- Operational Review
We will meet with the business owner in the appropriate forum to discuss the products or services you are selling, the associated business operations, nuances of the business and its particular position in the marketplace. Time will be spent ensuring we fully understand the owner’s motivations and expectations from a sale.
- Valuing the Business
SBB will provide the tentative seller with a list of all the financial and other records we will require to properly value the business in the current market. We will perform Income, Asset and Market based valuations. After determining a value based on current and historical income and assets, it is important to look at thousands of similar businesses that are for sale or have sold in recent times because in the final analysis the sale price must be reasonably consistent with other businesses sharing common characteristics, or it will be difficult to sell. We will then meet with the business owner to gain consensus on what the selling price will be, complete an engagement agreement and prepare a marketing strategy.
- Marketing the Business
There are two parts in the sale process, the first being marketing, i.e., exposing the business (confidentially) to the broadest array of prospective Buyers that are in the market for this particular type of business. The idea is to get a prospect to be interested enough that they will contact the brokers who then engage in the second part of the process, i.e., putting his or her salesmanship to work in describing the particular merits of the business at hand. We seek out buyers in three different ways: the first being to research our extensive database of Buyers that we have worked with over time, who may be interested in this particular business. It is quite remarkable how many businesses are sold in just that manner. The second is through direct marketing to the many buyers that have taken the time to publish their specific interests and are actively accepting solicitations. Finally, the business is broadly marketed via the internet, trade publications and the media. With this process, just enough information is presented to get a motivated Buyer to contact SBB for more detail, which is provided after he/she has completed a personal bio/profile as well as having signed a comprehensive Non-Disclosure/Confidentiality Agreement. In all marketing methods undertaken, an extreme focus is placed on confidentiality to ensure the businesses’ employees, customers and competitors do not know the business is for sale. Buyer prospects are screened to determine their motivation, their financial ability to make the acquisition, their background and skills to run the business successfully post-sale.
- Making The Sale and Closing
Working with Buyers to complete a sale requires the exchange of a great deal of information. It is the broker’s role to ensure that the Buyer understands the merits of the business, has all the information necessary to make a purchase decision, and generally that he has what he needs to develop a comfort level with his ability to run the business effectively post-sale. Throughout the sales process, the Broker will usually be required to educate those buyers that do not have experience in business acquisitions as to process and protocol. When that is achieved, the Broker will often be asked for information regarding financing the acquisition, preparing purchase offers and obtaining accounting and legal representation. SBB understands that providing assistance in these areas can be as important as any other part of the selling process and as such, we maintain an ever-green base of M&A-savvy CPA’s, attorneys and lending professionals that we are able to refer Buyers to.
- What does it Cost?
Sunstate Business brokers generally works on a Success Fee basis, that is to say, we are paid only if the business is sold with the price, terms and conditions you decide upon and agree to. This should give you a comfort level that your business has a good chance of selling at the terms we agree to, knowing that SBB is comfortable spending its money to market and represent your business. We will never artificially price a business to acquire a listing that we do not feel strongly has a good chance of selling. If the price you want for the business is greater than the market will likely bear, we will tell you in advance. If you still feel strongly that you want to sell at that price, we will either agree under the condition that you fully understand that the rate of success will be compromised, or we will decline to accept the engagement. Our fees are a percentage of the selling price, payable at closing of the sale. When we are working with you in the initial stages of entering into an engagement agreement, we will, along with our valuation of the business, provide you with an estimate of your pre-tax proceeds from the sale, based on the agreed upon selling price, your current balance sheet and your expected closing costs.
