By Gene Donnelly, Global Managing Partner, Advisory and Tax

There is extraordinary opportunity in the global marketplace. When we asked CEOs to identify a major opportunity to grow their business in the next 12 months—57% responded that the growth was most likely to come from entering new markets and new businesses through M&A.

In fact, the deals market in the last three years has been booming and continues to outpace expectations. However, measuring success by number of deals completed or dollar value of the transactions merely provides a rating for the dealmakers. They are not indicators of a successful deal. The success of a deal for the companies involved can only be found in the value captured over time. By that measure, deals often struggle to realize their promise.

Companies will continue to fail to realize the promise of their deals until they fully appreciate that making a deal work encompasses far more than due diligence, savvy negotiations, and a basic implementation plan. This article explores what's driving the continued expansion in the deal market and the four areas of focus that can make the difference between success and failure.