Managing Brokers and Finicky Sellers

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May 27, 2026

by a searcher from Dartmouth College in New York, NY, USA

Hi All - I have a deal that has gone sideways over price that I'd like to poll the community on. I found a deal in an interesting niche space, and then found a second deal less than 15 minutes away, and immediately got excited about the prospect of combining them. However, the second deal (which is smaller) has an ask that is too high (>6x SDE on a ~$700K SDE business), with no recurring revenue or contracts that would potentially justify such a premium. Sellers are second generation brothers, but they are only in their mid-50s. Broker said that someone offered them 5.5x and they turned it down (not sure I believe him). Anyone have any success in coaxing sellers back to reality? Or just leave it alone and assume it's dead?
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Reply by a searcher
from Columbia University in New York, NY, USA
There are many times I've gotten a call back 2 years after initially meeting a seller. So long as you are correct in your assessment and high integrity in your dealings with them, you should be the first callback when they figure out you were right.
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Reply by a searcher
from New York University in Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Leave it. Say you're interested but can't get there. They can reach out if they become motivated. You can check in in a few months too.
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