Get More When Listing Your Business For Sale

There is likely to be a wave of business owners wishing to sell in the coming years. Unfortunately a number of these businesses won't be attractive enough to sell, resulting in some just closing the doors. Less people, with less capital, who have little appetite for risk having to operate in tighter markets could make it harder when listing your business for sale so you get to sell for what you want. Your business has to stand out as a good bet - profitable, interesting and with a good future.

Standing Out in a Tighter Market

There is likely to be a wave of business owners wishing to sell in the coming years. Unfortunately a number of these businesses won't be attractive enough to sell, resulting in some just closing the doors. Fewer people, with less capital and little appetite for risk, operating in tighter markets, can make it harder to sell for what you want. Your business - and critically, your listing - has to stand out as a good bet: profitable, interesting, and with a good future.

Get the Business Itself Ready First

Before you worry about how your listing reads, make sure the business behind it can back it up. In short: present it well, show healthy profitability and cashflow, document your systems so the business doesn't depend on you personally, clear out surplus stock and unnecessary assets, and have your leases, licences and contracts current and in order. This is covered in full detail in Selling a Business and Getting a Good Price and 7 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Business.

Then Make the Listing Itself Stand Out

Once the business is genuinely ready, the listing is what gets you noticed. A buyer scanning a business-for-sale site is often comparing several similar opportunities in one sitting - your listing needs to win that comparison, not just describe the business accurately.

Lead with your strongest fact, not a generic opener. "Established Auckland cafe, 40% repeat trade" gets more clicks than "Great opportunity to own your own business."
State a realistic price where you can. "Price on application" filters out buyers who might otherwise have inquired simply to see if it's in their range.
Match your headline to what actually makes your business different - a good location, a loyal customer base, low overheads - rather than a generic description that could apply to any business in your category.
Keep the listing current. A listing that's sat unchanged for months signals a business nobody wants; refreshing it periodically keeps it looking active.

Good photos matter here too - see Ad Images for Better Business Sales Results for what to shoot and how.

Ensure your business is:

Poised with a Future
Making your business look attractive, and showing that it has a future will help maximise your price and catch the attention of more potential buyers. If necessary, reposition your business to show it has a future. Also clean it up, attend to maintenance and replace, fix and paint so it becomes the sort of business someone would want to buy. For a relatively low outlay, this can be a very profitable exercise.

Has Strong Cashflow
Ensure your business accounts reflect a well-run and preferably profitable business. the value of a business is invariably determined by its current and future profits. Buyers and lenders will look at the performance of the business in the immediate past and often the last three years to guide them in assessing future trends and profits. Always be on the lookout for ways to increase sales and reduce your costs.

Has Systems and Processes
Owners are often the main source for client contacts and daily operations - with other activities being assumed by staff. Unfortunately this only attaches the goodwill to the business owner, and is of concern to any potential buyer. By methodically working through all key areas of your business, hone and document your systems and processes. Such details, well documented, are of great value to any business buyer.

List your Business for Sale today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it harder to sell a business in a tighter market?

With more owners looking to sell and fewer buyers who have both the capital and appetite for risk, businesses are competing more directly for buyer attention - so a listing needs to stand out clearly rather than simply be accurate.

What makes a business listing get more inquiries?

A strong, specific headline that leads with what makes the business different, a realistic stated price rather than "price on application," and quality photos all consistently drive more inquiry than a generic listing.

Should I put a price on my business listing?

Where possible, yes. Buyers scanning multiple listings often skip past "price on application" ads, since they can't quickly tell if the opportunity is within their budget.