Scale Without Waiting, a 90-Day Framework for Your First Acquisition

The Complete Succession Acquisition Playbook

negotiating an acquisition

If you’re waiting for the “right time” to acquire another practice, you’re already behind.

The reality is a story that contradicts conventional wisdom: the advisors closing acquisitions in the next 90 days won’t be the ones with the deepest pockets. They’ll be the fastest and most disciplined, the ones who’ve stopped treating M&A as a “someday” initiative and started treating it as their next major wealth-creation milestone.

Here’s the contrarian insight: top-performing advisors acquiring practices right now are building at 50% faster rates than their peers who remain organic-growth-only. More surprisingly, these aren’t mega-firms outbidding everyone. They’re advisors like you—practitioners with $50M to $500M in AUM who’ve recognized that one clean acquisition at reasonable multiples compounds faster than five years of organic growth ever will.

The window to acquire exists now because of market psychology, not because of market fundamentals. And that window won’t stay open indefinitely.

The 90-Day Playbook: Three Acts to Your First Deal

Days 1-30: Identification and the Psychology of Opening Doors

Finding a selling advisor isn’t a passive exercise. You’re not waiting for a broker to call. You’re executing market intelligence that reveals who’s actually ready to move.

Start with the “advisor vulnerability audit.” Target practitioners in your market who exhibit these signals: recent team departures, flat or declining assets over the past two years, minimal technology investment, aging client bases showing increased mortality or retirement account conversions, or newly acquired licenses by their staff (often a sign they’re building internal redundancy before selling). The advisors hitting financial planners’ conferences and compliance webinars in October and November are often those reconciling whether to invest in upgrades, or exit.

This is where most acquirers get it wrong. They approach sellers with acquisition language. Instead, frame your initial conversation around intelligence gathering. “I’ve noticed you’ve built something impressive in this market. I’m researching how the best practices are adapting to [current challenge: rising costs, team retention, regulatory shifts]. What’s working for you?”

This isn’t manipulation, it’s genuine. And it opens doors that traditional acquisition pitches slam shut.

When you’re ready to signal serious interest, specificity matters. Don’t say, “We’d be interested in exploring something.” Say: “I’ve spent the last three weeks analyzing practices with your client concentration profile and fee structure. I think there’s a genuine opportunity to preserve what you’ve built while solving two specific problems you’re facing, [name them from your research]. Would it make sense to have one confidential conversation?”

This language does three things simultaneously: it proves you’ve done real work, it positions you as a peer (not a predator), and it transforms the conversation from “selling” into “problem-solving.” Advisors at your level don’t want to be acquired. They want problems solved.

Ready to Execute? The Implementation Details Start Here.

You’ve seen the framework. The next section reveals the specific scripts, checklists, and financing structures that separate 90-day closings from deals that drag through 18 months.

This is where theory becomes action—the exact language for approaching targets, the due diligence checklist that catches hidden risks, and the Q4 tactical moves that only work right now.

Paid subscribers get the complete playbook, plus access to our implementation intelligence deep-dives where acquisition strategies are stress-tested with real operators who’ve executed these deals.

The advisors closing acquisitions in December aren’t waiting for the “perfect” moment. They’re executing now.

[UPGRADE TO PAID] to unlock the full framework and join the 3% building faster.

Days 31-60: Due Diligence, Negotiation, and Data-Driven Clarity

This is where discipline separates winners from deal-destroyers.

Your due diligence checklist should focus on three categories: sustainability, compatibility, and integration feasibility.

Sustainability means verifying AUM concentration. If the top 10 clients represent more than 35-40% of assets, you’re not acquiring a practice, you’re acquiring transition risk. Pull three years of client household asset trends. Are clients aging out of equity allocations? Are they consolidating, or are they adding assets? Verify fee structure separately for each client segment. Inconsistencies reveal advisory behavior (lower fees for certain relationships) that won’t scale with your model.

Compatibility is where most acquirers stumble. Examine their technology stack, not because you need to use it, but to understand their operational tolerance. An advisor running on legacy platforms has low tech tolerance. Integration into your modern stack will feel disruptive to them (and potentially to clients). Your fee structure matters here too. If you’re at 1.0% AUM and they’re at 0.65%, the narrative shouldn’t be “we’ll raise your fees.” It should be “we’ll deliver higher-value services that justify fee alignment over time.” The data supports this: practices that don’t align fees within 18 months see 15-20% client attrition.

Integration feasibility is your unfair advantage. Most acquirers haven’t thought past closing. You’re planning for it now. Document their operational calendar: when do they review client relationships? When do they make platform or reporting changes? When do they have the mental space for transition? The best integration conversations happen when the seller’s operational cycle creates natural windows for change—not when you’re forcing change on your timeline.

Your negotiation stance should be collaborative data analysis, not adversarial haggling. Bring a spreadsheet, not an ultimatum. “Here’s how I’m valuing this: 3.2x EBITDA on normalized earnings, plus a two-year earnout tied to client retention. Here’s my model. What assumptions would need to shift to make this work for you?”

Advisors at your level respect precision. They don’t respect pressure.

The Real Advantage Isn’t What You’ve Read—It’s What Comes Next.

We’ve shown you why the top 10% of advisors are building 50% faster. The data is clear. What separates execution from planning is access to the exact implementation blueprint.

Paid subscribers receive:

• The complete 90-day playbook with deal structures, financing strategies, and integration protocols

• The Q4 tactical advantage: five specific moves that only work this quarter (and how to execute them starting Monday)

• The Integration Playbook: the operational calendar that separates winners from acquirers who destroy value

The window for Q4 closings closes December 31st. The advisors moving now are positioning themselves three to five years ahead of peers who delay until market conditions “feel better.”

[UPGRADE TO PAID] to get the complete framework before the window shifts.

Days 61-90: Structuring the Deal and the First 90-Day Integration

This is where most acquisitions either succeed brilliantly or fail quietly.