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           Considering the Sale of Your Business?

How to make sure you will
Sell
Your Business

 for the Most Money

A Business Selling System built upon experience gained in selling 
more than 2,000 businesses

Finally! A Business Selling System for the Business Owners Considering a Sale of their Business.  


Want to know how to:

* Be sure you obtain the best price? 

* Identify those willing pay your price and how to avoid the rest?

* Maintain strictest confidentiality?

* Increase its value without having to show more profit?

* Sell on your own or be sure you choose the right broker or intermediary?

 

A Business Selling System designed to help business owners decide, prepare and 

then sell their business for the most money possible, quickly and quietly.


4 Powerful Reasons why you need the "Business Selling System" - a Tool Kit designed especially for business owners considering the sale of their company

  •  Access experience gained in the sale of more than 2,000 private businesses without committing to sell by signing a listing agreement

  • Learn how to identify the type of buyer willing to pay top dollar for your business and how to avoid the rest

  • Maximize value – Learn how to increase your company’s value without having to show more profit.  

  • Freedom to choose to sell on your own, with the help of a broker/intermediary or perhaps not sell at all

An estimated seventy six percent (1)  (76%) of business owners simply allow their business to wind down, eventually close the doors and, sell their equipment.  You have seen this happen time after time over the years.  You may have even picked up some of your equipment at bargain prices from business owners who were “selling” their business this way.  In business, as in life, there are winners and losers.  We want to help you assure your place in the winner’s circle of life.  That is why we have developed the "Business Selling System," a Tool Kit for business owner's considering the sale of their business.  

(1) Quick Print Magazine's survey of 5,000 franchise print shop owners
(2) Business Brokerage Press annual industry survey


Through selling more than 2,000 businesses we have developed and proven a unique process to insure that you can sell your business:

  • For the most money possible 

  • To the most qualified buyer, 

  • Quickly and quietly  

By following the information and techniques outlined in our Business Selling System, a business will sell at the targeted price and terms with three or less exposures thereby maintaining utmost confidentiality.  Using the methods the Tool Kit outlines dramatically increases your chances of  success to more than four times that of the average business owner's.    


Steps the Business Selling System walks you through:

Understand the unique dynamics of the marketplace for private companies like yours

* Determine what your business is worth today

* What you can do, short and long term, to increase your company's value (without having to increase earnings)

* Develop a profile of the entity that will pay you the most money and be best for the future of your business

Decide - The course of action that will best serve your interests.  Will it be:

* It's time to sell, Conditions and the Price are right, 

* Delay selling in order to increase value and/or attract a buyer who will pay a better price and sell later, 

* Not to sell and just keep going on

* Liquidate and close it down

How to Sell - Should you attempt a sale by yourself or hire a Broker or Intermediary? 

* Many times business owners will have a buyer "in the wings" and decide to sell on their own.  

* Others will decide to sell on on their own and save a broker's commission.  The Tool Kit forms and contracts will be a big help here as will the optional  Coaching Service 

* Most business owner's will decide to hire a broker/intermediary to handle the sale.  The Tool Kit's information and/or our Referral Service will help you identify the individual or firm most qualified to sell your type and size business.  

 

Begin the Selling Process - Because you are prepared your chances of success are four times better than average


What the Tool Kit contains:

The Book - "In & Out of Business . . . Happily" The previously unwritten rules for valuing and selling private businesses

The Software - "Business Selling System 2.0" has four separate components;

Part One - Buyer Identification and Business Valuation

Part Two - Sample Business Valuations and Transaction Structuring

Part Three - The Document Pack

Part Four - Sample Prospectus or Selling Documents

Services and Benefits 

Free Ad on www.buysellbiz.com  

Initial One to One Consultation with an experienced Deal Maker

Coaching and "Help You Sell" Program (Optional)

Referral Service to most qualified Broker/Intermediary


More on the Business Selling System 

 

Are you Building your Business’ Value or are you Just Making Money?

