Contacting sellers of brokered companies directly

No matter the situation, I do not believe there is any reason for the broker being slow to respond. Even if there is nothing to report except that they are waiting on documents or information from the seller, there is no excuse for continued slow responses. That being said, going around the broker may do more harm than good for a number of reasons. I would try and communicate your frustrations in regards to the poor communication with the broker first and hope that they are mature enough to take the hint and be better in that regard. If not, then reaching out to the sellers directly and expressing your frustrations with the communication issues would hopefully do the trick to get things moving. Plenty of companies out there looking for good buyers though.

Unfortunately, it is easy for the broker to "blame the seller: their client" for being too busy. Time kills all deals and it is incumbent that the broker be immediately responsive to the buyer. Rationalizations such as these are why the business brokering industry is sometimes viewed as less than stellar. Our philosophy is to engage the Seller and Buyer early on in the process. These are the people whose lives will be directly impacted by the sale and will likely be working together through the transition process (at a minimum) and may be tied together for years if there is 'seller-paper'. Any deal points or legal commitments will be flushed out in the P&S agreement. Coaching the Seller to be cautious of what they say and always leaving out clauses such as "before I can commit to anything, I'll have to have a discussion with my broker, or business attorney, etc. The traditional small business brokering model is outdated. While my comments may be viewed by fellow brokers as unfair, I believe there is basis for my assertions. To be most fair, there are a lot of responsible, caring and responsive brokers out there, who manage deal flow expeditiously and are in front of buyer inquiries. Great question anonymous! It has stirred up some lively responses. Good health to all!