Have your facility clean and in order. This may seem unimportant, but first impressions are critical. When a buyer enters your business, you want him or her to be impressed. Having things unclean or in disarray will not be appealing for a potential buyer. It is not necessary to make the place spotless as buyers will likely see this as unrealistic anyways. Taking a few minutes to get organized will play a subtle but important role for the showing.
Schedule the showing after hours or ask that the buyer dress down so as to keep the process discrete. Employees may get spooked when they hear of a transaction because they feel uncertain about their role in the business. This may lead to some employees quitting which is poor for everyone as it results in the loss of a job and the potential destruction of the deal.
It is beneficial to enter a showing with a set plan. Keep in mind everything that would like to cover both in discussion and touring the facility. First, this will help you familiarize yourself with operations and what is important. This will also ensure that you keep on schedule as time can move quickly.
Make sure to follow up with the buyer the following day to make sure they don’t have any additional questions. Follow up via email first and then phone if they do not respond in 24 hours. Sometimes buyers do not want to admit that they are disinterested after a showing. If you follow up three times and they do not respond, it is often safe to assume that they are disinterested.