The Sale Process: Why do Businesses Fail to Sell?

April 20, 2021

The sale process is a complex one. Most businesses that get taken to market fail to sell. According to a recent survey, this figure is almost 90%!

 

The obvious questions to therefore ask yourself in advance of selling your business is “why are so many of these businesses unsuccessful?” and “what can I do in advance of an exit to maximise my chances of a positive outcome?”.

 

The sale process can collapse for a variety of different reasons – many of which are in your control. Some of the most common reasons for businesses failing to sell are as follows:

  • Starting a sale process with unrealistic pricing expectations
  • Conflicts arising because of misaligned management and shareholders
  • Trading issues during a sale process
  • Low confidence in trading results due to a lack of systems
  • Issues arising in due diligence
  • Lack of an experienced advisor to assist with the exercise

 

To protect yourself and your business against falling victim to a failed sale process as a result of one of the reasons above, or any other, it is recommended that you tackle any issues that may arise during a sale process in advance. That may sound obvious, but you would think the 90% statistic above would be much lower if this advice were adhered to!

 

Here at Bluebox, we will happily provide an honest assessment of how saleable your business is, how much you are likely to realise and the steps that you inevitably need to take before the big day arrives. At the heart of our offering is the award-winning ‘Blue Diamond’ programme. It is a highly structured approach for business owners that focuses on enhancing both the value and salability of a business. We estimate that the programme can enhance the value of a business by more than 40%.

 

To find out more about how we can help you, speak to us confidentially on 0203 924 51510 or email us at info@blueboxcfg.com.

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