Client Profile
A regional B2B services firm based in Greater Philadelphia, with 45 employees, seeking to expand its customer base through the acquisition of a peer competitor of similar size.
The Intention
The buyer’s primary motivation was straightforward: acquire the target’s Rolodex. With a shared market niche and little product differentiation, the logic was simple—buy the book, transition the accounts, and optimize operations.
The Challenge
What they overlooked was what many small acquirers miss: the people side of the equation. The acquisition team had no plan for talent integration, cultural alignment, or leadership communication beyond deal mechanics. That’s where Jürgen Bank and TSM³ Consulting makes all the difference.
Discovery: A Hidden Asset Revealed
Through TSM³’s structured discovery, we realized huge potential was buried in the acquired company talent. Several salespeople had deep client trust and exceptional close rates. A handful of technical professionals were quietly outperforming peers in the broader industry.
The Intervention
The TSM³ approach—Assess, Align, Activate—shifted the buyer’s integration plan to a talent-first strategy:
• Assess: Confidential interviews and readiness assessments surfaced key players at risk of leaving post-acquisition.
• Align: Leadership messaging was rewritten to showcase opportunity—not just consolidation. Sales leaders from both sides co-created a joint go-to-market vision.
• Activate: We launched a Post-Merger Vision Process that retained all top performers and boosted morale across teams with transparent communication, joint wins, and early recognition rituals.
The Result
Within six months:
• 85% of the acquisition company’s customers were retained (vs. projected 60%)
• Revenue grew 22% YoY, driven by refreshed, integrated market messaging
• Voluntary turnover dropped to near zero
• The client began planning a second acquisition—this time with people strategy built in from Day One
“We thought we were buying a list. What we got, thanks to the TSM3 program, was a stronger company. We retained the most fabulous talent we didn’t even know we could have and grew faster than we imagined.“
— CEO, Acquiring Firm
*Some of this story is altered to protect the privacy of our customers.
