What product people can learn from mergers and acquisitions - Vincent Jong (CPO, Dealfront)
Mar 26, 2025
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In this engaging conversation, Vincent Jong, CPO at Dealfront, shares insights from his experience navigating product leadership during mergers and acquisitions. He emphasizes the importance of product leaders as key stakeholders in M&A processes. Vincent discusses how to spot red flags and the critical need for clear objectives and cultural alignment. He also offers tactical advice on managing integrations, highlighting the significance of adaptability and strategic communication to ensure success amidst complexity.
Product leaders must be actively involved in mergers and acquisitions to effectively manage risks and integration challenges.
Establishing clear success metrics and fostering cultural alignment are crucial for maintaining focus and achieving positive outcomes in M&A.
Deep dives
The Appeal and Risks of Mergers and Acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be alluring for companies seeking growth, offering opportunities to enter new markets and diversify product offerings. However, statistics indicate that a significant percentage of acquisitions fail to deliver value, with estimates suggesting up to 70% result in loss instead of success. This paradox drives companies to pursue M&A despite the associated risks, as securing funding can allow for rapid growth beyond organic development. Companies must weigh these temptations against the potential consequences of poor integration and unmet outcomes.
Navigating Types of Mergers and Acquisitions
Different types of mergers, such as mergers of equals, involve combining companies of similar sizes, which can create complications but also an opportunity for complementary offerings. In contrast, acquisitions typically see a larger company take control of a smaller entity, aiming to strengthen its market position or enhance its product suite. The nuanced motivations behind these strategies include gaining market share, entering new customer segments, or reducing competition in the industry. Understanding these dynamics is essential, as the approach can significantly impact the success and trajectory of the integration process.
Setting Clear Objectives for M&A Success
Establishing clear success metrics prior to an acquisition is critical for tracking progress and maintaining focus during the integration phase. Organizations often face the temptation to pursue multiple goals at once, but concentrating on a primary objective, like revenue growth or customer retention, can facilitate clearer decision-making and resource allocation. Setting realistic timeframes for expected outcomes, particularly within the crucial first year, helps to build excitement and ensure stakeholders remain engaged with the merger or acquisition process. Prioritizing transparency and communication around these goals can also mitigate uncertainty and foster a cooperative culture.
The Importance of Culture and Communication in Integration
Cultural alignment between merging organizations plays a pivotal role in the overall success of an M&A initiative, as differences in values and decision-making can lead to challenges in integration. Ongoing and open communication is essential to address employee concerns and prevent misinformation, particularly through mechanisms like town hall meetings where staff can voice questions anonymously. Companies need to ensure that all personnel feel informed and engaged in the transition to foster trust and morale, leading to smoother integration. Ultimately, prioritizing both cultural fit and effective communication sets the stage for a successful merger and mitigates potential pitfalls during the process.
Mergers and acquisitions are often seen as boardroom strategy – but it's becoming ever more important for product leaders to be key stakeholders in the process. In this live interview recorded at #mtpcon London 2025, Randy sits down with Vincent Jong, CPO at Dealfront, to explore the real, unfiltered lessons of product leadership during M&A.
Vincent shares stories from inside two major integrations offering tactical insight into what product teams need to know, how to spot risk before it's too late, and why defining success early is critical.
Featured Links: Follow Vincent on LinkedIn and his website | Join Vincent at Saas on The Beachevent in May | Buy Vincent's book'Product-Led Sales: Combine the Best of Product-Led Growth and Sales' | 'What we learned at #mtpcon London 2025'feature by Kent McDonald and Louron Pratt
Our Hosts Lily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She’s currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She’s worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath.
Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury’s. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group’s Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He’s the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager’s Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon’s music stores in the US & UK.
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