The Cheetah Agile Project – A Live Project

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, CAC, PMI-ACP, RYT

Moving on From Haines, Alaska – Cheetah Agile Project Sept 17 – 30, 2021

One of the land parcel’s I’m selling in Haines, Alaska

To celebrate Cheetah’s 20 year anniversary of helping cheetah students pass the PMP exam after only four days of accelerated exam prep (yes the lion’s share of Cheetah students pass the actual PMP exam on Friday after their class ends) – we had fifty lucky souls take our new 20 PDU program Cheetah Agile Certified at no cost.

What I absolutely love about the Cheetah Agile Projects approach is that I can finish very significant and meaningful projects with just two weeks of concentrated effort. My realtor, Angie Nolan of Alaska Unlimited Realty, and I have been working on listing all my land in Haines, Alaska for sale.

I have been in Alaska now for twenty years and am ready for a new adventure. I have found a new location that is a combination of my two geographic loves- Alaska and New England. Like most people, to fund this move, I need to sell my property to do so. Also, it takes a lot of energy to own property in various states and I want to focus my time and attention on where I am moving.

Angie started reading Cheetah Agile Projects while biding her time during open houses on some of her other properties and together we thought it would be a great idea to do a Cheetah Agile Project to create a system to drive buyers to make offers on the properties. For me, it’s taking action in alignment with meeting my goals to move on to a new adventure (putting feet to my goals).

Today we kicked off our Cheetah Agile Project to do this project. Here is our definition of done:

Have a proven marketing system established to drive buyers to make offers on Michelle’s properties in Haines, Alaska.

My first task is to create this blog post and to invite people to follow this Cheetah Agile Project.

Angie’s task is to aggregate all the listings for the properties for me to share with anyone who wants to follow this project over the next two weeks.

Our next daily stand up is tomorrow (yes we’re working flat out for the next fourteen days on this project – including the weekend). I will keep you posted with how this goes here on this blog.

September 18, 2021

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

Yesterday we launched a blogging effort to share a two week Cheetah Agile Project I am doing with my broker Angie Nolan to create a system to get buyers for 7 parcels of land we are selling in Haines, Alaska. I selected Angie to help me with this effort as she has a strong track record for selling unusual and large properties around SE Alaska.

I shared the blog post with the class of 50 students recently signed up for the October Cheetah Agile Certification course. Many have already started the course early (we do allow this). Several reached out to me and shared they felt challenged in deciding on their two week demonstration project. We do share tips and examples on how to scope and define their Cheetah Agile Demonstration Project in the program as part of the first module. People often need a little encouragement though and more examples.

Cheetah Agile Projects are more about creating projects than on picking projects. Creating a project is far more empowering than “picking” a project which connotes a much more rigid set of requirements relating to what needs to be accomplished. The mindset of “picking” is anathema to the Agile project philosophy where the requirements for the project typically emerge and evolve as the project progresses.

Here is how Angie and I created this current Cheetah Agile Project with tips for your own Cheetah Agile Project:

1. This was something we both knew with two weeks of focused, concentrated effort would move the needle on generating buying interest on the seven parcels of land. Think about this for yourself:
   1. What in your life would benefit from two weeks of focused concentrated effort.
   2. Can you define it so that at the end of two weeks you have something concrete you’ve completed? For us it’s going to be a repeatable process we can use to continue bringing qualified prospective buyers into our funnel.
2. We both knew we have unique talents that would benefit from a short daily engagement to create a viable approach neither one of us could create on our own.
   1. Where in your life would you benefit by partnering with one or several other people in a focused activity to complete something of significance in two weeks?
   2. Do you have other people who have been wanting to get on your radar screen to move the needle on accomplishing a mutually beneficial goal?

