One difficulty that exit advisors run into is that most people aren’t really aware their services exist.
The other problem is that, once they find out what a exit advisor is, they aren’t clear on what the value is of working with one.
They think to themselves, “Oh, well they probably just negotiate the price for me — I can do that!”
They don’t understand how wrong this thinking really is.
As an exit advisor, you bring an immense amount of value to the table. In a market where only about 17% of businesses actually sell, business owners need your services more than ever.
First, you have to make them aware that you exist, and second, you need to help them understand how much they really need you.
To build awareness of your business and your services, there are a few things you can do.
Reach Your Audience
Business owners are busy people, but they’re also smart people — if you come to them and help them understand just how difficult the market is (and, as a result, how much they need your help), they’ll be willing to talk.
One tried and true method of finding business owners is through LinkedIn. This is the only social media platform left that’s truly all business. Business owners expect to receive marketing messages here — they’re open to hearing what you have to say.
However, if instead of just sending out massive amounts of messages you use LinkedIn as it was meant to be used — as a way to be social — then you can form relationships with business owners you wouldn’t otherwise.
Getting involved in LinkedIn groups and connecting directly with business owners and then interacting with them when they share content is the best way to form these relationships. Commenting on their posts and sharing your own content with them is the way to go.
Another method is to use email marketing. Though less personal, it allows you to reach a massive number of business owners quickly. With carefully crafted marketing messages, you have as much chance of picking up a new client as you might have from a networking event.
Finally, working with other professionals who also help business owners prepare to exit is critical. They’re more likely to send you referrals than anyone else, and those referrals are more likely to actually work with you than referrals from other sources.
Networking events are key here. You need to meet and form relationships with attorneys, marketers, accountants, and other professionals who play an important role in the exit planning process.
You’ll also want to educate these referral partners on what you do and the value of it to their clients so that they can send you business-owner clients who would be a good fit.
And of course, you can track all of this using our free activity tracker.
Help Them Understand the Problem
Once you’ve made contact with a potential client, you have to quickly educate them on how steep of a climb they’re actually facing.
Business owners who are thinking about selling their businesses are obviously successful to some degree, which actually presents a problem — many of them think that they will be equally successful when it’s time to sell.
That’s rarely the case.
The numbers are bad, but few business owners understand how bad. If you can help them understand what they’re up against, they’re going to be more willing to listen to how you can help.
People pay attention when they see a threat — that’s just how our brains work. A business owner who suddenly understands that selling their business may not be guaranteed — may not even be possible — is going to pay attention to what you have to say.
Communicate the Value of Exit Planning
Even when a business owner understands that selling their business is going to be difficult, they still might not understand the actual value you bring to the table.
They’re probably going to think of you, initially, as a kind of middleman, someone who is going to take a cut by introducing buyer and seller, someone who isn’t really going to do much.
You have to erase that idea from their heads as soon as possible. The way you do that is by helping them understand that your focus is on building business value.
Most business owners are competitive, and all of them are happy to learn ways to make their business more profitable and more efficient — some are quite happy to learn how they can stop being so involved so that the business can run itself.
This is the real value you bring to the table. You can help them become best in class and teach them how to be more profitable and more efficient. This will completely change the way they look at you. They’ll start to see your services as an investment that will pay off in the long run.
The Advisor’s Edge — The Education You (and Your Referral Partners) Need
The Advisor’s Edge is a library of content that you can use to educate potential and existing referral partners on exit planning — and you can use it to educate yourself as well.
Instead of giving every partner an individual presentation, you can send them content that answers their questions and educates them — and all you have to do is send an email.
The Advisor’s Edge includes documents and videos that explain just about every aspect of what exit advisors, financial professionals, and other business advisors do in a way that’s clear and highly professional.
The content is extremely high quality and has been created by top professionals in the exit planning industry.
This means your potential referral partners will see you not just as a resource and someone they can trust, but as someone who is a true expert, who really knows what they’re talking about.
You also get access to the Get a Grip program, an invaluable tool for your exit planning team.