Decision context
Clarify whether the question concerns an investment, acquisition, partnership, market move, or product direction.
COMMERCIAL DUE DILIGENCE
Examine the commercial case behind a decision.
For manufacturers and high-tech teams weighing an investment, acquisition, partnership, product, or market move, examine the evidence, assumptions, and commercial questions that need scrutiny.
Competitive Analysis can clarify market pressure and alternatives. Marketing Strategy can use the resulting buyer and market context to shape market direction.
01FRAME THE DECISION
Set a clear commercial question.
Define the decision, the people who will use it, and the questions that are material. Establish where the available information ends before treating assumptions as facts.
Evidence boundaries
List supplied materials, relevant public sources, assumptions, and information that remains unavailable.
02EXAMINE THE MARKET
Assess buyers, alternatives, and market pressure.
Examine demand conditions, buying criteria, alternative solutions, and the structure of the market around a complex B2B offer.
Buyer and alternative context
Review customer groups, use cases, buying conditions, demand signals, and the alternatives a buyer may compare.
Porter’s Five Forces
Consider competitive rivalry; threats from new entrants and substitutes; and the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers. Market data, deal evidence, and interviews can show current signals; they cannot establish future market performance or unobserved competitor plans.
03TEST THE COMMERCIAL LOGIC
Connect claims to capabilities and activity.
Test how proposed customer value depends on resources, operating activities, and conditions that still need to be verified.
VRIO
Assess whether a resource is valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and supported by the organization. Documents and interviews can show resources and operating practices; they cannot prove sustained advantage.
Value Chain
Trace how sourcing, engineering, production, delivery, service, and supporting functions add cost or create customer value. The map highlights dependencies; it does not validate a value claim without customer or operating evidence.
04A practical path
Make the next decision clearer.
Frame the question
Set the decision, intended users, commercial scope, and information boundaries.
Review available evidence
Examine agreed materials and relevant public information, distinguishing observations from assumptions and gaps.
State commercial implications
Organize market, buyer, capability, dependency, and open-question themes for informed discussion.
05Before the work begins
Questions worth asking.
01What questions can commercial due diligence address?
It can organize commercial questions around investments, acquisitions, partnerships, market moves, and product direction. The starting point is the decision and the evidence available to examine it.
02How should confidential information be handled?
Begin with a non-sensitive description of the business question. Before sharing confidential material, agree what information is appropriate to share and how it will be handled.
03Is this legal or investment advice?
No. The focus is commercial context and decision questions, not legal, tax, accounting, valuation, investment, regulatory, or other professional advice.
Due Diligence
Start with the commercial question.
Outline the decision, operating context, and questions that need examination. Do not include confidential materials in an initial message.