How to Sell a Car Dealer Business

The dance between a car salesperson and a potential buyer is tricky. Both sides play games and try their best to read one another to get the best deal possible. Selling a vehicle is no easy task, and consequently selling an entire dealership is quite challenging as well. While you plan to sell a car dealer business, keep these suggestions in mind to help guide you through the process.

Tips to Sell a Car Dealer Business

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the idea of taking steps to sell a car dealer business. The best way to ease the stress of making this business move is to learn as much as possible about the selling process and how you can apply that knowledge to your own dealership. The following tips are a great place to start when learning how to successfully sell your dealership.

Plan Ahead

You should already have a plan for selling your dealership before the actual selling process even begins. This plan can be made years before you actually sell the business to ensure you’re always prepared. This is necessary due to the tricky nature of car dealerships in general. The demand for purchasing a dealership comes in waves that are tough to predict. The best time to sell a car dealer business is when you’re in a good business cycle and when buyers are actively looking. A healthy business cycle will entice buyers and in turn, earn you more money on the sale.

Choose the Right Buyer

It is fairly common for fellow car dealership owners to build friendly relationships with one another. This is great in terms of building up a network and even for healthy competition. However, fellow owners that you personally know are not always the best potential buyers. At the end of the day, the buyer wants to pay the lowest price possible—something that can potentially cost the seller. Looking outside your network of peers can open up doors to buyers who aren’t in the area. Often times, buyers who aren’t from your town are willing to pay more because they want to expand into a new area or market.

Acquire a Professional Team

When the time comes to sell a car dealer business, there are aspects to consider that you may not think of on your own. Thoughts of “selling by owner” may cross your mind, but a professional team is essential for a successful sale. A broker, CPA, and/or lawyer will be able to guide you through every step of the process. Proper valuation, seeking promising buyers, and getting financial records in order are just a few of the tasks a professional team will help you with. The point of getting help is to take the stress off of the seller and to help your dealership sell fast for a great price.

Selling a car dealership is unlike selling most other businesses. There are many factors that are unique to the business, and therefore can make the process difficult to execute. For assistance during any process of your sale, contact Sunbelt Business Brokers. We offer the expertise to successfully sell a car dealer business and assist with any other concerns you may have.