We assist you in every phase of the selling process, including market research, preparation of the Descriptive Memorandum, the approach to the buyer, and key meetings and negotiations. Considerable expertise and specialization is needed to consummate a sale of your business.
As in any large transaction, it will be necessary to secure the assistance of lawyers, accountants, and perhaps estate planners.
These people can help you best if your business is presented to the right potential buyer at the right time and in the favorable light it deserves, with emphasis on the particular virtues that are attractive to that buyer.
We assist you in appraising the value of your business, taking into consideration products, markets, facilities, strengths and weaknesses, and competitive position. We then develop a confidential Descriptive Memorandum describing your business, including market conditions, competitive aspects, and the future growth opportunities which could benefit the buyer.
The Descriptive Memorandum is critical to selling your business and is designed to present the history, present and future of your business. It will emphasize your strengths and put your weak points in proper perspective. When buyers come to meet you after studying this material, they will already know much about your business.
We will include a normalization of your past earnings and a forecast of future sales and profits. The objective of normalizing is to maximize your after-tax earnings in an acceptable accounting manner – to help us negotiate the most favorable price the buyer will pay for your business.
Because of our specialized knowledge, research abilities, and experience in acquisitions, we are in a position to identify a large number of suitable buyers when you are selling your business. We determine the level of interest of a buyer without revealing the seller’s identity. This avoids bargain seekers and minimized disruption. When a buyer reveals the proper degree of interest, our work begins in earnest. Our objective is to develop a group of at least five qualified buyers bidding against each other to produce the best price, terms and conditions for you when selling your business.
For many buyers, the decision to purchase a business is a group decision. The acquisition departments of major firms prefer to deal with a acquisitions group like us rather than with the seller directly. Acquisition departments know that we will present information to them in a manner that will ease their own workload. Business descriptions, budgets, forecasts, and business valuations will be presented in terms of the buyer’s current needs and objectives.
The fact that you have employed us to sell your business verifies to a major firm that you are a serious seller. To conclude a successful sale, you want the prospective buyers to give your business serious consideration. We will establish the top priority consideration your business deserves.
Timing is of supreme importance in acquisitions. We know how to speed up matters and when to slow things down. We are specialists in structuring transactions to your benefit and in ways acceptable to the buyer. Before you meet the buyer, we will have adjusted the buyer’s preliminary financial expectations in accordance with your requirements. Our expertise enables us to anticipate stalemates – and prevent them.