Improving Your Prospects for Selling

According to a Price Waterhouse Coopers survey of more than 300 privately held U.S. businesses that have sold or transferred, the most common steps companies take to improve their prospects for a sale, prior to taking the company to market include:

• Improving profitablilty by cutting costs
• Restructuring debt
• Limiting owners' compensation
• Fully funding the company pension plan
• Seeking the advice of a consultant or intermediary
• Improving the management team
• Upgrading computer systems/process