Retrospective

Today we had our second daily stand up meeting keeping it to 15 minutes. We had each gotten done what we committed to the previous day that we could build upon. Angie had to update the MLS listings as we recently completed a subdivision on a waterfront 12 acre parcel that we are now selling as two three acre and a six acre waterfront parcels. We brainstormed five unique audiences for acquiring the parcels of land:

1. Tourists & Adventure Travelers (many people come to Haines on vacation and end up purchasing property while there).
2. People already in Haines looking for inflation protection provided by land ownership
3. Artist/Yoga/Gardening/Environmentalist types wanting their own protected piece of paradise.
4. Hunter/Prepper types wanting to develop or expand their end of times compounds.
5. Those wanting to keep others out (there are corporate interests operating in the area that do not want people living in SE Alaska to thwart their business interests).

For improvement – we are going to improve the out reach process for respective audiences.

We are waiting on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) to populate on Angie’s realty website before listing them on this blog – it might take until Monday. She can do better tracking on prospective buyers via her website.

The to do generated from today is for Angie’s staff, who are adept at finding ways to reach the respective audiences. They will be working on that over the next several days and report back to Angie what it is they have learned.

September 19, 2021

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

To keep things moving, I’m shifting to using the daily project summaries we use in the Cheetah Agile Certification Program (don’t want to make this project all about documentation). Since I do these posts once a day, I’m going to start with the end of day review from the previous day and then include what we learned from the daily stand up.

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

September 20, 2021 – Daily Stand Up

What did we complete yesterday: We have all the MLS Property listings updated with the owner financing aspect to expand the pie of who can afford the land parcels:

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? We are checking in with the attorney on the owner finance contracts related to limiting resource extraction as several of the lots have timber that if clear cut would decrease the value of the lots while providing the financing land holder with significant revenue proportionate with the land devaluation. We may not want to do land contracts for the land with the large timber stands. We also are evaluating marketing the land parcels more in Juneau, Skagway, and Whitehorse. We are at the “throwing the spaghetti at the wall” phase. This in marketing where we try a bunch of ideas and see which ones “stick” – meaning – they generate some result.

What help do we need to complete our work today? Help from the real estate attorney on how to reduce our risks with the financing land holders decreasing the value of the land while it’s under contract.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? A good source of leads is the Marketplace on Facebook which Michelle can use but Angie cannot. Prior to putting anything on the market place related to owner financing, we need to make sure we can control the risks of the financing land holders devaluing the property with resource extraction. We also have a plan in the works to sell another property in Haines tied in with the sale of a business but we are waiting on the real estate attorney to wrap up a legal document that would enable us to do so. Once we have that in hand, we need to evaluate how to better use Tresle and other sell your business services on line to us this mechanism to sell that property.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? Looking before we leap on the owner financing with respect to the risks of land devaluation. It’s still a good way to generate leads for the land and there may be an effective way of managing the risks.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? I currently have the real estate attorney wrapping up another project so I’m going to start doing some of the leg work on the land devaluation risk with owner financing prior to bringing it to her attention.

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. We are finishing up a bunch of loose ends related to marketing these parcels.
2. We are energized generating new ideas – a good headspace for innovation and creativity.
3. By being patient with the attorney’s current project, I am looking into some things myself so I will be better prepared when I do discuss these issues with her thus better focusing her time and talent.

September 21, 2021 – Daily Stand Up

What did we complete yesterday: Review of the risks of owner finance contracts on land parcels, the promotion of the land in different land websites.

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? Summarizing the process of selling the land including the owner financed land with the longer term ramifications of doing that (selling owner finance requires being willing and able to foreclose on people not making the payments). Getting the strawman contract for deed created and testing out an owner financed promotion on FB marketplace on two of the lowest price land parcels.

