Business Exit Planning
Selling a Medical Billing Service
You've heard the naysayers - now isn't the time to sell a medical billing service. But what they don't know is that many entrepreneurs see medical billing services as a smart business investment.
It's a fact: Successful business sales take time.
There is no simple way to sell a business. But the most prepared medical billing service sellers are achieving fair market value and more for their companies through persistence and the application of sound selling techniques.
Seller Financing
The shortage in today's marketplace isn't interested buyers -- it's capital. Banks and other lending institutions aren't eager to lend to unproven and undercapitalized medical billing service buyers regardless of the business's potential. Rather than abandon their plans entirely, many buyers are pursuing finance concessions from sellers. It's common for sellers to finance as much as 70% of the purchase price with a payoff period of four or five years, sometimes in the form of a balloon payment at the end of the repayment period.
Legal Considerations
It's obvious that you're going to need to hire an attorney to finalize the sale of your medical billing service. A good lawyer serves a variety of functions during the process. In addition to reviewing the letter of intent, sales contract, and other documents, your attorney should be capable of advising you about due diligence and the tax consequences of the sale. It's helpful to introduce your attorney to your broker to facilitate a smooth sale and a productive working relationship.
Average Timeframes
It's rarely possible to sell a medical billing service in a month or two. Although asking price and other factors contribute to sale time, it's difficult to predict how long your business will be on the market before you locate the right buyer. Before you can list your medical billing service, you'll need to invest as much as a year in preparing it for prospective buyers. Even though it's conceivable that an attractive opportunity could sell in weeks, an immediate flood of offers could indicate that the business is underpriced.
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