Stanley Strategic Consultants LLP
SALE
If you have decided that you wish to sell your business you will need to gather and review the financial data and present it as required by your sales agent by way of a ‘Business questionnaire’ to obtain a formal valuation. This is your opportunity to gain a realistic valuation of your business. It will be the basis of your invitation to the potential buyers to buy your business and therefore attract the best buyers for the best price.
We can assist you with the completion of the business questionnaire by analysing your data alongside your Accountants financial data and preparing it in the correct format for easy access and presentation so that the selling agent can accurately give you the valuation of your business. You will also have the right data to hand ready for meetings with potential purchasers.
Stanley Strategic Consultants can help you prepare for your meetings with potential purchasers. First impressions count and you only get one shot at making the best deal.
The next step in a Sale is the Acquisition Due Diligence stage - a mtrix of spreadsheets on how you operate your business.
See the next section on 'Business Risk' for more details.
Lessons from the Market: Real Risks, Quiet Fixes
Strategic Planning
At Stanley Strategic Consultants, we support letting agency owners preparing their businesses for sale or long-term success. We've been through it ourselves — and we've seen what happens when even small oversights create large consequences. Being prepared is key.
This guide brings together real stories from the market: calm, considered lessons from agency sales that succeeded — and those that didn’t.
A Business Worth £2 Million — Until It Wasn’t
One agency entered negotiations with a valuation of £2 million. Due diligence uncovered compliance failings in a niche legal area that the branch manager wasn’t even aware of. The buyer calculated the potential fines at £6 million — and walked away.
£850,000 Valuation Lost in an Asset Sale
Paper Files, Offsite Storage — and a Lost Buyer
Another business, originally valued at £850,000, was sold as an asset-only deal at just £1,000 per property. Poor record keeping and unclear processes led the buyer to uncover risks of up to £3 million in fines. Confidence dropped. So did the price.
Paper Files, Offsite Storage — and a Lost Buyer
Paper Files, Offsite Storage — and a Lost Buyer
Paper Files, Offsite Storage — and a Lost Buyer
Years of agreements and safety certificates were stored in an offsite lock-up. Retrieving, scanning, and verifying them slowed the deal so significantly that the buyer pulled out entirely.
CRM Systems Used — But Not Properly
Paper Files, Offsite Storage — and a Lost Buyer
CRM Systems Used — But Not Properly
We see agencies relying on software systems but not using them to their full capability. Tasks left incomplete, alerts missed, procedures inconsistent. The gaps are invisible until someone looks closely. Buyers do.
"It Was Just a Simple Mistake"
Paper Files, Offsite Storage — and a Lost Buyer
CRM Systems Used — But Not Properly
In several cases, compliance issues weren’t deliberate. Staff hadn’t followed procedures. A gas certificate had expired. A deposit hadn’t been recorded properly. "We didn’t know," is a common explanation. But buyers don’t buy uncertainty.