You know how to make money with your business.  Our Business Selling System  will show you how to make your business more valuable.  Public Companies CEO’s have their Investment Bankers to assist them in building their company’s value.  As you probably know, building value is generally more important to these CEOs than are company earnings. Perhaps it would be beneficial for you to start paying attention to your company's value.

We want you to benefit from what we have learned since 1979 by our participation in the sale of more than two thousand (2,000) businesses.  We want to show you how to build value and wealth in addition to making money by applying the Wealth Creating Techniques for Private Companies that are part of  our Business Selling System.

You might think of our Business Selling System as your Private Company Investment Banker on a CD ROM.  The System is meant to help you make your business more valuable and, when the time is right, sell it to the right buyer for the most money.

You do not have to increase profits in order to increase Value  

For example: The principles outlined in the Business Selling System helped one firm increase the value of their company from an appraised one million dollars to a sale price of five million in less than two years.   Incredible as it may sound their earnings and balance sheet values remained essentially the same.  That’s right - an increase in value of Four Million Dollars without an increase in earnings -- and to top it off, the sale was for CASH!   Our Business Selling System should be especially valuable to you if you will be considering the sale of your business within the next few years. 

An entire chapter of the book addresses how you can increase the value of your business without having to increase profits.  Most of the value enhancing suggestions can be implemented quickly and easily with little or no cost involved.  It is not uncommon for business owners to double the value of their business in less than a year simply by using the insider secrets the Tool Kit reveals. 

We want to help you attract a buyer that will pay you the most money when you decide it’s time to sell  

One of the principles the Business Selling System  employs is based upon the reality that different buyers will pay different prices.  A business may be deemed worthless by one yet be worth millions to another.  Ironically, the buyer that essentially every business owner, accountant, attorney and novice broker or intermediary chooses to approach first will usually be the worst choice.  The buyer they all instinctively choose never pays a fair price and seldom will maintain confidentiality.  The book will explain how you can readily recognize and avoid this and other inappropriate buyers.

Breaching confidentiality can destroy company value if the breach causes key employees to leave for fear of loosing their job after the sale.  In other cases a breach of confidentiality will cause customers to loose confidence or allow competitors to take advantages. In essentially every case, a failure to maintain confidentiality will result in reducing value or, in extreme cases, cause the business to fail.

"Sell it but don't let anyone know it's for sale"

Maintaining confidentiality is extremely important if you want to get top dollar for your business.  That is why the book devotes an entire chapter on how to sell your business without anyone knowing it was for sale until after the sale is completed.  Usually employees first know the company was sold when they are introduced to the new owners the day of or the after the closing. The book outlines the procedure to follow so you can sell your business quickly and quietly.

As stated above, different buyers will pay different prices.  The trick is to know how to identify the differences between the four types active in today's marketplace for private companies.  How do the the four types determine value?  What turns them on?  What turns them off?  Would you believe that the primary motivations to buy are not financial!  Don't misunderstand what we are saying.  Money is important but it is typically not the primary motivation to buy.  A sale occurs only when motivations are satisfied. The book examines and explains how motivations vary by type of buyer and illustrates the impact motivations and perspectives have on a buyer's perception of value.

Different buyers will pay different prices.  Only the right buyer will pay the right price.

A successful sale at the best price depends upon your ability to identify the buyer that is right for your business.  Only the right buyer will pay the right price.  Only the right buyer will have what is needed to take your business to the next level.  Only the right buyer will enhance the future prospects for your business.  I realize that this focus on the type of buyer is not your typical MBA's approach to the sale of a private company.  It does reflect however, the hands on experience gained in selling more than 2,000 private businesses.  

Four chapters, one for each type of buyer, will describe the different motivations and perspectives that these buyers bring to their acquisition process. You will see how they determine value and how to apply this insight in positioning your business so as to obtain the highest and best value.  The book provides the insight and the Buyer Identification and Business Valuation portion of the software crunches the numbers to calculate the range of value these buyers can be predicted to pay for your business.  Examples of business valuations for small through large private businesses (size does matter) are included on the Business Selling System Tool Kit's  CD-Rom for your review.

