I would add a small caveat to your advice on hiring an investment banker: A good banker that is well-connected to target acquirers is very likely to be beneficial – you are paying for connections and reputation, which can be very valuable in M&A.
If you don't do enough homework and hire just any old banker, on the other hand, that's absolutely going to be a mixed bag at best.
Yes, this is very much true, thank you for the feedback. Investment bankers come in all shapes and sizes and a bad one can actually sink a perfectly good deal. I've seen this up close recently and it isn't pretty (incredible, really).
If you don't do enough homework and hire just any old banker, on the other hand, that's absolutely going to be a mixed bag at best.