Finding the right company is half the job.
Closing it is the other half — and it's not the same skill.
The RCG Deal Execution Framework is what happens as a sourced lead becomes a live conversation. Eighteen steps, four stages, from first call to closing — and every single one is marked for what it actually is: work that stays human because it takes relationship and judgment, or work AI now does faster and more thoroughly than a traditional deal team, with a person directing and approving everything it produces.
This is the Acquirers-stage version of the framework — eighteen steps, because acquisition carries the highest legal, financial, and negotiation complexity in the system. Earlier stages run the same Human/AI-Assisted/Both discipline, just at a fraction of the complexity — a first partnership or a sales pipeline doesn't need eighteen steps to execute well.
The Split
AI does the research.
A person does the deal.
Eight steps stay entirely human — fit assessment, NDA execution, engagement signature, LOI negotiation, closing. Relationship and judgment, start to finish, no shortcuts. Five are AI-heavy production work — financial spreading, the adjusted EBITDA build, data room setup, buyer research, CIM drafting — real analysis and drafting, always reviewed by a person before it's used. The remaining five are a direct blend, sequenced so each side does the part it's actually better at.
Four Stages
Lead → Live Conversation
Lead → Live Conversation. (2 Steps)
First outreach and fit assessment — a person makes the call, AI prepares the brief.
Outreach & First Qualification Call — Human.
A person makes the call, always; AI prepares the candidate brief beforehand.
Deeper Fit Assessment — Human.
Timeline, expectations, deal-breakers — reading a person, not just facts.
Conversation → NDA
Conversation → NDA. (2 Steps)
Securing the first real commitment and the first real financials.
NDA / Confidentiality Agreement Execution — Human.
The first real commitment a prospect makes, handled personally.
Financial Document Collection — Both.
A person asks; AI organizes what comes back and flags gaps immediately.
NDA → Engagement
NDA → Engagement. (5 Steps)
Financial modeling, a defensible value range, and a signed engagement — the work that turns interest into a real mandate.
Financial Spreading & Baseline EBITDA Analysis — AI-Assisted.
AI builds the model; a person reviews before anything is presented.
Adjusted EBITDA & Addback Analysis — AI-Assisted.
AI flags candidate addbacks; a person judges what's actually defensible.
Value Range Development & Presentation — Human.
AI builds the supporting comps; a person presents the range.
Formal Engagement Terms Drafting — Both.
AI drafts the terms; a person handles the real negotiation.
Engagement Signature — Human.
Final review, secured personally.
Engagement → Closing
Engagement → Closing. (9 Steps)
Buyer research, materials, negotiation, diligence, and close — the long stage, where the actual deal gets made.
Data Room Setup — AI-Assisted.
Organized and checked against a due-diligence checklist automatically.
Buyer Universe Research & Target List — AI-Assisted.
Built fresh for this engagement, reviewed and approved before any outreach.
Teaser Development — Both.
AI drafts it; a person checks positioning and confidentiality.
CIM Development — AI-Assisted.
AI drafts every section; a person ensures it's accurate and honest.
Buyer Outreach & CA/NDA Management — Both.
AI tracks the mechanics; a person qualifies real interest.
Indications of Interest — Human.
Every buyer conversation, every negotiation.
LOI Negotiation — Human.
Pure deal-making, start to finish.
Due Diligence Coordination — Both.
AI supports the mechanics; a person manages the real relationships.
Closing — Human.
Final negotiations and closing logistics, handled personally.
The Point
Eighteen steps. Not a claim about what AI can do — a map of exactly where it does the work, and exactly where a person still has to.