Should you give your Tax Returns to a prospective buyer before you have their offer?

You can safely predict that one of the first things a prospective buyer will request to see is your tax returns.  In reality, your tax returns should not be handed out until you are satisfied with several issues. For example: Are they the right type of buyer?  Do they have the skills and resources your business requires of a new owner? How much are they willing to pay?  Will you have to participate in financing the sale?  How much will you receive after taxes are paid?  How much training will you be expected to provide?  How long will you be required to stay on after the sale?

How much information you should release before you have an offer is detailed in the book.  When should a prospective buyer be allowed to speak with your vendors, your major customers?  When should you provide your customer list?  How should you handle a request to interview your key employees? These and other questions regarding the release of sensitive business information is fully addressed in the book.

What information can you safely provide a prospective buyer before you have an offer?

The type and amount of initial information you should provide will vary with the size and complexity of your business.  A simple one page business description might be all that is required for a coffee shop whereas a Prospectus or Offering Memorandum of twenty or more pages is more usual for manufacturing or distribution businesses. The CD-Rom contains three sample selling documents ranging from a one page version to one with twenty pages. 

We realize that producing an effective information sheet or prospectus for your business can be a daunting task.  That's why three different templates are included to make the job easy if you choose to sell your business on your own. To produce your company's prospectus you simply input your company information into the appropriate template provided on the CD-Rom.

All three samples are examples of:  

a) The amount and kind of information that is safe for you to reveal  

b) Comprehensive enough for a buyer to make an offer to purchase 

c) Information is presented in a professional format that positions you as a savvy businessperson

Is Seller Financing really necessary?  

Whether or not you decide to provide Seller Financing depends upon several factors primary of which are the quality of the buyer you attract and the price and terms offered. Our experience selling more than 2,000 private businesses indicates that business owners who offer to participate in the financing get higher prices for their businesses than do those owners who dig in their heels and insist upon an all cash deal.  You can diminish and perhaps eliminate the need for seller financing by following several common sense steps as outlined in the book. 

The Business Selling System software not only calculates the value of your business by type of buyer it also calculates the probable terms of sale i.e. usual buyer's down payment, the amount of financing from outside lenders and the amount of financing you may be requested to provide.  Armed with the tips contained in the book and the calculations provided by the software you now are able to make an informed decision as to how much if any seller financing you will be willing to offer.  


The Book - "In & Out of Business. . . Happily"

The first piece in the Business Selling System is the book, In and Out of Business. . . Happily Let me caution you though.  If you're looking for an academic treatise on the sales process, this is not the book.  But if you want practical, useful information based on actual experiences, I think you'll be happy with this book.  If you want to know what to do, and want to see real-world examples of how other companies have done it, you will find it all right here.  If you want a marketplace view of what goes on when an owner goes about selling a small to mid-size  business, this is the one book for you.  

Here are some of the topics covered in the book’s twenty four chapters 

  • An overview of how a savvy business person sells his/her business

  • Moves you can make to maximize your company’s value before you put it on the market

  • How to sell your business yourself without anyone knowing it was for sale until after the sale is consummated     

  • A complete and comprehensive description of the types of buyers in today’s marketplace.  Determine which type will be best for your business and pay you the most money and how to avoid the rest

  • How to position your business to assure that you get the right price

  • Expensive traps and mistakes to avoid when selling a business

  • Types of buyers active in today’s marketplace and how they determine value

  • Ten reasons why selling a business is different from selling essentially anything else you can imagine and how to capitalize upon the differences.

  • Non financial factors that impact your business’ value

  • A comprehensive overview of the proper sequence of steps to the dance that ensue once you have attracted what appears to be the right buyer (For example: Tax returns are one of the first things buyers request but should be among the last items you provide) 

  • Bottom line or between the lines?  How to help your buyer understand the real profitability and opportunity your business represents.

