consolidation isn’t a surprise. It’s been predicted for years. In fact, the next 18 months are destined to be a major “shake out” period when weak banks will be acquired or closed—and banks that are in a position to capture the best customers in town will become stronger and more profitable.

If an opportunity like this landed unexpectedly in your lap, would you be ready? Most banks wouldn’t be. Unfortunately, they’ll suffer years of pain, lost productivity, and even reputation damage from what was previously viewed as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Continue Reading

Acquisitions That WORK: The Bomb-Proof Management System That’s Ready to Roll

 

A lot of bad things happen around acquisitions. If you’re being acquired, it’s rarely pretty. And if you’re the one acquiring, the Wharton School of Business says your chance of failure is greater than 83 percent. And even if you don’t go down in flames in the opening round, the real heartaches continue for two years after the acquisition as two dark forces are inevitably unleashed:

  • The “us vs. them” conversations, including the need to make somebody else wrong, and
  • The bickering about whose system to follow, because no one has really sorted out the best practices.
  • Continue Reading

    Mergers and Acquisitions: If an Opportunity Falls in Your Lap, Are You Ready?

    bank strategy for mergersThe coming bank consolidation isn’t a surprise. It’s been predicted for years. In fact, the next 18 months are destined to be a major “shake out” period when weak banks will be acquired or closed—and banks that are in a position to capture the best customers in town will become stronger and more profitable.

    If an opportunity like this landed unexpectedly in your lap, would you be ready? Most banks wouldn’t be. Unfortunately, they’ll suffer years of pain, lost productivity, and even reputational damage from what was previously viewed as the opportunity of a lifetime.

    Here’s what I know from decades of guiding banks through acquisitions: You have no business doing one if you’re not ready.

    Continue Reading

    7 Secrets to Keep Your Acquisition from Going Over the Cliff

    7secretsSo you’ve decided to acquire another bank. For nearly 25 years, I’ve been giving the same advice about acquisitions: DON’T DO IT.

    I’ve had good reason to give that advice. Many banks try to solve their inadequacy of systems, education, and strategies by acquiring. And many banks are poised to do exactly that this year. So now you’re going to get a finger-wagging lecture from me, right?

    Not necessarily. If you have your house in order, this could be the year for a few great acquisitions. The blue light specials are going to be plentiful in 2013,

    Continue Reading