What help do we need to complete our work today? We found a template to create the strawman contract so we can kick the tires on the owner-financed sales idea. We’ll need help with the “feet on the ground” in Haines with showing the land parcels we are listing.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? The two parcels of land we are listing are tied in with a business we were evaluating setting up called Tree to Table. The lots are an old tree farm and have 100 trees on them. They could be converted into cords of wood ($300 per tree), or lumber ($1000 per tree), or made into these cool tables Michelle found ($100,000 per tree). Depending on the interested parties, we may be able to sell the land as a business so the new buyers could acquire it with an SBA loan. Angie has banking contacts who could help with this.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? The FB Marketplace ad generated a bunch of interest and a showing for today.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? Keep diving into this SBA loan idea if the prospective buyers want to purchase the business as a way to acquire the lots.

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. Leveraging Michelle’s entrepreneurial skills to sell the properties as businesses.
2. Leveraging Angie’s banking contacts to help prospective buyers acquire the land with an SBA loan.
3. FB’s marketplace as an easy way to take the pulse on an idea.

September 22, 2021 – Daily Stand Up

What did we complete yesterday: Put two of the lots as an owner financed deal on FB Marketplace and got our ducks in a row to take any prospective buyers across the finish line with depositing their monthly payments into an automated ACH system. We have an interested buyer looking at the parcels later today.

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? Started an audio book yesterday called “Extraordinary Confidence.” It’s a good reminder on how to take more risks in life and with this approach we’re doing with the Cheetah Agile Project, know we have the skills to handle any challenges that arise. Angie and I were made for this effort. Angie got an inquiry on the large water front parcel. We are going to research the person interested to assess their angle. Angie is putting the land on 20 other websites and the plat maps on Zillow. We are completing the land disclosures on all the land parcels.

What help do we need to complete our work today? Our “feet on the ground” is showing the Orchard Lots A and B properties today.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? We are extraordinarily confident we will be moving prospective buyers through our sales process – documented below.

Moving buyers through the sales process – start with the end in mind.

Review/Retrospective on the day

The Tree to Table Business Plan shows how to take a $150k lot with 50 harvest ready trees and convert it into a $5 million dollar business.

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? Acting as if – the extraordinary confidence aspect. What is to be gained by “saving ourself from disappointment” by aiming low? Whatever the outcome of the current interest on three of the land parcels – we will know more tomorrow than today and that is goodness. Let’s shoot for the stars with our confidence on selling these land parcels. I also realized that the two lots I listed are worth a heck of a lot more than $150k each with the Tree to Table Business Plan. The guy interested in the waterfront looks like an ideal owner for that land.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? We both hit a stall today as we are juggling other aspects of life and are getting physically tired. Taking some time to relax and rejuvenate and not push it as hard today will set us up to get back at whatever we need to do tomorrow. I had a “squirrel moment” revisiting the idea of setting up the Tree to Table business – HOWEVER my objective is to move on from Haines. Earlier in the year, I was going full steam ahead on the Tree to Table business that would have used the harvest ready timber on these two lots to convert 100 trees into a $10 million dollar business. That was until the two guys working with me disappeared. Not exactly sure what happened but they both just went off the rails. Moving into an “extraordinary confidence” mindset, I could make it go with other folks – EXCEPT I am really trying to move away from Haines Alaska and to an area that is much better suited to me carrying out my other business – the spice shop – for which I do not need to rely on other people to hose the entire business plan (I can do that very well on my own). There are many issues with me making the Tree to Table business a reality in Haines – I could probably do a Tree to Table business as well where I am moving to if this is in the cards for me. But I did learn long ago the business ideas that work best for me are the ones where I am capable of running every part of the business. Yes I do hire out for elements of those businesses but I better know how to manage those folks as well.

So for tomorrow recognize that when I’m feeling tired and frustrated, it’s more likely my “restless saboteur” might take charge and I am more prone to “Squirrel” moments taking me off task on my main goal. Sometimes the best strategy really is to just take a nap,

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. We have people interested in the properties!!!!
2. We are both realizing the collective talent we have to pull off this amazing goal.
3. It’s really fun to connect with Angie every day on this project.

