Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory

A Neumann & Associates, LLC

August 7, 2017

Unmotivated Business Sellers

By Jeremy Albelda

messy-business-owner

What constitutes a motivated seller? The common perception is that ‘seller motivation’ translates into ‘willingness to reduce price’ whereas in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

“There is an old mantra in our industry: no motivation – no deal,” says Achim Neumann, President, A Neumann & Associates, LLC, a leading New Jersey-based mergers & acquisitions and business brokerage firm, “ and indeed, nothing else is more true than this.”

Here are a few examples of how an unmotivated seller can immediately set ‘red flags’ with potential investors:

  • No preparation on the seller’s part – for example, the seller has never determined the Fair Market Value of his company, has not settled on what he ultimately likes to obtain after taxes, or is asking for a significantly inflated price;
  • A poorly written prospectus, which does not describe the competitive environment of the business or the growth prospective. This generally makes it very difficult for a potential buyer to understand the business and its environment;
  • Dirty and unorganized facilities generally are transposed in a buyer’s mind onto the seller, in other words, if the seller has a poorly organized facility, then most likely, the financial system and business execution is similar;
  • A lack of interest in meeting or continuous rescheduling of buyer introduction meetings;
  • Lack of prompt response to an offer – this is by far the worst red flag for a buyer, in particular, if a full price offer was submitted. Nothing underlines more explicitly the lack of a seller’s motivation if he/she ignores an offer;
  • Slow response time in providing due diligence information after the seller has provided a comprehensive list of documents that he/she wants to review. Delays in providing such documents are generally interpreted as lack of motivation to sell;
  • Increases in rent or change of other transfer terms when a seller decides all of the sudden to increase the rent for a facility even though it was advertised differently in the prospectus;

Savvy business sellers understand that many buyers have attempted multiple times to buy a business – taking one to two years to find the right business and purchase it. During the process, the buyer has experienced various scenarios in which the seller initially appeared to be ready to sell, but ultimately—often in the very last minute—had seller’s remorse and did not go through with the transaction. Such a situation can come at a great cost to a buyer, with $10,000 to $20,000 in CPA and legal fees, as well as two to four months of wasted time. Thus, buyers will look for any telltale sign of an unmotivated seller

For a business seller to succeed in selling a business, the owner needs to put her/his absolute best foot forward, otherwise, any effort to sell is doomed – often at quite a bit of expense for potential buyers.

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About A Neumann & Associates, LLC

A Neumann & Associates, LLC is a professional mergers & acquisitions and business brokerage firm having assisted business owners and buyers in the business valuation and business transfer process through its affiliations for the past 30 years. With an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, the company has senior trusted professionals with a deep knowledge based in multiple field offices along the East Coast and has performed hundreds of business valuations in its history. The firm’s competitive transaction fees are based on successfully completing transactions. For more information, please contact A Neumann & Associates at 732-872-6777 or info@neumannassociates.com

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Client Testimonials

“I've always had great respect for those who are excellent in their fields of endeavor. Gary certainly lived up to that standard. He was knowledgeable, persuasive, determined and ultimately the main driving force that culminated in the very successful sale of my business. Well done Gary!”

Stuart Zeiff, Seller

“ I appreciate your diligent approach to screening buyers and sellers as well as the high quality CIM that you produce.”

Andrey O, Investor

“Finally enjoying retirement after recently selling my business using the services of A Neumann & Associates. Joe Oddo provided the conduit to a successful transaction. Joe knew when to inject input and when to simply listen and allow the buyers to vent, step back and regroup. The outcome met our expectations and got us to the finish line, which included my staying with the company six months in order for the buyers to get their footing and keep our workforce in the loop. He helped at every step by providing his expert guidance & resources. Thank you!”

Emily Parker Myers, Co-Owner - Myers McRae

“I had been in touch with Karin and Gary from A Neumann & Associates regarding some opportunities and was looking forward to meeting with them. Hence, when they organized a seminar in Princeton, NJ, I was quick to sign up. The seminar was very informative as the team walked the attendees through various scenarios and referenced real life buying/selling situations they had been through. The sessions by Gary, Karin and Achim were crisp and focused and brought clarity to potential seller and buyers. I strongly recommend the team and look forward to continue working with them.”

Gaurav Tyagi

“Thank you for your Event on "How to value, Sell, and Buy A Business for Maximum Profit" and the insight into ANA’s approach on what is involved in the Business Exit for sellers. Garys Hervieiou's "Business Valuation", Achim's "Deal structure" presentation and Karin’s "Preparing the Package" are real street knowledge shared. They answered attendees questions which makes it more interesting for learning from others. Great for small businesses like us. The presentations were totally worth our time and travel for the event to Princeton, NJ from Rockville MD. Ravi Bhutani, President, CIPS”

Ravi Bhutani

“Gary, this is to thank you for an excellent job done in selling our business. We could never have done it without your professional expertise, dedication and time put in without reservation to make it happen. We will gladly and highly recommend you to anybody in our position.  It was a pleasure to work with you.”

Pat Iammatteo, Owner

“Your vetting is simply outstanding, among the best I've seen from a broker.”

Eric H., Investor

“I recently contacted A. Neumann and Associates about getting a valuation of my business done. I spoke with Marc, who explained the process in detail. After meeting with Marc in order to get a clear understanding of my business, and what I was hoping to accomplish. His patience in answering all my questions and his knowledge of the proper way to market my business gave me great confidence that this is the firm I will be using to sell my business for max value. Working with Marc at A Neumann & Associates was very easy and professional. I did not know all that was going to be involved in selling my business but they helped me through the process. What I thought was going to be a just another one of those pushy sales companies was just the opposite. Polite, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to and deal with. I highly recommend this firm to anybody who wants to sell now or down the road. Marc not only knows his stuff, but actually is a real nice guy.”

Double Diamond

“Used A Neumann & Associates to sale my business. could not imagine having done it with out the patience and experience Gary provided. Thanks Gary,”

Dennis Frazier

“Working with Marc and his company was a pleasure. What I thought was going to be a just another one of those pushy sales companies was just the opposite. Polite, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to talk to and deal with. Marc handled most of the interaction and he has one of the greatest demeanors. Again, it was a pleasure working with him and his firm.”

Douglas DiCeglio
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If you are considering selling your business, please contact us to learn more about our comprehensive service spectrum. Our experienced professionals will answer all your questions about selling a privately held business in complete confidentiality. Please fill out our contact form, or call us at 732-872-6777. We will contact you directly and will never identify ourselves to your employees.

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