What Is The Difference Between Selling A Business With Benchmark International Versus Without?

If you are considering selling your business, there are many reasons why you are better off with the guidance of a professional M&A team. There are many reasons why partnering with Benchmark International to sell your company can make a significant difference in both the process and the result.

Finding the Right Buyer

Many buyers are out there, but you want an M&A advisor to find you the right buyer. That buyer will pay you the most value for your business, provide a good fit for your objectives for the company, offer an attractive deal structure, and be able to get the transaction done while respecting your confidentiality requirements. At Benchmark International, we have extensive experience dealing with many buyers worldwide, and we know what to look for—good and bad.

Creating a Competitive Environment

You want an M&A representative that will market your company in a way that gets buyers interested and, more importantly, excited. And once that excitement breeds, you need someone to finesse that excitement into getting an offer. Demand heavily influences price, so it is vital to have the right strategy to drive the market for your business. Our Benchmark deal teams are highly experienced at handling this marketing process, all while keeping the buyer focused on the total value of your company and on track to complete the deal successfully.

Getting the Deal Closed

Nothing else really matters if your M&A advisor can’t get the deal closed. And it is common for M&A deals to never reach the finish line thanks to potential deal killers and value reducers. So it would be best to have someone to keep the buyer honest and moving forward diligently. Through closing hundreds of deals each year, a few issues could arise that Benchmark International has not experienced and dealt with before. This experience maximizes the chances of closing a deal after accepting an offer.

Selling companies is the only thing we do, so you can trust that we are laser-focused. And we only represent sellers, not buyers. This is important in gaining your confidence and trust. Sure, many of our senior team members have buy-side experience, which makes us even more well-rounded in our perspective and expertise. Rest assured; our priority is selling your company to the right buyer and getting that deal done.

Maintaining Alignment

At Benchmark, we always work to align our interests with yours. Your success is our success. We do not have ongoing retainers. We do not pass incidentals onto you. All of our team members will have a personal stake in the success of your deal. And we understand what it is like to sell a company. It’s a very unique and emotional decision. We will never pressure you into doing anything you are uncomfortable with, and we will always ensure you are 100% in the loop regarding every detail that comes up along the way. Your peace of mind is critical to us. There are M&A advisors who only care about getting a deal done, regardless of how you feel about it. That’s just not us. We also know that you have competing priorities, so we are prepared for your preferences to shift throughout the process. And we change with you. We have a flexible approach, so we can adapt as needed.

Specializing

Your dedicated Benchmark team will include outreach specialists, marketing strategists, negotiators, accounting and finance associates, data room administrators, and a director coordinating everything. Our high level of specialization empowers us to offer you a five-star process from start to finish. Rather than relying on a jack-of-all-trades to execute a quality process, we deploy experts at each stage to avoid future issues and increase the chances of reaching your objectives.

Running a Better Process

Selling a company is complicated and takes time, months, or even years. During that time, you still have a business to run. This is also the most crucial time your company is running smoothly and performing well, so you must focus on the day-to-day operations. Essentially, you need to run your company as though you are not about to sell it. Research has shown that business owners view “managing the M&A process” as the most valuable service provided by their advisors. When you partner with us, you will have an expert whose time is dedicated to selling your business. You will still be involved in the process, never missing a beat, but the difference is that you will not be mired in pesky details, as we are there to do all the heavy lifting for you. Consider the overwhelming amount of work that needs to be done.

Data and documentation must be gathered and organized from several years to a decade. This includes but is not limited to financials, vendors, real estate, inventory, and contracts. Don’t underestimate how much paperwork there will be.

Getting Better Results

Experienced buyers know what to look for when pursuing a business, and they know how to extract the most value from a deal. For sellers, it is often the first and only time they will go through the sales process. This gives the buyer a significant advantage in negotiating a deal. You will want someone on your side which is entirely dedicated to getting you the most value for your company and brings just as much, if not much more, experience than the buyers at the table. And this means exploring every last option and knowing when to walk away. Business owners think they can negotiate a sale through their accountant or attorney. The difference is that while these professionals can be helpful, they cannot access the global connections, local expertise, buyers, databases, and methodologies you will gain with an M&A advisory like us. We also have a solid understanding of the markets and how to time a sale to get the best value. Our track record speaks for itself. But our clients say for us, too.

Getting You More Money

This is a pretty important factor. M&A advisors are more likely to get you more money in a deal. Research shows that private sellers get significantly higher acquisition premiums (up to 25%) when they retain advisors. Additional research shows that 84% of middle-market business owners who retained an M&A advisor reported that the final sale price for their business was equal to or higher than the initial sale price estimate provided. After all, we know how to value a company properly.

Americas: Sam Smoot at +1 (813) 898 2350 / Smoot@BenchmarkIntl.com

Europe: Michael Lawrie at +44 (0) 161 359 4400 / Lawrie@BenchmarkIntl.com

Africa: Anthony McCardle at +27 21 300 2055 / McCardle@BenchmarkIntl.com

ABOUT BENCHMARK INTERNATIONAL:

Benchmark International is a global M&A firm that provides business owners with creative, value-maximizing solutions for growing and exiting their businesses. Benchmark International has handled over $10 billion in transaction value across various industries from offices across the world. With decades of M&A experience, Benchmark International’s transaction teams have assisted business owners with achieving their objectives and ensuring the continued growth of their businesses. The firm has also been named the Investment Banking Firm of the Year by The M&A Advisor and the Global M&A Network as well as the #1 Sell-side Exclusive M&A Advisor in the World by Pitchbook’s Global League Tables.

Website: http://www.benchmarkintl.com
Blog: http://blog.benchmarkcorporate.com