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

September 23, 2021 – Daily Stand Up

What did we complete yesterday: From the FB fishing expedition in the Marketplace post – discovered there is controversy around how much very tall mature trees are worth. Most people only see firewood or lumber, not finished wood products. No one mentioned Carbon Credits for keeping the trees (for small stands of trees this may not be significant). Good to know. Found out an interested party on the water front is associated with Land Trusts. This gave us another angle to research prospective buyers. The people who looked at the 1 acre tree farm lots said they would call and another interested party asked for my number. The FB Marketplace exploration generated some new ideas and an interesting realization.

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? Develop the pro-forma for wood products from all the trees on 24 acres of tree farms we own (not just the two two acre parcels). The 22 acre, Parcel B is a former tree farm as well with at least 1100 trees over 120 feet tall. Find other Land Trusts and connect with them on protecting the large water front parcel. We are raising the price on the two one acre lots that are tree farms – we did not properly account for the value of the trees on the lots.

What help do we need to complete our work today? Angie needs more help then I do – her staff is doing research and updating the listings.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? I am doing inquires to test out some ideas for other ways to use the trees. We discovered one use for the tree makes almost $300k per tree. It might be a little offensive to some people so we are tredding carefully on our exploration. Angie is creating rack cards for visitor centers and the ferry in Juneau, Haines and Skagway.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? I did a great job creating a pro-forma for a business idea with three of the land parcels I can expand to two of the other land parcels. Novel print advertising with the Rack cards. I’m going to explore more ways to leverage the 2000 trees that are on all the properties – evaluating possible carbon tax credit ideas for Alaska.
What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? I spent a lot of time flushing out a business idea that would encompass three of the lots. However it might be offensive to some people. I’m going to explore it gently and evaluate ways to develop it so it’s not offensive to anyone.

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. I’m excited about the pro-forma business ideas expanding the value of the property for prospective buyers.
2. It’s nice to be working with someone who also has a bench to get things moving.
3. I appreciate the candor of friends and family when I share ideas with them so I can better flush them out without inadvertently offending folks.

September 24, 2021 – Daily Standup

What did we complete yesterday: Created a pro-forma for a business idea with three of the land parcels that can be expanded to two of the other land parcels. Looked into doing Rack Cards on the land parcels for the Visitors Centers and Ferries in SE Alaska.

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? Look into other ways of generating revenue from the trees from Carbon Tax Credits, explore the idea of leasing part of the land on the 22 Acre Parcel at the top for a cell phone tower (the region desperately needs better cell phone coverage). Reach out to SeaALASKA regarding the cell phone coverage and find out how the cruise ship industry developed the remote site in Hoonah to possibly do the same thing in Viking Cove on Parcels C and B.

What help do we need to complete our work today? Finding places that could help with the cell phone tower leasing idea.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? We are both needing an unplug weekend to recharge our creative batteries.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? Found a company that interfaces with the cell phone company to start the process of leasing the top part of Parcel B for a cell phone tower. The 22 acre Parcel B costs next to nothing to maintain (besides a very low yearly property tax bill) – the monthly lease could be more than what I would be getting for it in an owner finance monthly payment. I could start the subdivision process in Parcel B and sell it off for much more in smaller lot sizes. The Carbon Tax Credits seem to only be viable for thousands of acres of forests. Still TBD on that. Taking two days off so “tomorrow” is Monday. Will continue to look at other ways of monetizing the land for increasing the value proposition for whomever owns it.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? Taking a couple days off to recharge the creative batteries and allow the universe to catch up to “cheetah speed.”

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. There is always something else around the bend – to keep moving forward and exploring what is possible.
2. Recognizing the real goal here on the 7 parcels of land is to reduce any requirements to travel or be in Haines (and get stuck there) while monetizing my investments there.
3. Calibrating my BS meter on what has received a lot of hype in the media – carbon tax credits.

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

September 27, 2021 – Daily Standup

What did we complete yesterday: We took the weekend off and started fresh again today.

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? I was evaluating the reasons I was attracted to being in Alaska. It was to live the “Alaskan Adventure.” So I made a video to share what it is like to be experiencing the very real Alaskan Adventure (not the one most people experience as tourists to Alaska).

