Step 3 - Market: Confidentially Market Your Business for Sale

When advising clients, we begin by understanding their needs and objectives and tailor a strategic marketing approach designed to maximize results. The outcome might include running a broad process focused on a wide variety of potential buyers or could mean facilitating discreet, highly confidential discussions with a targeted group of potential buyers or investors.

Our team of experts will then create your strategic marketing plan, launch it, and confidentially execute it across multiple channels by contacting potential targets directly. Our strategic marketing campaign determines the buyers most likely to pay the highest price and outlines a strategy for confidentially targeting those buyers, including individuals, private equity groups, and corporate buyers at local, national, and international levels. Our marketing process attracts the most suitable buyer for your business through compelling global, regional, and locally targeted campaigns. Our process is designed to find the best buyer for your business, and to drive demand and competitive bidding from multiple parties. We then negotiate the price and terms you want.

Preparing the Buyer List: With your assistance, we identify industries most aligned to yours where synergies could be created by the acquisition of your business by a direct competitor or one in an aligned industry. We take any company names you suggest and then add to the list by identifying companies that match our criteria, such as industry, company size, and those that provide evidence of prior or desired acquisition activity. We can approach wealthy individuals, company insiders, and industry, strategic, and financial buyers — local, national, and international buyers, private equity groups, direct and indirect competitors, and private and public companies. Some searches are local, some are global. As the seller, you maintain strict “veto” power over the potential buyers’ list — nobody is approached without your approval.

(This applies only if your business is likely to be sold to a competitor or financial buyer.)

Market Outreach: Once we have a launch date, we contact potential buyers on our shortlist to anonymously drum up interest in your company. Once interest is confirmed, we issue an NDA. After the NDA is signed, the CIM and other materials are released for review in measured stages as the sale unfolds.

Marketing Your Business Successfully Includes:

• Confidential, targeted campaigns
• A phased release of confidential information
• Preliminary transaction structuring
• Layered strategies, incorporating confidential marketing to local, national, and international markets
• Strategies to maintain confidentiality and data protection

Read more on how we help preserve your confidentiality 

We screen buyers to save you time: You’ll meet only with the most serious candidates. Buyer pre-screening ensures the most efficient and confidential method for selling your business. During pre-screening, we gauge a buyer’s interest and motivation levels and evaluate their financial ability to purchase your business. We focus on buyers who are most likely to purchase.

We screen buyers in phases: Buyers are evaluated in phases. This allows us to thoroughly screen them and ensure a mutual exchange of information at measured stages as the sale unfolds. Buyers are screened more thoroughly at various steps of the process to ensure they are qualified before they receive additional confidential or sensitive information on your business.

To get the best value, transaction terms, and structure when selling, you need multiple potential acquirers at the table. Our goal is to help you receive the highest possible sales price. We are here to negotiate on your behalf throughout the sales process. We manage all negotiations and handle the details by coordinating with the buyer to negotiate the best price and terms on your behalf.

Negotiating with just one buyer means they have control over the sales process. It means they’re winning a one-horse race, and they know it. Having researched, contacted, and alerted potential acquirers, our skilled transaction team manages subsequent negotiations, coaching you on how to behave in the vital deal meetings. We create a competitive environment within that market by setting deadlines, controlling the momentum, and making it clear to buyers that there are other interested parties in the frame. We assess offers and prepare counter-offers, and drive toward an agreement. We know how buyers try to take control of the sales process, but we will keep you in the driver’s seat.