Selling With Your Ears -a Business Broker Perspective

By Scott | January 26, 2017 - 8:08 am |January 26, 2017 Selling a South Carolina Business

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Selling with Your Ears – a Business Broker Perspective.

“Nothing happens in this business until somebody sells something.”

Are you a salesperson? If you are in a small business or a startup I would be stunned if you said no. I have been with several companies throughout my business career, small, medium, and a large Fortune 100 company, some as an employee and some as an owner. My role currently as a business broker is to help people with the process of buying and selling businesses in Anderson South Carolina, Florida, and Southeast USA. . How do you find people wanting to buy a business or sell a business- prospecting.

Whats The First Thing I Do When Meeting This Prospect- Listen.

My job of working with those in the buying and selling of businesses is really really a job of listening. I recall one of my first jobs out of college I was hired by a Fortune 100 company, and they would send all new employees off to corporate headquarters for 45 days of fairly intensive training. Training as a salesman/woman for that company involve quite a bit of technical knowledge on their products along with sales/marketing/time management skills. I studied the technical aspect of this product extensively. I felt when I got in front of a prospective client I just had to let him know all I had learned about this product without really slowing down to hear what they wanted to know. It seems a little silly to me now, but then I felt it was my job to tell them all I knew.

Today, to me, selling is listening to a customers needs and proposing a solution. Today I listen/work as a South Carolina Business Broker. I work with those buying and selling businesses. There is so much that goes into such a complex process that include the emotional side, the financial side, the timing, family, friends, employees, loyalties, that without listening to what a persons true interest is seems so mis-guided.

Overall, I’ve found Salespeople can seem to be looked at in a negative way by other departments within an organization, can be looked at disparagingly thru movies and stories, but my perspective on sales process or the sales person is a little different. I have a strong admiration of those involved with the sales process. The sales process can be defined in many different ways from taking orders over the phone to the full cycle process of identifying a target market, prospecting that target market, approaching that target market, and ultimately trying to parlay those contacts into gainful customers. The production department, or the service department may not like all the actions of the sales department, but very often the jobs in the production department or the jobs in the service department are dependent upon the sales department. I guess its ok to not like the salesmen or saleswomen in your company but from a business perspective you can not discount their value.

Some thoughts on Selling:

Were not selling stuff, were selling solutions
Selling is not trapping a prospect in a room or on the phone and subjecting them to our “pitch”, selling is maybe 80% listening 10% asking followup questions and 10% wondering if you have asked all the pertinent questions
When selling are we telling them what we want to tell them?, or responding to what they are asking for
The true full selling cycle from development to implementation to closing a sale is an admirable achievement. Most that are successful at this can find many successes in business.
Many (maybe most) Presidents, CEOs, Vice-Presidents began their careers as a salesperson
All in the company should have a role in sales from CEO/President to receptionist- Do you think Steve Jobs- Apple, Bill Gates- Microsoft sells? – Absolutely
Listening is a skill… and maybe a salesperson biggest potential asset. – Like many others, I was fortunate to be born with 2 ears and just one mouth.
STOP- and pretend you are the buyer of your product or service- what do you want to hear?

I cant imagine meeting a person that wants to buy a business and not asking them what type of business do you want to buy?, where do you want to buy that business?, how much do you want to spend on that business?, what is important to you when buying a business? and so on.

When a person wants to meet with me regarding selling their South Carolina business, or Florida business- I would like to know why do you want to sell your business? When someone runs a business for 5,10,20 ,30 + years the why can be a pretty compelling answer. I continue to ask more questions and listening. It almost doesn’t even sound like selling, and I think there is nothing wrong with that. Maybe listening is a byproduct of experience, or maybe it is taught, or maybe some people are just better listeners than others. And maybe that’s what makes one a better salesperson than others.

Scott Messinger is a Business Broker based in Anderson South Carolina and working with business Sellers in South Carolina and Florida. Also working with business buyers throughout USA and Internationally.

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Steps Involved with Selling a Business

By Scott | January 8, 2017 - 7:39 am |January 9, 2017 Selling a South Carolina Business

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Steps Involved with Selling a Business

There are many steps involved with selling a business

Steps Involved with Selling a Business

Buying or Selling a Business is a process. The below provides a framework to define the steps involved with selling a business in South Carolina, Florida or SE USA.. The size and type of business that one may be buying or selling will influences the complexity of each of these steps. I am a Business Broker based in Anderson South Carolina. I work with Business Sellers in South Carolina, Florida and Business Buyers locally, throughout the US and International as well. Every Business Sale transaction is different but share some similarities as well.

