Representing Your Interest Throughout the Business Sale Process

Savvy Business Brokers uses the ExitMap® Express™ coaching process to help clients define their goals and understand their exit options.

The first step in this process is the Readiness Assessment, a 22-question survey which takes less than 15 minutes.

Start planning today with this Free tool at ExitMap.com/SavvyBB.

If you’re thinking about selling in the next 1-5 years, Savvy Business Brokers will provide a complimentary Range of Value Estimate to give you an idea where your business stands in the current market.

While selling a business can be daunting, we strive to stay one step ahead and reduce your stress during the process. The first step is a confidential meeting to learn about each other and discuss your priorities, concerns, and goals. From there we estimate a Range of Value for your company and where it stands in the current market.

Once we determine the best time to sell your business, we set up future discussions for listing the business for sale. After signing an Exclusive Right to Sell Listing Agreement, we collaborate with you to develop a tailored marketing plan. Throughout the process, we exclusively represent you, the business Owner.

Here are three key differences working with a Business Broker who is actively involved in selling businesses:

1) Valuing the business: An M&A Broker is trained to value a business using several methodologies and estimate its probable selling price. This process is as much about discovering the salability of the business as it is about the calculation. Business financials can be complex, as there is a lot more to a business valuation than fair rent and square footage. It must be presented in an attractive yet accurate manner to potential buyers.

2) Finding buyers: A good M&A Broker uses multiple business listing websites, leverages regional and local networks, and customizes a marketing plan to reach as many potential buyers as possible. This is done primarily using a “Blind Profile”—a marketing piece used to gain potential buyers’ interest while keeping the name and specific location of the business confidential. Make no mistake, finding a new business Owner is not the same as finding a passive real estate Investor.

3) Confidentiality: While Realtors are experts in different types of real estate, marketing a business for sale is an entirely different process. If the Agent is not properly screening inquiries and requiring Confidentiality Agreements from Buyers, your business and its value are at risk. Listing real estate for sale with the address or pictures is similar to posting a “For Sale” sign in the front window. Customers, employees, and competitors often have a distorted view of a business sale as a sign of weakness or uncertainty. Confidentiality is paramount!

The average time to sell a small business is nine months, but every business is different.

At Savvy Business Brokers, confidentiality is a top priority. We are regulated by the Department of Safety and Professional Services and adhere to International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) ethics at all times. We safeguard non-public information in the strictest of confidence and have controls in place to maintain the confidentiality of Clients AND Customers.

After learning about your business, compiling financial statements, and researching industry-specific and economic data, Savvy Business Brokers prepares a Broker Estimate of Value report calculating the most probable selling price.

Savvy Business Brokers has access to multiple databases of qualified Buyers and investors for all types of businesses. We conduct weekly calls with our national network of independent M&A Brokers as well as monthly calls with our partner CPA firm to find potential Buyers for active listings. We also receive frequent inquiries from private equity groups, family offices, and individuals seeking business acquisitions.

When a potential Buyer inquires about a listing, we contact them directly to first gauge their level of interest and learn about their background. We also ask general questions such as why they’re interested in a specific business and how much they have to invest. It is our job to weed through the “tire kickers” and find serious Buyers.

The typical term for a full-service listing is one year.

After determining the list price of a business, we gather documents a potential buyer is likely to request (in addition to financial statements). We then format a Confidential Business Review (CBR) or Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) that summarizes the confidential information presenting the opportunity to potential Buyers.

Savvy Business Brokers writes a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI). This is a framework of the final agreement the Seller and Buyer have agreed to. After Due Diligence contingencies are waived, an attorney, usually the Buyer’s attorney, will draft a binding Definitive Purchase Agreement, or Asset Purchase Agreement.

Savvy believes its clients will achieve the best outcome by leveraging our expertise and professional alliances. Our Brokers are credentialed by the Exit Planning Institute and Business Enterprise Institute. Savvy is a member of the International Business Brokers Association and Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries. And it is an affiliate of Bristol Group, a nationwide network of independent M&A Brokers.

The specific marketing strategy varies from business to business. We use every tool at our disposal such as websites, professional networking, and Business to Business (B2B) direct marketing in order to maximize exposure through local, regional, and national networks.

We screen potential Buyers during our initial contact and obtain a signed Confidentiality Agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). We are often present at the first meeting with Buyers. Eventually, Sellers and Buyers meet one-on-one to come to a meeting of the minds.

Business Sellers and Buyers are responsible for all third-party fees they incur such as escrow and attorney’s fees.

We discuss possible sources of funding business acquisition with potential Buyers and connect them with commercial lenders and private investors. Quite often the Seller finances a portion of the total sale price.

While Savvy Business Brokers usually represents business Owners exiting their business, we also help Buyers target, approach, evaluate, negotiate, and acquire businesses when they have specific search criteria to meet their goals.