Buyer Profile Builder

What a Broker Checks Before Replying

A broker triaging forty inquiries is looking for reasons to stop, and every one of them is visible in the first ten lines. These are the lines they will stop on, in the order they meet them. Nobody writes back to tell you.

• Can this person actually pay? (Nothing here yet.) Name the lender you have spoken to, or say pre-qualified and for how much. Even 'in underwriting with two SBA lenders' beats 'exploring financing'. Find lenders who write this size.
• Is the equity injection real, and is it a number? (Nothing here yet.) Write the amount. A specific number that is smaller than you would like beats a vague one that sounds bigger. Size the cash the deal needs.
• Does the size band match this listing? (Nothing here yet.) Give an SDE or EBITDA range with figures in it, not 'small to mid-sized'. Work out what the band buys.
• Do they know what they are looking for? (Nothing here yet.) Name the trades. Two or three is a thesis; 'any profitable business' is a browser. Score a trade as a thesis.
• Will they actually move to, or already live near, this business? (Nothing here yet.) Name the metro or the radius. Being narrow here is a credential, not a limitation. Pick the territory from the counts.
• Can they run it once they own it? (Nothing here yet.) One line on the experience that maps to running this kind of business. Managing people and owning a number both count. Check what is missing.
• Are they going to move, or think about it for a year? (Nothing here yet.) Say the window. 'Closing within six months of the right deal' is a commitment; leaving it blank is not.