Does the ideal buyer exist? Certainly, but we will have to go in search of it and carefully study all the proposals that present themselves. Selling your business in which you have invested so much time and energy to a buyer is far from an easy task. To succeed in the transfer, it is necessary to understand all the contours of the transfer including the distribution of the offer, research but also to identify the personality and skills of the buyer. Some keys for the sale to be a success.

Before selling your business, you have to think upstream about the profile of the buyer so that the company becomes sustainable and allows your employees to continue working there with confidence but also that it can develop thanks to the skills of the buyer.

How to find a buyer?

To find the ideal entrepreneur, you have to broadcast your offer on distribution channels linked to your sector or activities to attract buyers. So, to disseminate your offer, do not hesitate to call on your personal network, your professional network and the networks that take care of the distribution of offers (Bpifrance, CCI, chamber of trades, etc.). It is also possible to use the services of an agent who is familiar with the communication channels in your field and where to find interesting profiles of buyers.

How to attract the ideal buyer?

It is about attracting the buyer like any customer by presenting him an offer that allows him to think that he is going to achieve an excellent deal. But to do this, it is necessary to identify the points to be achieved before presenting it to the transferor so that he does not have to tell himself that from the start that he will have to incur many costs to, for example, hand it over to the transferors. standards: the value of your business would be reduced and the price would be lowered and you will not be able to reap the fruits of your labor. In addition, by removing certain deficiencies, you will also be able to attract excellent profiles of buyers.

Likewise, you will need to prepare a well-crafted presentation of your business. The buyer must have confidence in the development possibilities of your business because in the decision to take over it is a major stake. Indeed, the question that the buyer asks himself: “What is the potential of this business?” “. He will want to identify his possibilities, in the short term, the medium term and the long term. You can approach organizations that can help you assess the real value of the business, prepare the communication package, as well as help you select the buyer with their relevant advice.

Select the buyer profile

To find the ideal buyer, you need to establish the profile of the buyer you want to have for the business. You must fully understand their skills, knowledge, background, experiences, but also extra-professional elements (family, relationships, life goals, heritage…). In addition, you must ensure that your buyer is able to take over your business as a manager because the buyer will have to motivate the teams. Nothing worse than to despise your employees who have also been involved for years.

This is the sensitive point of any sale and finding the buyer who will bring new dynamism to the teams must be one of the priorities of the sale. You must also know the financial resources (banks, investment funds, Business Angel, associates,) available to the buyer. Taking over a business is often accompanied by significant financial needs and requires careful consideration of this aspect.