Selling Businesses

We are often asked have you sold a business like mine before? 

This is a reasonable question but it is the process we have perfected over many years which is important and it is basically the same process whatever the business sale instruction. There are a number of steps that need to be understood and taken in a logical manner. Information gathering, sale particulars preparation, planned marketing and buyer engagement all take a similar process path. It is also central to the customer experience ensuring a comfortable journey leading up to the sale completion event. Whatever your business activity or size, there is a basic process that is followed in the sale of all businesses in terms of non disclosure document management, information control and its release to interested parties, and the marketing plan design and the marketing plan implementation. 

All of these aspects are  tailored to the unique circumstances bespoke to your business situation. Just like selling a house each one is different but a basic process has to be followed that means that nothing is overlooked so that each business is marketed to the right audience and in the right places with the right information. 

Buyer aspirations need managing particularly corporate buyers who can be somewhat enthusiastic and often expectant. As the seller you need a third party managing all interest and enquiries coming from buyers so that you are not over run with phone calls, information requests, and even worse unscheduled visits to your business premises. This is not very helpful when you are trying to sell your business on a confidential basis keeping staff customer and suppliers unaware of your intentions. 

Buyers of all types come forward as interested parties and it is our job to find the ones with serious intent and financial capability and so  we vet all buyer interest and then set their expectations by introducing them to our sale program and the required rules of engagement so that we maintain control of the sale process. 

Once we have established buyer credibility and the reasons for their interest we have a better idea how strong the buyer appetite is and what level of financial capability they have to progress their interest further.

As part of the "selling your business" journey we will build up a rapport with buyers and try and understand the personalities of the participants. This is important as sometimes a buyer who is relatively reserved can be the dark horse in our preferred buyer list, and could be the one who will pay the most for the business in question. 

So understanding each one of our corporate buyers helps us talk through the advantages of a purchase and what that can mean in terms of benefit to them and how that works through in the post purchase financial results.

Our advice is obvious, use a broker for the best chance of controlling your business sale. 

Let us protect you during the selling process so that you can get on and run your business. 

The skill of the seasoned business broker is a craft learnt by the experience of doing the job of mergers and acquisitions advisory work over many years, and finding quality buyers is the key to achieving the realisation of higher shareholder exit values.

We offer a no obligation free meeting on or off business premises to discuss and address your concerns about your business sale, and to talk to you about your unique business sale and our thoughts on how a sale should be approached.