What help do we need to complete our work today? Mostly just review for suitability.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? Will need to figure out where to place this.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? Trying to connect with what might interest people to acquire these land parcels.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? Finding more ways to connect with people who would be interested in acquiring these land parcels.

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. I enjoy using doodly – hopefully this video will hit the mark and move the needle on getting interest on the properties.
2. Made something we can use in a variety of ways to promote acquiring the land parcels.
3. My attorney wrapped up a task that will make it easier to sell another property.

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

September 28, 2021 – Daily Standup

What did we complete yesterday: I finished a short video on living the epically adventurous life of an Alaskan.

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? We are getting the video out across a number of websites and social media.

What help do we need to complete our work today? Making sure Angie is ready to answer the phone as all the places we are posting are driving phone calls to Angie.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? Come up with more ideas on where to post the video.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? We created an audience on FB for high income people interested in Alaska and boosted the post to that audience for the next two weeks. Not sure what this will generate but that was a good creation so hoping to do something that seems right today.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? Discover more creative ways to reach those souls where it’s in their best and highest good (and the best and highest good for the land) for them to become the new owners. Feeling a little bit stalled here. Going to do a free form brain storming to get out as many crazy ideas as possible – shooting for 30 of them.

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. I am grateful the doodly program lets you optimize the videos for social media.
2. That Angie is so good with answering the phone.
3. That my creative well is deep and I’ll come up with more ideas tomorrow.

September 29, 2021 – Daily Standup

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

What did we complete yesterday: We posted a short video I made on living the Alaskan Adventure on a number of social media sites. It’s getting views and clicks – woo hoo!!!

What are the essential tasks we are completing today? Doing a free form brainstorming on 30 things we could do to get interested buyers for the land. Taking action on some of the ideas we generate.

What help do we need to complete our work today? A curious and creative open mind with follow through.

What is coming up in the next couple of days for which you may need help from others? We are wrapping up this effort and will need to establish a follow up process to continue tracking effectiveness of what we put into place and periodically tweaking it.

Review/Retrospective on the day

What did you finish, what went well you want to repeat tomorrow? We came up with several ideas we could act on right away. One of the interested parties to the 22 acre parcel had indicated he had a price in mind for the parcel. So I reached out to him to inquire what that price was. He simply said “the assessed value.” Which was fascinating as Lot 11 (the parcel with the houses) has an assessed value at least 1.5x than what it would reasonably appraise at and not a one person complained about the price when we did a trial ballon on that property six weeks ago on FB marketplace. So tax assessed value in this area carries a lot of weight in people’s perception of the value of a property. Oddly enough, this same property with the new outrageous tax assessed value had been listed by the main real estate company in town three years ago and even though the listing had expired, they have continued to show it.

Interestingly, the assessed value on the 22 acre parcel is way off in the other direction as lot 11 (it’s not had the interest that Lot 11 has had from the Real Estate company in town). So I reached out the the town planner (who owns the main real-estate business in town and who’s wife still runs it – can you cay “conflict of interest.”) I asked a simple question – “how were the tax assessed values of these two parcels determined?” The forested 1 acre lot 11 with minimal views has a land value of $47,400 (they have appraised the buildings on the property for $560000 – they are not worth more than $300,000 – if that). Yet, the 22 acre land parcel, with similar road access, a mile away, and sweeping and dramatic views is $174000. Is this a coincidence that Lot 11’s tax assessed value in the past three years has doubled but nothing has happened to the tax assessed value of the property the local real estate company is not interested in helping to sell?

