Chicagoland Sunbelt is one of the largest business brokers in the United States. Whether you are interested in buying a business or selling a business, our business succession experts are here to assist you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A Guide for the Media

1. What does Chicagoland Sunbelt do?
2. How big is Chicagoland Sunbelt?
3. Do you have an area of geographic focus?
4. Does Chicagoland Sunbelt represent business buyers, business sellers, or both?
5. How do you promote a business that is for sale once you have a business-for-sale listing?
6. Many of the business-for-sale listings on your site do not name the selling company. Why is that?
7. At what point do you let a buyer know the name of the selling business?
8. How do you decide what price to sell a client's business for?
9. How long does it take to sell a business?
10. Can business owners sell their businesses without a business broker?
11. Are there certain industries that you specialize in?
12. How much do you charge a seller for selling their business?
13. Do you arrange the financing for a business sale?
14. Is Chicagoland Sunbelt part of a larger business brokerage network?


1. What does Chicagoland Sunbelt do?
We are business brokers. We specialize in the sale of privately-held businesses of all sizes across a wide variety of industries. Our team of fully-trained and experienced professionals has helped hundreds of people to buy and sell businesses. 

2. How big is Chicagoland Sunbelt?
We are one of the largest business brokers in the country. We have 15 full-time business brokers. At any given time, we have approximately 120 business-for-sale listings. 

3. Do you have an area of geographic focus?
Yes. We are primarily focused on businesses in the Chicago area. However, we do represent sellers and buyers from other areas based on the strategic fit with our firm. 

4. Does Chicagoland Sunbelt represent business buyers, business sellers, or both?
We work with both buyers and sellers. However, our client is primarily the business seller. In this case, we receive no compensation from buyers. We still provide excellent service to buyers because they are very important to our business. While during most of our transactions we represent the seller, on occasion we have buyers who will retain us to conduct a target search. In this case, the buyer will pay our fee because we represent them in a transaction. 

5. How do you promote a business once it is listed for sale with your firm?
There is passive marketing and proactive marketing. For all listings we use our passive marketing channels, which are very broad and well developed given our nine years of business experience in this market. For larger deals, however, we will conduct a proactive marketing campaign. The primary marketing vehicles are, as follows:

Internet: We use a combination of our own websites and intermediary websites.
Buyer database: We have a buyer database of more than 13,000 contacts that we leverage for all deals.
Proactive outreach: We will confidentially promote our listings to Strategic Buyers and Private Equity Groups (we have a database of 1,300 across the country).

We don't present every business to every potential buyer. We are very selective, as there has to be a match that makes sense. We proactively work to create relationships with buyers who would be interested, even if they are not already in our buyer database. We reach out to buyers by phone, fax, direct mail and email. Finally, we actively promote the business through various online listing services, including our own websites.

6. All of the business-for-sale listings on your site do not name the selling company. Why is that?
Confidentiality is extremely important to business owners who are selling. If it becomes widely known that they are selling the business, it can have a negative impact on current employees, clientele, and even business partners, all of whom may believe their relationship with the business is at stake. Retaining these key individuals can ultimately make or break the closing of a deal. As such, we are very careful to keep a seller's information completely confidential.

7. At what point do you let a buyer know the name of the selling business?
We screen all buyers to make sure they are serious buyers. It is important that we get to know the buyer, their needs, goals, and financial resources, so we can match them to the right business. Our sellers know we’re committed to screening all potential buyers, which allows them to avoid meeting those who are unqualified. Once we have thoroughly screened a buyer, we then provide additional information on the selling company, including the name of the firm. All buyers, however, must sign a confidentiality agreement before they get to this stage. 

8. How do you decide what price to sell a client's business for?
The asking price for a business is determined by the selling owner. They can list a business for sale at whatever price they like. We provide input based on years of experience and marketplace knowledge, but ultimately, it is the seller's decision.

9. How long does it take to sell a business?
Some businesses sell faster than other businesses, so it’s hard to gauge. It depends on your vertical market, the current demand for that type of business, the condition of your business’s finances and assets, among other factors. Typically, it will take us six to nine months to sell a business.

10. Can business owners sell their businesses without a business broker?
Absolutely. However, selling a business is a complex undertaking that business owners do very infrequently, often just once in a lifetime. Using a business broker will help maximize the valuation of a sold business and minimize the time it takes to sell. We have worked with many business sellers who first tried to sell a business on their own and then realized the level of difficulty and time required. 

11. Are there certain industries that you specialize in?
We work with all types of sellers. Our deepest experience is in helping sellers in the following industries: Manufacturing, Business Services, Distribution, Wholesale, Food and Beverage, Franchises, Personal Services and Retail.

12. How much do you charge a seller for selling their business?
We have a standard agreement that is pretty typical in the business brokerage industry. Our work is performance- based, which means there are no upfront fees and we only get paid if we sell your business. 

13. Do you arrange the financing for a business sale?
We are very hands-on with the sale process once it is underway. We help buyers and sellers access capital from various financial institutions. Through a strategic partnership, we also offer access to a dedicated pool of capital that helps buyers and sellers more easily obtain financing to expedite the business-for-sale transaction.

14. Is Chicagoland Sunbelt part of a larger business brokerage network?
Yes. We are part of the Sunbelt Network, a national chain of business brokerage firms. We are also part of Sunbelt Midwest, which has four offices in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and more than 50 brokers and 300+ business listings.