1) INITIAL INFORMATION REVIEW– Gathering needed information and protecting that information ensuring Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements are signed to assure confidentiality related to this private matter. Irreparable harm can occur if the confidential content of discussions and negotiations are improperly disclosed. Seller reserves right to approve potential buyers and may require that additional buyer information/capability be submitted before confidential information is released to the buyer of the business.

2) THE INITIAL MEETING: At the first meeting, the potential buyer of the business will want to know specifics from the owner potentially including seller’s motives for selling the company as well as more detailed information about the business. Conversely, the seller will want to know how if the buyer is the type of person to whom he wants to sell the company. If the results of the initial meeting warrant further consideration of the deal, the buyer will next begin to evaluate the company and develop a financial structure for the proposed business purchase.

3) THE LETTER OF INTENT/PURCHASE CONTRACT: Either a contract with

contingencies or a letter of intent will be presented. A letter of intent may have an ” escape clause” in it to allow one or both parties the opportunity to withdraw from the deal if certain conditions are not met. The letter of intent will address :

The purchase price/ consideration – Selling price of cash, notes, equity, or some combination of these.
What is being purchased — Assets, liabilities, and operations that are being transferred to the buyer and those being retained by the seller should be identified.

Structure — The parties need to agree about whether the sale will be a sale of assets, a sale of stock, a merger, or some other structure. Whether the SBA, bank, or owner takes back a note, the company cash flows must be able to support that loan.

The definitive purchase agreement — As the buyer begins its detailed evaluation of the company, the attorneys will be preparing the purchase agreements. The Sales Purchase contract is usually drafted by the buyer’s attorney.
Due diligence — The seller will need to have ready his financial records, all corporate records,pertinent contracts and all pertinent other documents that the buyer of the business will be requesting for review once the letter of intent or contract is signed. This will allow the buyer of the business to analyze the company in greater depth to determine whether everything has been represented properly, whether he wants to buy the company, and, if so, the appropriate price to pay. A purchase price is usually negotiated based in part on historical financial information. and future potential earnings.
Escrow — The buyer will establish an escrow account into which his initial Good Faith deposit of monies shall be deposited and handled by a 3rd party escrow agent .

Other significant items- non- compete terms, and employment contracts. leases and long-term purchase contracts, and any other pertinent business agreements shall be addressed.

Professional fees – Usually the buyer and seller will bear their own costs for attorneys and accountants.
Conditions and Timing for closing. Usually the closing is within two weeks after all contingencies have been completed, and like most steps in the buying or selling of a business this time is negotiable.

4) CLOSING– Once all issues have been resolved, the documents are signed, and the consideration exchanges hands, the deal is in condition to close. The actual closing marks the conclusion of the process.

Again buying or selling a business is a process and depending upon the size of the business and type of business this process from start to end can take several months or even longer. There are many steps involved with selling a business. Due diligence when buying or selling a business is a very important part of this process. Negotiations are made at most every step of the process as new information becomes available and additional analyses are performed.

In a successful negotiation, both the buyer and the seller need to be flexible and to understand which points are important and which ones may be “deal breakers”. Most people may buy or sell a business maybe once in his or hers life. Following the advise of a trusted advisor such as a business broker can help increase the likelihood of a successful business sale or business acquisition. The steps involved with selling a business can vary and each business is different yet the above is intended to provide basic framework.

Scott Messinger is a business broker based in Anderson South Carolina and work with business sellers in South Carolina including Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, Clemson and the Upstate areas. Also work with Business Sellers in Florida and business buyers throughout the USA and Internationally. many areas of USA.

Selling My Business Next Year

By Scott | November 29, 2016 - 9:28 am |November 29, 2016 South Carolina Business Broker

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I was thinking about selling my business next year…. last year, but didn’t take any steps … yet. And now another year is gone and 2017 is approaching. I do plan on selling my business next year. Getting a business ready for sale is both advisable and prudent. Waking up one day and deciding you want to sell your business tomorrow may not be a good idea. Deciding that you would like to sell your business as an exit strategy and putting together a plan is likely to maximize your gain from the sale of your business.

