Business sellers prepared to be flexible with asking price

A quarterly survey (Q4) 2011 results reveal that business sellers are increasingly prepared to be flexible with their asking prices in recognition of tough economic conditions or to achieve a quick sale.

Having polled over two thousand business sellers from around the world the report revealed that 23% of sellers are prepared to be "very flexible" in negotiations with buyers because they "want a quick sale" and a further 17% are also ready to be "very flexible", because they "must be realistic about the shortage of credit and challenging economy".

When asked to what extent they think the sale of their business is being/will be hampered by a shortage of credit, one in three business sellers (33%) said "to some extent" while 30% thought credit issues had significantly hindered deals. Just 16% believed financial issues hadn’t noticeably affected their ability to sell, with a further 14% confident that they’ll find a buyer who can fund a deal.

Jeremy Mandell, Marketing Director at publisher Dynamis Plc, says: "The results from our Q4 2011 survey clearly show that most sellers are very aware that in order to sell their business quickly in the current economic climate they need to have flexibility in their asking price - to allow buyers to believe they are truly getting the bargain they’ve been searching for."