  • How to increase your business’ value without increasing declared profits

  • The financial component of selling your business is made easier to understand by eliminating financial jargon and dispelling the mystery that usually surrounds business valuations

In addition, the book’s appendix provides: definitions and examples of key terms used in a buy/sell transaction; explanations and models of various ratio analyses and comparisons within your industry; and various tables such as those showing present value, monthly loan payments, future value, and balance remaining on a loan.   

As you can see, the book deals with both aspects—the personal, motivational, and operational side of the buy/sell transaction and the formulas, calculations, and number crunching critical to the financial component.  Dealing with both in the right way, you can make the best deal—a win-win situation.  

Should you not be in a position to attract the best buyer or obtain the right price at the present time, the book has an entire chapter devoted to how you can increase your business’ value both short and long term  

For an overview of what is covered take a look at the Table of Contents

Case Studies
One case study illustrates the wide range of value a small business can command - and why different buyers will pay different prices.  

A young woman was approached by a party expressing an interest in acquiring her business.  The Tool Kit's software predicted her buyer would be willing to pay about $164,000 for her business.  However, she could easily sell for $425,000 to a different type buyer without making any changes to her operation.  If she were to make the modest changes required to attract a third type buyer then her business would be worth $750,000. Were she able to attract a Public Company (which she was not) as an acquirer then public company valuation methods would value her business at about $1,250,000.

Her suitor was the type buyer who would only pay an estimated $164,000 and fortunately, she was able to end negotiations before disclosing too much confidential information.  She decided to make the few changes in her operations the Tool Kit recommended so she could then sell to the type buyer willing to pay $750,000.  Six months later she decided to sell her business, and because her earnings and the outlook for future profits had been enhanced, she was able to sell her business for $1,000,000.

With the information the Tool Kit provides you will be able to identify the kind of buyers that will pay the best price – we want you to know the marketplace before you enter it. 


The Software - "Business Selling System" has four components

Part One - Buyer Identification and Business Valuation This component has been designed to be used by the Non-Financial Entrepreneur and it is very easy to use.  Simply enter numbers into a template and the software will automatically:

  • Develop a comprehensive financial analysis of your business designed to give you a view of your company from the outside in   (Your accountant would have to charge you much more than the cost of our program for this feature alone)

  • Illustrate the price and terms different types of buyers would be willing to pay today and why   

  • Show how much financing you would be expected to provide and, if you were to insist upon a cash price, what an all cash price might be  

  • Identify the best type of buyer to attract as well as the type(s) of buyers you should avoid.  

  • Transaction Structuring Model – Allows you to compute “what if” scenarios by changing down payments, interest rates or terms etc and calculate your ROI and Fairness Testing so you can get back to the negotiating table quickly

Don't let the ease of use fool you.  This is very powerful software and an exceptional tool that is highly valued and used by MBAs, CPAs and other financial professionals all over the world. With our software you'll be able to present your business in a most professional way, which by itself, can raise the value of your business and the price you can get for it.  

It is important you understand what drives
 your company’s value and how you can control it  


Part Two - Sample Business Valuations and Transaction Structuring

The sample business valuations will help you as you value your own company.  The samples include retail, service and manufacturing/distribution businesses representing small, medium and large private companies.  Having completed valuations to review facilitates a fast track understanding of this mysterious subject.  The combination of our book and the valuation examples will help you determine and, of equal if not more importance, defend the value of your business.

 

It's not what you get but, more importantly, what you get to keep that is important.  The Transaction Structuring portion of our software makes calculating fairness and workability of a deal's structure a simple and automated process.  Make sure the business stays sold and that the transaction does not fail because of faulty deal structure.


 

Part Three - The Documents  (Important should you decide to sell on your own)

In addition to the book and Buyer Identification and Business Valuation software, Business Selling System Tool Kit includes a Documents Pack, all of the paperwork you’ll need to complete the buy/sell/transfer process all on CD-Rom ready for your customization.  It couldn’t be simpler!

