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Should I Use A Business Broker To Sell My Business ?

This is not an easy answer to give and the best we could offer is probably No and sometimes Yes.

During my search for a business I’ve come into contact with numerous brokers and I can tell you that many of them are just downright unpleasurable to deal with.

That’s right, as prospective buyers we’ve been treated with complete disregard and even been subjected to downright malice, so just imagine the bad taste that leaves and how it could even taint your business as a seller.

A few brokers though are gems and yes, we do work with a (very) few brokers.

Of course, this is an opinion based on a direct experience that we cannot share with you, so you may be interested to hear the thoughts of others.

Below is an extract from an article written by, and you won’t believe this, a broker who summarises this international problem well.

Most businesses are unsellable.

The “sell a business” industry is not compensated by convincing owners their business is unsellable.

Accordingly, most of the content and advertising produced reinforces the myth that “you can sell … if you work with us”.

There are too many brokers who deal with the real challenges of the job by blurring ethical lines and treating people like rubbish.

Selling a business is a human process.

Too often I think it is treated as purely a technical exercise by inexperienced, or ineffective, advisors.

So, would you want to deal with a broker that believes he or she can be aggressive or condescending to whomever they like or believe a buyer “fits” a preconceived idea of who they believe they are? especially ones that attempt to demonise buyers?

If you’ve ever been in sales you know that assumptions are not a basis for good sales.

How many buyers do you think they are chasing away with this attitude and how might it affect your business?

Is a broker that is focused on technical details and continues to push this mantra a broker who will get deals done for you when in reality this is about people and meeting the needs of people (yes, it’s not all about the money, especially in the SME range, larger deals are different)?

Could this general attitude be the reason that 80% of businesses don’t sell, despite their “I’m different” position?

Be careful how you treat others on your journey as one day they may be passing you as you lye in a ditch and their help could be the one thing that turns things around for you.

I don’t want to lay the blame entirely at the feet of the brokerage and transfer industry as uneducated and greedy sellers are equally to blame here as they don’t understand the difference between price and value. 

Sellers often think their business is worth a certain price, however, the open market will value it and mostly in the same way and usually it’s a far cry from the demands of most sellers.

Furthermore, I hear buyers complaining about brokers that don’t respond to them, however, it may be that they are focusing on larger opportunities or don’t have a business that meets your specification in their portfolio currently.

At Acceleron V, we believe in treating people like people.

Acceleron V