How do I put pressure on a company to acquire without bluffing?
I have one of our customers discussing an acquisition. We met in person in CA and the conversations went well.
I think the guys are good guys and aren't really being misleading but of course, these things are complicated.
We met about 1-1.5 months ago and they've been busy but one of their team said it's still on their agenda.
What can I do to pressure them to move forward? Maybe FOMO but I don't want to bluff that there's another company talking to us when they're not...
Say it as it is - you'd appreciate an understanding of where things are to allow you to make decisions elsewhere, no need to say what those decisions are (could be someone else interested, or could be you just needing to get on with day to day progress).
I think the best way is to focus on increasing your valuation.
By that I mean focus on growing your business making it grow and more valuable. If they want to wait then your valuation is necessarily going to have to be higher and they will need to pay more the longer they wait.
I'd spend some time reaching out to other potential suitors - make approaches to others that might be interested in acquiring you. The fact that another company is interested in acquiring you would be of interest to other players in your field.