 

All the essential documents required to sell a business  ~ Forms, Letters, Contracts, Special Contingencies, Checklists and Closing Documents all ready to be used as is or customized by you.  All documents have been field tested in several thousand negotiations.  All documents are designed to protect you fully during and after negotiations are completed.  Some of the documents included are:

  • Mutual Non Disclosure  

  • Buyer's Non Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreement

  • Conditional Offer to Purchase

  • Letter of Intent

  • Addendum to Offer to Purchase

  • Counter Offer  

  • Contingency Removal  

  • Authorization to Close  

  • Authorization to Obtain Credit Report  

  • Personal Financial Statement

  • Corporate Resolution of Authority  

  • Assignment of Lease  as Collateral for Note

  • Escrow Check List

  • Security Agreements

  • Bill of Sale

  • Notes (6 different types) 

  • Buyer release

  • Confidential Buyer Profile

  • Buyer's Financial Statement

  • Mutual Release

  • Pledge Agreement

  • Assumption Agreement

  • Bulk Sale documents (four)

  • Direction to pay

  • Inventory Completion Agreement

  • Purchase and Sale Agreements (three types)

  • Covenant Not to Compete

  • and much more

Documents, checklists etc. are considered uninteresting and mundane by many.  We can assure you they are vitally important in many subtle and not so subtle ways. Just having a checklist to assure that vital steps are not overlooked and costly traps are avoided is worth the cost of the program.  Plus they are all on the Business Value Maximizer - Tool Kit's  CD-ROM ready to be customized by you with very little typing required.


Part Four - Sample Prospectus or Selling Document

Three sample selling documents ranging from a one page version for the smallest businesses to one with twenty pages for a somewhat complex, larger business.  Knowing how your target buyer thinks and how they approach the acquisition and valuation process is like your having a spy in the enemy's camp.  It's not what they see but rather how they see it.  

Every business has its weaknesses or problem issues.  The book explains how and why these factors help you define your best buyer.  The examples will highlight how the "low spots" of your business can be made to appear as part of the exciting opportunity your business represents.

 

Plus Services and Benefits 


Benefits:

#1.  Determine your best "Action Option"

You don't have to commit to selling by signing a listing agreement in order to get this information

The Insider Information our Business Selling System provides puts you in a position to make informed and intelligent decisions regarding the action option that best suits your individual situation.  

Examples of typical Action Options business owners consider:

  • Not sell – perhaps eventually just close the doors  

  • Implement changes to enhance value and then sell when the time is right  

  • Sell on your own – no assistance – perhaps to a buyer already in hand  

  • Sell on your own using our marketing and/or coaching services   

  • Sell using a broker – Commission will range between 8 to 12% of sale price.  We can assist you in locating the best qualified "Ready, Aim Fire" broker or intermediary if you choose this option   

  • Other – maybe give the business to your brother in law  :-)

#2.  Free Ad on our website

We will gladly post your "Business for Sale Ad" on our website www.buysellbiz.com and others Free of Charge.  We will keep your ad on the internet until it is sold at absolutely no cost to you.


Services

#1.  Initial One to One Consultation 

Initial coaching is included as part of your purchase.  Use our toll free number to discuss valuing, value creation, selling, or buying a business with an experienced dealmaker.  

 

#2.  Coaching Program (Optional)

If  you decide you want to sell your business by yourself and save a broker’s commission but don't want to go it alone, we can be your coach advise you every step of the way – as much or as little as you want for a pre-agreed upon flat fee.  We will not charge you a commission.

 

#3.  Referral Service

You may decide you want to have a professional broker/intermediary represent you and handle all the details involved in finding a proper buyer and negotiating a transaction to a successful close, preferably one familiar with the disciplined approach outlined in the Tool Kit.  We can help you here as well.  We know the the business selling community and can introduce you to the firms best qualified to represent your size and type business. Brokers and Intermediaries who employ our methodologies will sell essentially every business they are charged to sell.

