and accounts with them. Those customers locked into contracts are less likely to leave. The acquisition can temporarily inject uncertainty into the marketplace and cause disruption or delays in pending sales situationWhen helping our clients sell their businesses, we get to witness buyer behavior first hand. The most important behavior is their economic vote – how much they are willing to pay for a business. Many factors go into their assessment of value, but a contractually recurring revenue stream is consistently the number one value driver.

Why is this so important? The first answer is risk. Buying a business is risky. Any factor that reduces this risk is rewarded with transaction value. Forecasted sales, for example are at the high end of the risk scale and are heavily discounted in value. Historical time and materials revenues that are “ most likely to be at about the same level” next year are somewhere in the middle of the risk scale and are valued accordingly.

The owner and key employees may leave after the acquisition and may take their customer relationships and accounts with them. Those customers locked into contracts are less likely to leave. The acquisition can temporarily inject uncertainty into the marketplace and cause disruption or delays in pending sales situations

ir assessment of value, but a contractually recurring revenue stream is consistently the number one value driver.

Why is this so important? The first answer is risk. Buying a business is risky. Any factor that reduces this risk is rewarded with transaction value. Forecasted sales, for example are at the high end of the risk scale and are heavily discounted in value. Historical time and materials revenues that are “ most likely to be at about the same level” next year are somewhere in the middle of the risk scale and are valued accordingly.

The owner and key employees may leave after the acquisition and may take their customer relationships and accounts with them. Those customers locked into contracts are less likely to leave. The acquisition can temporarily inject uncertainty into the marketplace and cause disruption or delays in pending sales situation

ces this risk is rewarded with transaction value. Forecasted sales, for example are at the high end of the risk scale and are heavily discounted in value. Historical time and materials revenues that are “ most likely to be at about the same level” next year are somewhere in the middle of the risk scale and are valued accordingly.

The owner and key employees may leave after the acquisition and may take their customer relationships and accounts with them. Those customers locked into contracts are less likely to leave. The acquisition can temporarily inject uncertainty into the marketplace and cause disruption or delays in pending sales situation

be at about the same level” next year are somewhere in the middle of the risk scale and are valued accordingly.

The owner and key employees may leave after the acquisition and may take their customer relationships and accounts with them. Those customers locked into contracts are less likely to leave. The acquisition can temporarily inject uncertainty into the marketplace and cause disruption or delays in pending sales situation

and accounts with them. Those customers locked into contracts are less likely to leave. The acquisition can temporarily inject uncertainty into the marketplace and cause disruption or delays in pending sales situations. The integration efforts will introduce execution risk into previously routine revenue generating activities.

The acquiring company wants the existing customers to stay put long enough to get comfortable with the new company. Contracts with plenty of time remaining are their security.

How can you use this knowledge to your advantage? Go on a mission to convert every time and materials revenue source you can to an annual contract. If you are a software company, for example, and you have customers that are not on an 18% - 20% annual maintenance contract, get those customers converted. A strategy might be a one time “get current sale” in return for signing an annual maintenance contract. Services companies should review their T & M records with their regular customers and devise programs that convert those to annual fixed price programs. Equipment dealers