If we were looking at a straight land comparison, the 22 acre parcel should at least be a $1,042,800 valuation. The answer by the town planner was extremely adversarial and confrontational regarding a deed filing between Lots 11 and 12, of which I own both, to share the well and septic – something we did over five years ago that had absolutely nothing to do with the original question – but it was good to learn of their issue with this deed. The original question was pretty much ignored, but he did include the tax assessor in on his response – who is on vacation until October 21. It also had me asking “what is really going on here?” Needless to say the real estate attorney I use for projects up here is now evaluating my options for this controversy and Angie, who is also an appraiser, is considering appraising all of the parcels of land in Haines to be submitted to the Haines government offices for an accurate representation for tax assessment.

On a more positive note, the ideas we generated created this realization I may need to lean in on the economic development potentials for some of the land parcels. I reached out to someone who could be a potential business manager to oversee three of these businesses for me – a young, jack of all type, qualified, and eager to learn how to run businesses from me. One of the businesses she had reached out to me about a couple months back was to create a seaweed farm on one of the waterfront parcels. The area could benefit from an infusion of young entrepreneurial energy that is supported, guided and mentored.

What are you going to do to improve how you are finishing your tasks tomorrow? Since tomorrow is the last day of this Cheetah Agile Project, we are going to be wrapping up with a process for going forward. We have come to appreciate this effort to sell seven parcels of land and two other properties with houses on them will be an ongoing effort – especially with the subdivision planned for the 22 acre parcel and doing owner financing which means we may be selling the same parcel more than once as we have found that about 40% of owner finance land deals foreclose. It will take more effort to fully move on from Haines – a good thing we started when I am still “young old.”

Three reasons you’re grateful for what you accomplished today:

1. I am grateful for unintended consequences, discovering issues where we had not known there was a problem and learning the lay of the land with the town real estate office and the conflict of interest on the tax assessed value of properties in Haines. There was a similar conflict of interest with the former town manager and the tax assessed value of her numerous properties – but this is now a different ball game all together. The conflict of interest with the town manager raised everyone else’s tax assessed values and mil rates while keeping her’s low. This game now keeps a property’s tax assessed values low unless the real estate company in town feels they have a good chance of selling the properties, then the tax assessed values go through the roof.
2. I appreciate Angie is also an appraiser so we can begin to remediate a conflict of interest issue impacting the perceived property values of people not using the town planner’s real estate company.
3. I was able to come up with 30 new ideas, some of them that proved to be game changers for this effort.

September 30, 2021

Documenting the ongoing results of our Cheetah Agile Project

In the majority of the Cheetah Agile Projects I’ve done, the team and I are more than ready to move the results of the project onto the next stage. This project was no exception to that and at the same time I’m grateful we had to push ourselves yesterday to identify 30 more ideas as they uncovered a treasure trove of information and insight for going forward. We were both tired and had much other work we needed to tend to. Here is our final retrospective on the overall project:

1. What went well during the project you want to do for future projects? Sticking to the daily stand up kept us motivated and focused on the project. Pushing myself to publish a blog post every day helped me stay better organized. Next time though I will more likely do a group wiki to record the same information. We also now have a better idea of what long term level of effort is going to be required to sell these land parcels and are committed to doing whatever it takes to sell the parcels to the right buyers.

2. What new capabilities/strengths did you and your team develop/ enhance you can further leverage? We developed more in-depth capability of pricing the land parcels and increasing perceptions on the land value. This is going to help tremendously as we get further into negotiations on the individual parcels.

3. What obstacles did you and your team overcome? What did you learn from this? We learned there is much going on behind the scenes in Haines that could negatively impact our ability to sell some of the parcels we have yet to list and the perception of value of the ones that we have listed. I am working with the Real Estate attorney to remediate these issues.

4. What can you eliminate doing on future projects? It’s not so much eliminate – but it would be helpful to do the 30 idea exercise earlier in the project or whenever things feel like they are stalled.

5. What are you interested in pursuing now with the skills and confidence you gained by doing this project? I got to interact with many people kicking our tires and it helped me to realize there is much I can do to increase the value of the land (or any other large dollar value item I am selling) for the right future owner. It’s really a matter of finding out what it is they most need to make the acquisition a very good move for them.