 

You’ll still have access to these services even if you don’t decide to sell until several years after you purchase our Business Selling System Tool Kit 

 

 

"Thank you for authoring such a valuable tool for small business owners"


How much does The Business Selling System Tool Kit  cost?
To compare value, please consider the following: 

  • Business Valuation software alone of the quality included in this package will cost $295.00 or more

  • An accountant would have to charge you $1,000 (and maybe more) just to place a rough estimate of the sale price of your company.  

  • A trial and error approach to determining your ideal buyer could cause a breach of confidentiality and possibly ruin your business

  • A basic Business Valuation will generally cost between $2,500 and $15,000 and provide a value using methods preferred by the appraiser and not necessarily the type buyer best suited for your business.

With of this in mind, you can readily see where the "Business Selling System Tool Kit "  components could easily cost thousands of dollars but our special Internet price is only $395.00 and you can save even more if you elect the download plus CD ROM option.

Here is exactly what you get with your Business Selling System

Comprehensive, Real World, Reality Based Information and Comprehensive, Real World, Reality Based Information and 

The Book - "In & Out of Business. . . Happily" reveals the previously unwritten rules for selling a small business and getting the right price in plain, non technical language. Illustrates why different buyers will pay different prices and will show you how to identify the buyers willing to pay you the best price.

 

A concise summary of the book: How to maintain confidentiality and attract buyers willing to pay you the Big Bucks

 

The Business Selling System Tool Kit is based upon more than

twenty years of experience gained in selling more than two thousand businesses.

 

The Software - "Business Selling System" contains four components:

  • Buyer Identification, Business Valuation and Transaction Structuring Software – the program uses Microsoft Excel® so there is no need to learn a new software program.  All you need to do is enter numbers and answer questions regarding your business and the program does the rest

  • Sample Business ValuationsThree sample business valuations representing Small, Medium and Large private companies

  • Forms, Letters, Contracts, Worksheets and Checklists – All the documents you need to sell your business including: Hold Harmless Agreement, Earnest Money Agreement/Letter Of Intent, Confidentiality Agreement, Buyer's Financial Qualification Statement, Covenant Not To Compete, Business Purchase and Sale Agreement, Assignment of Lease as Collateral, Buyers Authorization to Obtain Credit Report, Checklist Of Steps For Selling A Business - Import them into your favorite word processing program such as Word®

  • Sample Selling Memorandum or Prospectus – Three sample selling documents ranging from a one page version for the smallest businesses to one with twenty pages for a somewhat complex, larger business.

Last but certainly not least - 

Services and Benefits

One to One Telephone Consultation with the author himself, to help you get your deal done or simply to review your valuation or marketing memorandum.  

Coaching or Referral Service available should you so desire

No Listing Agreement needed to access marketplace realities

Free Internet Ad until your business is sold

 

Summary  
If you want to maximize your business’ value and then sell your company, perhaps yourself, either now or in the future, then it will be worthwhile for you to acquire your own copy of the Business Selling System Tool Kit.  If you are even remotely considering selling your business in the next few years, there are many things you should start doing now that can boost the value of your company.  

If we've learned only one thing from participating in the sale of 2,000 businesses it's the understanding that deciding to sell and then selling one's company is not as easy.  We understand and that is why we developed this easy to use first step towards ultimately selling your business.  We want to make deciding when to sell, for how much and to whom, easier for you. 

Our Guarantee
We're so sure that you will value our Business Selling System's Tool Kit and that it will pay for itself many times over that we back it with a no questions asked money back guarantee.  If you're not satisfied simply return the materials and we will issue you a full refund. 

Have Questions?
Give us a call using our toll free number 1-888-556-8118 with any questions you may have regarding our "Business Selling System" and we'll do our best to answer them for you.  

Two ways to order:

Ship hard copies of 
Book, Software and Samples and CD ROM

 

USPS Priority Mail included

Download plus CD ROM

Plus Book, Software and Samples on CD ROM

USPS Priority Mail included

$395.00 $295.00
 

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To reach us call 1 888 556-8118

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