QAD Behavioral 3 Flashcards
Have you ever had to change your working style to deal with a difficult team member?
I’ve worked alone and with a team and, in my experience, they each offer advantages. I think I work best in situations in which I can collaborate on some tasks and work alone for others.
At BBSI, I was working on a cross-functional team to navigate a pipeline model I built to Microsoft Power BI. Two team members wanted to work 100% in silos. I was fine with this but we needed to collaborate on some final task and make sure every essential task was being completed.
We compromised by setting up a shared check list on Google Docs, so everyone could see the teams progress and no tasks were being duplicated.
When have you had to convince others to view a situation from your perspective? Can you give an example of how you explained your point of view?
ALLKME
What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
When I took the job as the Head of M&A at Dragonflip, the biggest challenge was building a deal pipeline in the US/UK markets with virtually no brand recognition. Dragonflip is a German company and the biggest ecommerce M&A firm in the country.
Coordinated with the marketing and partnership team to develop a plan to build the pipeline.
I spoke on industry-related podcasts
Attended and presented at tradeshows and industry conferences to demonstrate expertise and build strong relationships within the industry
Setup countless Zoom calls with ecommerce service providers to build relationships and develop mutually beneficial referral relationships
Spoke to business owners and stakeholders to introduce Dragonflip, demonstrate expertise, and differentiate from the competition.
The job is never done, but we have increased traffic and valuation inquiries significantly.
What Kind of Strategies and Mindset Is Required for This Role?
I’m an avid advocate for continuously learning throughout your life. As you can see from my resume, I value education and am always looking to learn via certifications, reading, or even podcasts. I believe this is a pre-requisite for success in M&A because the more information you have about the market, competitiors, or industry developments, the more comfortable you will be in your recommendations. This will also help you recognize opportunities before the competition.
What Is the Biggest Challenge That You Foresee in This Job?
Building the Pipeline and obtaining a lot of pre-due diligence financial information about the businesses
How Do You Stay Motivated in Your Work?
When it comes to my job, I am primarily motivated by compensation, professional development, and the opportunity to learn new skills. I am excited about this position because I will have the opportunity to apply the skills Ive developed on the sell side to a more strategic role
I am also excited to gain more operational and integration experience post transaction.
How Do You Perceive Multitasking?
Multitasking is an added quality for any job role for sure. But when it comes to mergers and acquisitions, it is a mandatory trait that one must have.
You have to perform many roles simultaneously. Starting from analyzing the market, researching the leading companies, studying economic growth patterns, and managing several teams you have to do it all. Therefore, multitasking is downright necessary.
I have been multitasking for years now, given my job. I successfully mastered this art
What is your management style?
I have had some great bosses and a few that weren’t so great, and I have used those experiences to inform my own management style. To me, a good manager gives clear direction and provides resources but allows the employee to do their work how they think is best. They’re there to help and guide and make sure everyone is on the same page and communicating, but they trust their reports to do their assigned tasks
I also think is good to have informal checkins with employees to learn more about them as people, job satisfaction, etc. This helps build strong relationships that will survive hectic times.
I believe this style will be effective at Sureswift because there are a lot of skilled, smart people working here and I want to empower them to use said skills.
Can you provide some examples of good and bad leadership?
Mark - Hands off, guidance
Flippa - Micro manager, no direction
Which is more important in business – IQ or EQ?
Need a baseline of both to be successful in business.
The importance varies by position and responsibilities. IQ is more important in the early stages of the career and gets you in the door. EQ grows in importance as you have to manage other personalities, work cross-functionally, or get promoted.
You’re tasked with building a new app acquisition pipeline within 90 days. How would you start?
Define Objectives and Strategy - Define clear objectives for the acquisition pipeline. This includes setting targets for the number and type of apps
Research and Identify Opportunities
Market Analysis - Tools like SEM Rush, Sensor Tower, and industry reports would help pinpoint promising opportunities
Network & Outreach - Leveraging existing industry contacts, I’d connect with app developers, brokers, and accelerators. Additionally, I’d identify potential targets from app stores, competitor analysis, and online forums or communities.
Build the Pipeline Infrastructure - implement a CRM or deal management tool tailored to track potential acquisitions through each stage of the pipeline.
Standardize Processes
Launch Targeted Sourcing Campaigns - Inbound Sourcing and Outbound Sourcing (Run targeted outreach campaigns to identified developers via email, LinkedIn, or industry events. I’d also explore partnerships with app brokers and venture capital firms who may have insight into startups looking to exit)
Evaluate and Prioritize Targets
Establish a Review and Decision Framework - Set up a review committee with representatives from key departments to ensure diverse perspectives in evaluating and approving deals.
Measure and Optimize Performance - KPIs for the pipeline and iterative improvement
Tell me about a time you sourced a high-value acquisition deal
In my role as an M&A Advisor at Dealflow Brokerage, a client company was looking to expand its portfolio by acquiring high-performing apps in privacy sector. Our goal was to find a deal that aligned with their strategic objectives and had potential to scale.
I was tasked with sourcing high-value acquisition targets that could enhance their market position and drive revenue growth. My focus was on identifying apps with strong user engagement, solid monetization models, and a compelling value prop.
I began by leveraging a network of industry contacts, including brokers and app developers, and used various platforms to identify potential targets (Flippa, LinkedIn Groups, etc).
I conducted a thorough market analysis to shortlist apps that met our criteria, focusing on KPIs such as Monthly Active Users (MAU), Lifetime Value (LTV), and revenue growth rates
I reached out to the top prospects, initiated conversations, and conducted initial due diligence to validate their financial and operational performance.
After identifying a promising app, I led the internal team through a deeper analysis and crafted a compelling acquisition proposal.
As a result, we successfully completed the acquisition of a temporary email application generating $4M in annual revenue with a 30% YoY growth rate.
