September 29, 2017
Interviewed by: Privcap

Moving the Mid-Market Needle with Data

Veteran strategic consultants describe the dearth of data in the lower-mid-market, and how quality information can really add value.

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Moving the Mid-Market Needle with Data

Andrew, Johnston, The Lucas Group:

One of the biggest challenges we face working in the middle market and lower-middle market is [that] it’s such a niche industry that there is no publicly-available information.

Jay Lucas, The Lucas Group:

These are generally niche businesses that don’t have major studies and major data. So, you’re going to have to be creative and thoughtful about how you find data to make decisions.

Sometimes, an 80/20 approach is the right approach. If you can help everybody get to a point where they feel comfortable that they’re making the right decision, then you move on. That lower middle-market company is about making good choices, and then accelerating progress and trying to move the needle in creating value.

Johnston: We recently had an engagement with an automotive aftermarkets parts manufacturer and we’re trying to get a sense of the global pricing situation in the face of absolutely no publicly-available information. Ultimately, we were able to triangulate pricing through competitor interviews and customer interviews, and we developed a fairly fulsome picture of the pricing landscape.