When they start thinking about selling and retiring, they look at the universe of potential buyers and pick one out. Then they try to get the deal done with that person or company. It's not the best way in most cases. If you want to extract a really nice price, the best thing is to be in contact with several buyers. Most buyers will refuse to engage in a bidding war, but buyers who recognize a good thing will want to continue, especially if they have put in a lot of time to get to the point where the bidding begins.
Most owners think of selling to the owner across town.
On the other hand, there are other potential buyers who may pay more and may be in a better position to guarantee the money. There's usually someone from outside your area who would like to expand into your area. They may be willing to pay extra for the privilege. One of your employees may want to buy so badly that he or she will agree to pay too much for the privilege. Your employee may not have the financial wherewithal to guarantee the payment to your level of comfort, so a trade-off of considerations may be in order.