They are buying the expected future earnings of the company as they are perceived to exist at the time of the acquisition. While financial buyers may see the potential for expanding cash flow beyond what the company has achieved on its own, they are generally not willing to pay for that potential. They are much more likely to keep the current personnel in place than strategic buyers. However, if their intent is to grow the business and eventually sell to a strategic buyer, the retention of personnel may be temporary. Strategic Buyers .
Strategic buyers are interested in a company's fit into their own long-term business plans.
Strategic buyers are often willing and able to pay more for a company than financial buyers. There are two main reasons for this. First, strategic buyers may be able to realize synergistic benefits almost immediately due to economies of scale that may exist through the combined purchasing power of the new entity and the elimination of duplicate functions. Second, strategic buyers are generally larger companies with better access to capital. They often have another currency available to them in the form of stock.