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Setting the market price for a business for sale is a task best suited for appraisal experts. The danger of operating a self appraisal is that you will either 1) overvalue your business’s worth by putting to high a premium on the value of your time and effort, or 2) undervalue your business’s worth, giving prospective buyers the chance for a steal, and leaving you with less money than you could have had.
In situation 1, which is by far the more common of the scenarios, you may find that you have placed too high of a premium on the hard work that you put into your business. In this case, you will have difficulty attracting buyers, who will probably know that they can find a less expensive business elsewhere.
Hiring a business appraisal expert allows you to get a good sense of what your business is actually worth, from the real estate to the inventory down to the very last bolt. With this valuable information in hand, you can head to the bargaining table with a clear idea of what your selling price should be.
Of course, you could attempt to appraise the value of your business yourself. By taking into account the approximate value of the assets of the business (including such somewhat vague “unknowables” as the value of your business’s location), and taking into account your average net income from the past several years, and the excess earning that an owner stands to make.
By taking matters into your own hands, however, you are leaving yourself open to large mistakes that can hurt you when it comes time to talk to buyers. Remember that if you want to do it yourself, only value the time that you spent tangibly contributing to the net worth of the business. The valuable activities include—but are not limited to—training employees and consulting with the buyer.
With the help of a business appraisal expert you can eliminate the potential for error. As cold as it may seem to the small or medium sized business owner with the big opinions on his or her business’s value, not every buyer will be able to see the value that you see in your baby. By slicing through the emotion, an expert can get a grasp on a fair estimate of the market value of your assets.
Keep in mind that the buyers that you meet with maybe using their own appraisers as well, meaning that they will have their own ideas of what your business is worth. If you and a prospective buyer sit down at the negotiating table with wildly different ideas of what your business is going to go for, it’s a fair bet that you will not strike a deal.
Use a business appraiser to ensure that you make every sales pitch count. By having the information on your side, you can get the maximum amount that you can for your business.
© Peter Siegel, MBA - All Rights Reserved
www.USABizMart.com
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About The Author: Peter Siegel, MBA is the Founder & Principal of USABizMart.com - USA Businesses For Sale, one of the most popular business for sale related websites on the internet. He is also the author of three books on the topic of business sales and how to buy a business. The most current book is "Businesses For Sale - How To Buy Or Sell A Small Business". Mr. Siegel also writes a daily Business Opportunities Blog – at www.USABizMart.com/blog that covers all topics on selling, buying, valuing, and financing small to mid-sized businesses.
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