The checklist
- Coverage. Companies mapped, contacted and still to contact, by segment and geography.
- Conversations. Owners engaged, with stage and next step.
- Movement. What advanced, stalled or dropped since last time.
- Declines. Why targets were passed on, by either side.
- Decisions needed. Offers to approve, meetings to take, criteria to change.
- Thesis notes. What the market is teaching you.
Mistakes to avoid
- Reporting activity, such as emails sent, instead of progress.
- Hiding declined targets, which are where the learning is.
- Long decks that no one reads before the meeting.
See a sample in our acquisition program reporting resource.
A pipeline report, line by line
Acquisition pipeline reportMonthly · Page 1 of 2
Companies mapped, contacted and still to contact, by segment and geographyCoverage
Owners engaged, with stage and next stepConversations
What advanced, stalled or dropped since last monthMovement
Why targets were passed on, by either sideDeclines
Offers to approve, meetings to take, criteria to changeDecisions needed
What the market is teaching us about the thesisThesis notes
A page or two, read before the meeting
Show movement, not activity
Mapped
Data provider
Contacted
Data providerAgency, MidwestServices firm
In conversation
Agency, MidwestMedia networkStalledSoftware firm
Diligence
Software firm
Declined
Services firmOutside size range
AdvancedStalledDeclined, with the reasonWhere it sat at the last report