Positioning for Success
More and more, the organizations with which I work are focused on positioning for the future. Many of these organizations feel that they spend too much of their time in a defensive crouch, standing on the side lines. They understand the need to move now to build organizational value and secure market and mind share.
Many also see a window of opportunity to get in front of the pack in terms of hiring, customer traction, new offerings and strengthening their business models.
How do they know when to move forward? Here are their stories:
Building Organizational Value for Transaction: There are currently strong opportunities to buy and sell in the mid-market. But buyers and sellers are more cautious than ever before. Due diligence is taking longer and there is more focus on projected revenues and a stable and growing customer base. Before the Letter of Intent is signed, both parties are spending time planning how the two entities will be integrated management/infrastructure, cross-selling opportunities and distribution leverage. Our story here focused on how to position the company for acquisition in this new M&A environment. We successfully determined a range of value based on market comps and transaction data. In addition, we spent significant time evaluating value drivers for the business and their impact on financial metrics. In today's tough M&A environment, the client needed to understand the numbers, but also focus on the value drivers to maximize value at the time of transaction.
Positioning for Success in a Dynamic Environment: In a dynamic environment, there is always change. New competitors enter the market; consumers' needs and loyalties evolve; there is pricing fluctuation; and costs shift and change. Organizations need to monitor external factors and evaluate whether or not they influence internal strategy. In this story, we facilitated an organizational planning process to articulate a strategic vision. Interviews with stakeholders and an online survey were used to gather diverse perspectives. This market data was brought to management and the board that created an inclusive approach to strategic planning and helped to build consensus among stakeholders. The organization identified several strategic initiatives, the associated action items, and metrics to ensure they executed on the strategic plan. In today's dynamic environment, the client needed to include diverse and external perspectives to challenge their thinking and push them out of their comfort zone. We helped the client realize that their strategic plan was only as good as their ability to execute and worked to instill measurement and accountability.
Prioritizing Fundraising and Sustainability: The funding environment for non-profits has dramatically changed in the last 24 months. Survival depends on an organization's creativity and ability to identify new funding sources, create a case statement for support that resonates with the community and articulate a clear organizational mission - the who, what, where and how. In this story, we helped the client develop a new business model for members, trained and engaged the Board in fundraising within their own networks, and approached community sponsors to support the organization financially and programmatically. In today's resource-constrained environment, the client needed to evolve organizational thinking on the importance of financial stability and sustainability as they relate to fulfilling mission.
