If You Had to Choose One Deal Source, Which Would It Be?

August 18, 2025

by a searcher in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Every searcher leans toward one primary source of deals: brokers, proprietary outreach, or networking. Each has its upside and its challenges: • Brokers = high volume, but lots of competition. • Proprietary outreach = more effort, but potentially exclusive opportunities. • Networking = relationship-based, but slower and less predictable. If you could only stick with one, which one would you choose? And what makes it the best option for you?

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Reply by a professional
from Arizona State University in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Proprietary outreach. Brokers are great for volume, but the competition is fierce and you're often reacting to a process dictated by someone else vs. shaping it. Networking can absolutely surface interesting leads, but it's slow and inconsistent. Proprietary outreach, while harder and more resource intensive, gives you the chance to access deals that aren't yet on the market, build relationships directly with owners, and negotiate from a position of (relative) exclusivity. It's the hardest path, but it's proven to be the one that creates the most differentiated opportunities.

Reply by a professional
from Vanderbilt University in Austin, TX, USA

At the risk of trampling on your premise, the answer is clearly "d) all of the above". The best searchers I know do all of these things, without ruling out any method in its entirety. People move from technique to technique (some may work better in some moments than others), but the key to good pipeline management is using all of them.

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