By Business Brokers Keith Payne – Insurance Industry Expert

This comment was made to me recently, and I just about fell out of my chair. 

Over the years of helping independent agency owners plan their exit, many of them told me that they had the same question.  However, after meeting with them, understanding their specific goals and objectives, and discussing who they felt their ideal buyer was and how they would like to better understand what the transition would look like, it began to be more evident to them why it made sense to work with an industry expert (who happens to be Minnesota’s largest seller of companies).

This is your life’s work!  Deciding when to exit your agency isn’t a decision to be taken likely, and certainly not one to go alone. Imagine traveling to a place where you’ve never been before; would you begin this journey without a map, food, water, and all the other necessities that will get you to your destination safe and sound?

For over 20 years, Sunbelt Business Advisors have helped business owners in nearly every industry plan and execute a smooth and profitable exit.  This industry-wide experience means we’ve seen it all and can use our expertise to provide you with the resources needed to ensure you make the most out of your life’s work.

“I already have an agency owner who said they will buy my book,

so why work with you?” 

After meeting with the owners of an agency here in the Twin Cities, they let me know that they had another agency owner who had approached them and was interested in buying their agency.  They asked if I would work with this individual as they saw this as a potential fit to take over their book.  We gladly welcomed this and confidentially reached out to the agency owner.  In addition, after we entered into an exclusive engagement with our client, we also contacted several other agency owners who may also be interested in this agency. 

We had a number of confidential meetings with our client and agency owners, all of whom showed strong interest in the agency.  In just four months, we had over 50 interested buyers and multiple offers, many of which were over the asking price, and eventually, our client hand-picked their predecessor.  Of note, the agency that our client chose wasn’t the highest offer, rather was the “best fit to work with our insured.”  Please see here the five-star review our client was kind enough to share:

“My wife and I read about Sunbelt Business Advisors in the Insurance Minnesota Magazine and decided to give Keith Payne a call. After meeting Keith and deciding the time was right, we listed our agency for sale with Sunbelt. We have been happy with that decision.

Sunbelt and Keith assisted us every step of the way, from valuing our agency to advertising the prospective sale, helping us interview interested prospects, and working through all the details of the final sale. At the end of the day, we felt that Sunbelt offered us the expertise we needed to market and sell our agency to the right buyer at the right price. Our experience was very positive, and we are comfortable giving Sunbelt and Keith our highest recommendation.”

As an additional point of reference, we recently sold two independent agencies where we had multiple meetings with our client and interested buyers.  This resulted in multiple offers, allowing our client to hand-pick their successor!

Contact me today, and let’s have a confidential conversation about how you and your agency can best prepare for a smooth exit.

Keith Payne is an Insurance Agency Expert at Sunbelt Business Advisors. 612-730-1030 kpayne@sunbeltmidwest.com