Creating a compelling advert is key to attracting the right buyers. First impressions count so it’s important to make your advert stand out and to show your business’ strengths.
We’re here to help you succeed in selling your business and have created our top tips below to help you on the right track……
Advert Title
Keeping your title short and snappy while trying to include relevant information that will catch the eye of a prospective buyer can be something of a balancing act. Your ad’s title will be the first thing a buyer will see, so ensuring your business stands out in a crowded market is crucial to your success. We recommend no longer than 8 words though. See examples below of a few good vs not-so-good titles:
Store for sale –NO
Large convenience store for sale in South London –YES
Gym –NO
Newly refurbished gym for sale in Leeds –YES
Salon on sale –NO
Beauty Salon for sale in Edinburgh city centre –YES
Photos
Listings with photos receive more buyer enquiries and are essential to demonstrating what your business has to offer. If done properly, they will clearly show your business’ facilities and strengths. Shops and restaurants usually benefit from this approach, although workshops and manufacturing businesses may also find it helps when creating an attractive ad. Include images of your premises, any equipment included in the sale, and even of the surrounding area to add appeal to your advert. Just remember to check your pictures or videos for any sensitive information (business name, address, documentation) that might compromise your confidentiality
Camera – get your hands on a good quality camera or smartphone to take your photos. If you use a low quality camera, the photos may display smaller on your advert.
Variety: Add a variety of photos – our site allows you to upload up to 15! And, if your description mentions a specific feature, then show a photo of it.
Lighting: where possible, ensure there’s daylight or good lighting
See our examples of good vs not-so-good photos
Businesses for sale that don’t show any photos will get less attention to a business for sale that does, and will therefore attract less buyer enquiries. If you are selling a business that comes with Stock or a Website, or you want to keep the sale confidential, then showing photos of the type products sold or some generic photo’s is fine, as it will give buyers an idea what is being sold. It is always better to display a photo than leave blank.
Busy photos –YES
Showing your business in full swing packed with customers is a great way to attract buyers.
Poor lighting and low quality
The left example is low quality and the lighting is poor, resulting in it being difficult for buyers to see the business’ features. The right example is an appealing and bright photo that shows the business’ features and decoration.
Location
More often than not, buyers will use location as part of their search, so do ensure that yours is listed accurately. If you wish for your business to remain anonymous, we recommend at least publishing the county to ensure you attract relevant buyers.
Business Type
Just like location, buyers use our business type tool to find businesses in their areas of interest – make sure your business types are relevant and precise. You can list in up to 5 categories however we recommend you just choose 3.
For example, a Fish & Chip shop would list under ‘Takeaways’, ‘Fast Food Restaurants’ as well as ‘Fish and Chip Shops’.
A B&B would list under ‘Bed and Breakfasts’ and ‘Hotel Businesses’.
Price
Getting the price right can be tricky – here’s our advice…
Research: what are similar businesses in your area selling for? These can be a great indicator for what to price your own.
Revenue and Asking Price – Some people might be tempted to avoid listing an asking price for fear of scaring away potential buyers. However, if you include your price alongside your annual revenue you stand a good chance of attracting the RIGHT buyers from the off, i.e. those who have the means to complete the purchase.
Price competitively: Don’t overprice your business and bear in mind your turnover when pricing – it’s often recommended that pricing the business at 3 to 4 x your annual profit (after tax) is a good estimate but, if you’re unsure, seek professional advice and get a FREE business valuation on our website today or try our Instant Valuation Calculator.
You can update the price at any time so, if you’re not receiving as many enquiries as you’d like, consider updating it.
Description
You do not have to list anything that you don’t want to, but it’s important to consider what questions your buyers may have when viewing your advert. The description should provide an overview of your operation without being overly long and complex. Of course, you want this to remain positive and show your business in its best light, but this shouldn’t be at the expense of accuracy as any white lies will most likely come back to haunt you down the line. Consider detailing the below in your description:
- How old is the business?
- How long have you owned the business?
- Why are you selling?
- Latest annual turnover?
- Latest annual gross profit?
- Current rent costs?
- Is the business leasehold or freehold?
- Size in square metre?
- List of rooms/features?
- Current employees?
- Opening hours?
- Does the business come with any stock or equipment?
- Any recent refurbishments?
- What’s the local area like?
- Are there areas to grow the business or any planning permissions?
- Are there any unique selling points?
Test your advert
Once your advert has been published, search for it as a buyer on our site – take a look and ask yourself these questions:
- Is my title attention grabbing?
- Can I see my images clearly?
- Have I detailed all of my business’ strengths?
- Have I listed my business’ unique selling points?
Remember, you can update your advert at any time and as many times as you like, so refresh it often!
Extra boosts
To have your advert seen by even more buyers on Daltons, try one of our effective and affordable promotions:
For more information about promoting your advert, visit here.
Pre-Qualify Buyers
Pre-qualifying potential buyers in your ad is a really useful trick that will save you time in the long run. As previously mentioned, including an asking price alongside your revenue will ensure only those with the financial capabilities to buy your business will respond to your ad. However, you may also wish to request that interested parties provide pre-screening information as part of their initial enquiries. This might include why they are interested in your business, their previous business experience, and their estimated timeframe for completion of the sale.
Refresh your advert
You will be able to see how many page views and enquiries your advert has received. If it’s not performing how you’d like, update your advert often as we allow you to do so as many times as you like.
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