The due diligence period has just wrapped up, and teams are finalizing everything for the sale of your business. You’re ready for the “payday” – but then you get a call from one of your exit team members. The buyer has asked for a last-minute price reduction… a re-trade. Hearing those words will either have you wondering, “what’s a re-trade?”, or if you have done this before, send you into a tailspin of anxiety. Whichever person you are, you need to know why re-trades in a business sale occur so that you can see if there is anything you can do in advance to avoid hearing that dreaded word.

You’ve nurtured your “business baby” for years and years and know all about it. Consequently, only you have knowledge of unrecorded company processes and procedures. You have information in your head that the buyer wants to know. In fact, his team is probably asking, “What are we missing?” The due diligence process after the buyer issues a Letter of Intent and during the drafting of the purchase agreement is perhaps one of the most stressful dealings for the business seller. Candidly, that’s because the buyer is trying to figure out why your company is not worth what you think it’s worth. The buyer is digging up dirt on your business while you’re trying to remain calm under pressure. In this post, I’m going to walk you through 6 steps in a due diligence process that will help you navigate these murky waters and finalize that protective purchase agreement.

In Post #31, I answered the question, “What is a purchase agreement for a business?” Now, I need to show you what an actual business purchase agreement looks like. Since you know that you have certain protective terms and conditions to include, you need to know where to put them. Yes, this document can protect buyers and sellers. However, it does so much more than that. Essentially, the purchase of business agreement outlines and answers everything about the business’s sale.