M&A CRM Project Components

When planning for an M&A Lead to Cash Tech Stack Migration, the CRM migration has 7 individual components within an overall project scope.

These individual components can help you gauge the overall status of your project and can help you determine what “Project Done” looks like.

• Accounts: Map the acquired company’s accounts to your accounts. This can be a central account database or your CRM. It is vital that a coordinated mapping is done between all internal systems using Account Data so ABC Company in the CRM is also ABC Company in Billing.
• Products: Map the acquired company’s products into your company’s product database, and ensure all impacted parties agree on the structure. Sales needs to know how to sell the products, pricing needs to know how to price them, Operations needs to be able to implement them, and Billing needs to be able to invoice the customer.
• Sales Users: User configuration, communication, and training. This is fundamental to ensuring a positive experience for these Users. These Users will help the company achieve the cross sell goals set and can help customers see the future vision for the merged company. Make sure it is a positive experience for them too.
• Service Users: User configuration, communication, and training. This is fundamental to ensuring a positive experience for these Users. These Users resolve customer issues so creating a positive experience for them will help make it a positive experience for your customers.
• System Configuration: This is the CRM configuration changes (pick list value changes, field additions, etc.) required to move in the acquired company.
• Data Migration: Moving data from the legacy system into your CRM. Accounts, contacts, opportunities, etc.
• Training and Post Live Support: Salesforce training is not a one and done activity. It is a two step activity. Step 1 is teaching them HOW TO USE THE SYSTEM. This is how you add a Contact, this is how you close an Opportunity, etc. Step 2 is HOW THEY USE THE SYSTEM. Helping them get the most value out of the system by making it work for them.

These 7 components can be used to report internally on the project status using a % completion measure and objective measures. 500/1000 Accounts have been mapped, 10 out of 15 products are set up, 10 out of 12 tickets for system configuration changes are done, etc

My next post will look at the Lead to Cash workshop (understand the acquired company’s current process) so the Go Live Checklist can be built (how to move their current process into your tech stack).

Just Remember: This is a marathon, not a sprint (even if you are working in Sprints!). Don’t try to rush this project. Get this DONE WELL, not just DONE.

A well done acquisition integration will bring new synergies and leave a positive taste in employee and customer mouths. A poorly handled migration can negatively impact employee motivation and productivity, and customer relationships.