Selling My Business Next Year

You could easily Google Preparing your business for sale and find many many articles/list and sources of information. I had written a related article in the past as well. But beyond the list- what of these methods are most important? Are all of these measures necessary or are they just guidelines?

I had sold my own business of 20 years, I had considered several offers over the years, I went thru various stages of decisions as to how I would exit my business. At some point I realized that my exit strategy would be to sell my business if I could find the right situation. But from my perspective the most important part of my approach was to commit to running my business as if I would own it perpetually.

So many businesses that try to sell- don’t sell. A business owner needs to realize this and allow this fact to influence their thought process. Currently I am a business broker in Anderson South Carolina and work with business sellers and business buyers in South Carolina, Florida , and South east USA.

Be Realistic When Deciding On Selling Your Business

Many components and aspects of your business should be looked at from a realistic standpoint, critiqued, and adjusted as needed when preparing your business for an eventual sale. Often its easy to think “selling my business next year”, but the months and years can go by and next year never happens. When Selling My business next year, steps should be taken this year… or now. Some important areas to address when looking to sell your business include:

Either develop, establish, or refine your business operational procedures, practices, and methodologies and have them documented
Does your business rely on you the business owner? If so, make changes to reduce that reliance.
Clean financials- Does your Income statement and Balance Sheet make sense ?

But the question to pose is what of these measures is most important or essential as it relates to preparing for the sale of my business?

In my opinion it is accurate , sensible, reliable Financial records.

The Importance Of Reliable Financial Records

Typical financials involved with the sale of you business can include Profit/Loss or Income Statements, Balance Sheets and Tax Records. Further into the due diligence process of your business good Sales Journals, Customer Information, Inventory Info, all can go a long way to maximizing the value of your business.

Clean financial records are so essential to all parties involved with the acquisition of a business. And all involved includes the Seller, the buyer, and possibly a bank, lender or third party investor.

So when looking to Sell your business-

If you have a great business that is producing great margins, produces a great bottom line, and a very high owner benefit- but the financial records do not support this – what do you have?
If you have a business that you own and run it semi-absentee, great systems, increasing sales, good industry but poor financial records- what do you have?
If you have the nicest looking, shiniest looking store, website, equipment, office or vehicles, but your financial records don’t make sense- what do you have?
Looking to sell your business next year? Start working on your financial records today.

Scott Messinger is a Business Broker and Business owner based in Anderson South Carolina. He has personally purchased 8+ small businesses and currently works with both business sellers and business buyers in both South Carolina and Florida. For a free consultation call Scott in South Carolina at (864) 210-8226 or Florida (239) 770-2421.

What is My Business Worth

By Scott | November 8, 2016 - 8:57 am |November 8, 2016 Main, South Carolina Business Broker

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What is my business Worth?

Getting accurate information on Private businesses sold can be difficult. Below I am sharing information on businesses sold during the 2nd Quarter of 2016. This information comes from a survey that includes over 375 Business Broker and Business Professionals involved with buying and selling businesses. I am a 10 year Business Broker working with Business Sellers and Business Buyers in South Carolina Florida and Southeast USA.

If you are considering the sale of your business, planning or preparing an exit strategy from your business or considering buying a business the below information provides valuable insight.

There are many valuable points to be gleaned from the below but a very important underlying point is that businesses are different. You can see the information surrounding what a business sells for, why a business owner sells, who the business buyers are, where a buyer comes from , and why a business buyer buys a business. The size of the business affects all these aspects are very dependent on the size of a business.

A $1M business may sell for a multiple of cash flow of 3,4,5 x- but this doesn’t necessarily mean that a $400k business would sell for a similar multiple.

What is My business Worth? Below chart shows what businesses recently sold for. Please note Buyers Paid a higher multiple of EBITDA (Earning before Interest Taxes Depreciation Amortization ) for larger businesses. A business of say $200K of Ebitda may get 2.5 x that Ebitda, whereas a business with $500k of ebitda may get 4 x ebitda. Cash flow, adjusted cash flow, ebitda, owner benefit, seller discretionary earnings or other related measurement of earnings are a significant factor when determining business value.