Often misunderstood, the value of a business sale advisory relationship with an intermediary firm such as CAA involves much more than the intermediary firm simply identifying or introducing prospective buyer candidates to the client. Although CAA certainly will generate motivated, financially qualified buyers from its own network of contacts and business relationships, as well as through its creative business sale marketing techniques, CAA brings additional value to each client's business sale transaction by:

a) Determining the "probable range of sale value" for the business being sold and its likely appeal to the primary buyer types (strategic corporate buyers, LBO groups and other "financial" buyers, entrepreneurial / corporate executive-type buyers) and critically evaluating the pluses and minuses of the selling business in the eyes of the most likely buyer type(s);

b) Exploring all sale or other value-maximizing options (e.g., the feasibility or desirability of a management buyout) before aggressively marketing a business sale opportunity to "outside" buyers;

c) Devising strategies and tactics designed to create multiple competing offers or to motivate a single prospective buyer to aggressively move forward even if his/its offer is the only viable offer on the table;

d) Thoroughly analyzing the business being sold and preparing a comprehensive and highly professional Business Sale Offering Memorandum and other business sale marketing materials that accurately describe the business being sold, "positioning" the business most favorably, and creatively presenting acquisition economics that make financial sense and that are "custom tailored" to specific buyers;

e) Managing all prospective buyer inquiries and contacts, arranging and moderating both on-site and off-site meetings between prospective buyers and the client and/or management of the business unit being sold. (Note: Using a financial intermediary firm is generally viewed as a critical element in maximizing the highly confidential nature of most business sale transactions.);

f) Shielding the client from both the time demands and/or nuisance of having to respond to repetitive questions or requests for additional information;

g) "Screening out" financially or managerially unqualified buyers or buyers proposing unacceptable acquisition structures/terms or unrealistic financing plans;

h) "Guiding" prospective buyers to structure purchase offers that meet or exceed the client's objectives; releasing "trial balloons" to test pricing and other key transaction acquisition terms before either buyer or seller lock themselves into committed positions;

i) Negotiating and resolving issues initially thought to be non-negotiable "deal breakers" and generally providing more objectivity to the sale process by helping both buyer and seller view the proposed transaction from each other's viewpoint; and

j) Actively managing the business sale process and keeping it on schedule, injecting a higher level of efficiency and professionalism into a business sale transaction than normally is possible for a seller to do without specially dedicated inside or outside assistance.

CAA's sale transaction fees are very competitive and are individually negotiated with each sale client. Sale transaction fees are normally determined by the size of the transaction, the anticipated degree of difficulty (or ease) of selling a given business, timing constraints, and other transaction-specific issues/requirements.