Research – what’s it all about?
If you were to take a quick walk through Precision Group’s offices you would see a hive of activity, the staff enjoying the camaraderie of working for a friendly team and the bustle of a busy workplace. You may not, at first, notice Bryn MacGregor sitting at the far side of the office, quietly working away at his desk top computer. His calm and unassuming manner however belies the actual activity and sometimes frenetic pace with which he must apply himself to his tasks.
Bryn’s work underpins much of what goes on in the Precision Group. As Head of Research Bryn must ensure that every project meets its full research requirement, is handled in a way tha t protects the clients’ anonymity and that every report is thoroughly prepared for each stage of the sale process.
“Research is fundamental when selling a business,” says Bryn. A typical report will generally contain more than one hundred companies, “We try to spread the net as far as possible in the initial stages of the research, identifying all potential target purchasers across a range of different pools.”
The projects that Precision Group undertakes for its clients are handled carefully and discreetly. Many businesses choose Precision Group primarily because of its ability to sell businesses using the covert auction method, a method invented by Precision’s Chairman, Barry Pearson. Precision Group’s ethos is to always put the anonymity of the client first in any research that is undertaken.
One important challenge when putting together a report is the necessity of extracting relevant data on potential purchasers’ strategic objectives and acquisition plans. “Company websites are obviously a useful start for background data” explains Bryn, “but we always look to speak with senior management to confirm their key acquisition criteria. By focusing on the company’s own plans and targets rather than revealing we have a company to sell, we can guarantee complete confidentiality for our client, whilst providing a short list of highly relevant acquisitive companies to be approached.”
Bryn’s previous work experience is from within the field of specialist market research “I enjoy what I do now as it is far more varied and wide ranging than my previous jobs. Prior to joining Precision the majority of my career had been spent in market research consultancy and in the paper and packaging sector. Now a normal day will see me researching sectors as diverse as biotechnology, building materials and computer software in the space of one morning!”
“Many companies offering corporate finance services operate much more as brokers and do not offer the full research service that we provide here at Precision” Bryn continued, “It’s a demanding role but one which adds a huge deal of value to the service we offer to our clients and for that reason I feel a great deal of job satisfaction”.
