Streamline Your M&A Outreach with Mail Merge-Ready Exports

Cold outreach plays a significant role in off-market deal origination, especially in the small-cap private equity space. The process typically includes sending emails, or using direct mail to connect with majority shareholders and PSCs (Persons of Significant Control).

This blog is for the letter-senders. Those who prefer the tangible nature of a letter, or are perhaps searching in an area where email addresses are hard to come by. If you're a veteran of direct mail, you'll know how much of a boon a good mail merge tool can be. The alternative, manually typing out (or hand-writing!) dozens of letters and addresses to then package up and post, is a daunting task. Very quickly, however, you'll realise that the majority of data sources for business and owner addresses provide that information in a structure that those mail merge tools can't work with. This can lead to hours and hours of copy & pasting, reformatting, and writing excel formulas; which is a waste of your valuable time.

Enter: BizCrunch's mail merge-ready exports. This smart feature streamlines your outreach efforts, allowing for personalised, efficient communication at scale - without spending hours each week formatting spreadsheets and tearing out your hair.

How it Works

When exporting your list of carefully-crafted potential targets from the BizCrunch deal origination platform, you'll be offered an option titled 'Address Data':

When this is selected, your export will come with a sheet titled 'Mail Merge'. This sheet will have all the addresses in your search (including Trading Addresses if you're on a plan that offers this!) formatted to seamlessly integrate with all major mail merge providers.

It's that simple. From there you can write your letter and personalise however you wish, without the frustration of writing Excel formulas or copy and pasting for hours!

Mail Merge Tools

Never used a mail merge tool before? Read on!

When integrating with mail merge tools, the data in your spreadsheet populates predefined fields in a template, creating individualised messages en masse. This process eliminates the need for manual data entry, drastically reducing the time and effort involved in crafting personalised outreach communications.

If you send letters, or are planning to in the future, integrating a mail merge tool into your M&A strategy can significantly enhance your outreach effectiveness. Here are strategies and tips for doing so:

Segment Your Targets: Categorise your M&A targets based on factors like industry, company size, or geographic location. Tailor your messaging to address the specific interests and needs of each segment.

Customise Templates: Develop different email or letter templates for various target segments. Ensure these templates have placeholders for personalised elements, which the mail merge process will automatically fill.

Quality Data is Key: The success of a mail merge campaign hinges on the quality of your contact data.

Personal Touch: Use the mail merge function to insert personalised elements. Personalise your letters to include the recipient's name, at least!

Follow-Up Strategy: Plan a structured follow-up process. Your initial mail merge outreach should be the first step in a series of communications designed to build relationships.

Testing and Optimisation: Regularly test different templates and messages to see what resonates best with your targets. Use these insights to refine your approach continually.By thoughtfully integrating mail merge into your M&A outreach strategy, you can create more meaningful connections with potential targets, leading to more successful deal outcomes