We represent only one party in the transaction - the seller. A business broker is a professional who specializes only in helping people buy and sell businesses. They are trained in evaluating and pricing a businesses, qualifying and working with prospective buyers, negotiating and most important, structuring the transactions. No, while there are some similarities in how they operate, real estate agents sell real estate while business brokers sell only privately held companies. The techniques of pricing, marketing and negotiating a business transaction are completely different from selling a piece of property.
Confidentiality is crucial to a successful sale.
If employees, customers, creditors, suppliers or competitors hear that a business is for sale, it could have a negative impact on the business. Between a business owner and broker, there must be complete trust and confidentiality. Helping to value a business is one of a business broker's most important roles. The broker considers the market area the business is in and then compares the business to similar companies that are selling in the market. The broker also looks at the cash flow, plus the tangible and intangible assets of the business and taking a buyer's perspective, determines what the market would pay for the company.