Question 1

How can I assign a different profile manager to one of my listings?

Accepted Answer

You can assign a different profile manager by following these steps:

1. Go to your dashboard and locate the listing you wish to update.
2. Click on "Edit" for that particular listing.
3. Check the box labeled "I have someone else who will take care of this profile."
4. Enter the email address of the profile manager in the provided field, as shown in the picture below.
Note:

- The assigned profile manager will have full control over your profile. This includes the ability to view and edit the profile, send proposals, and message potential connections.
- The profile manager will receive emails related to this profile and will be able to access it from their own dashboard once they log in with thier email address.
- It’s crucial to ensure that the person you assign understands the importance of maintaining the security of your profile information.
If you wish to remove them as a profile manager:
- Simply uncheck the option "I have someone else who will take care of this profile" and save your changes.
- Once you do this, the person will no longer have access to your profile.

Question 2

Should I interact with someone who no longer has a profile on SMERGERS?

Accepted Answer

Please ensure you interact with your introductions only through the SMERGERS platform. In case the introduction is no longer available on your dashboard, then you should take precautionary measures and immediately stop interacting with that specific member.

Question 3

What is seller financing?

Accepted Answer

Seller financing is a common way to finance small business acquisitions. It involves the seller providing a loan to the buyer to purchase the business, in which the seller will receive the payments in installments following a substantial down payment. Many business owners offer this option to buyers to help bring in more buyers and complete a transaction. However, seller financing agreements should be reviewed by a lawyer and should distinctly outline the corrective actions that would enable the seller to pursue any available legal remedies in the event of a payment default.

Question 4

Can I delete a message already sent on SMERGERS?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can delete messages sent by you. Visit the inbox page of the introduced member, identify the message that you want to delete, and click on the red "X" icon on the top right corner of the message. Confirm the deletion by clicking on the "Delete message" prompt.

Question 5

How can I unsubscribe from emails?

Accepted Answer

Log in to your Dashboard, click your profile picture on the upper right corner and select "Settings" as shown in the image below. You'll see an option to update your "Email Preferences" on the left side.

Question 6

How do I change my existing password?

Accepted Answer

Log in to your Dashboard, click on your profile picture on the upper right corner and select "Settings" as shown in the image below. You'll see an option to "Change Password" on the left side of this page.

Question 7

Why does my closed profile still show up on a search engine?

Accepted Answer

Once a profile is closed we mark the transaction has closed and remove it from search engine indexing. But Google and other search engines may still retain it and show the results for a while which isn't in our control.

Question 8

What if I pay the finder's fee and then the buyer/investor backs out?

Accepted Answer

SMERGERS Finder's fee would be applicable as soon as a definitive agreement is reached between the parties or on receipt of the first tranche of payment, whichever is earlier. In cases where the buyer breaches the definitive agreement, the parties involved will have to settle it through legal recourse.

Question 9

Is there an option to temporarily close my profile?

Accepted Answer

There is no option to temporarily close a profile. You can instead "Close" your profile and reopen it when required. To close your profile, log in to your dashboard and click on the "Close" button on the profiles shown below. Please note that the subscription validity will remain unaffected and will follow the original payment date.

Close Profile

You may reopen your profile anytime within the subscription validity by clicking on "Edit & Reopen" as shown in the picture below.

Reopen Profile

Question 10

How to use Bundle Plan credits to upgrade expired fast track profiles?

Accepted Answer

If you have Fast Track credits left from your Bundle plan, you can use the same to re-upgrade your expired business profiles. To do the same login to SMERGERS, click on "Edit" under the profile you wish to resubscribe, and scroll all the way down to choose “Existing Fast Track Credits” as shown in the picture and click "Submit".

Question 11

I have problems with the party I closed a deal with. What can I do?

Accepted Answer

SMERGERS is an online marketplace that connects businesses, investors, franchises and advisors. While we carry out basic checks on profiles that go live on the platform, the final responsibility of conducting thorough due diligence prior to deal closure lies with the users. You may also refer to the best practices.

If there is any transaction related concern at any stage, then both parties need to resolve it along with their concerned team and, if necessary, seek legal recourse. SMERGERS would be unable to mediate such disputes between parties as it is beyond the scope of our services. However, we encourage the aggrieved party to report the issue by sharing complete details and documentation so that our team can go through it, investigate the matter, and take appropriate steps on the platform as deemed necessary.

Question 12

How to change my personal profile picture?

Accepted Answer

The profile picture is picked up automatically from your social login. To edit it please login to your Dashboard and click the Edit icon at the bottom right of your photo as shown below and select an alternate picture.

Question 13

How can I connect social media accounts to my SMERGERS account?

Accepted Answer

You can connect LinkedIn, Facebook and Google accounts to your SMERGERS account by logging on to your dashboard and clicking on the links shown below. Logging into SMERGERS using your social account automatically captures this information if they are registered under the same email address. Kindly note that these social media links are not displayed on your public profile but would rather reflect in blue as verified once connected.

Social Media Accounts

Question 14

How to archive introductions I'm no longer interested in?

Accepted Answer

All introductions that you no longer wish to pursue or have been concluded can be archived by clicking on the "Archive" button on the bottom left of the introduction card as shown below. All archived introductions can still be accessed by clicking on the "Archived" tab on top of the introductions page.

Question 15

How to resubscribe to emails from SMERGERS?

Accepted Answer

If you accidentally unsubscribed to all emails from SMERGERS, you can resubscribe by logging in to your dashboard. Click on "Edit" next to "Email Preferences" on your profile card. Under the “Important Communication” you could choose the “Subscribed” option as shown below and save the changes.

If you are unable to log in to your account, you can click on this link: Not receiving emails from SMERGERS and follow the instructions provided to re-activate your email address.

Additionally, if you wish not to receive any marketing emails from SMERGERS (and wish to receive only important communication regarding your profile and queries) you can select "No Email" option for New Opportunity Notifications and Business Proposals.

Email Preferences - Edit Email Preferences - 2nd Page

Question 16

How to update company name, tax number and other details in the invoice?

Accepted Answer

Changing a specific invoice is possible only if you have not already saved it and only in the same month the payment was made.

To edit your invoice, log in to your dashboard and click on the top right picture of yours and select "Invoices". Find the invoice which you would like to update and click on "Print Invoice" next to it as shown below. This should open up a page with default billing details from your account. You can edit and save this information, provided it was not saved earlier and the payment was made in the same month. If the invoice is already finalized then it will directly download the invoice without allowing you to edit the same.

To update your default billing details visit your dashboard and click on "Update Details" below your profile card and enter the details as shown below. These values will be used as default details for your future invoices.

Please note that GST number can be updated only on Indian payments and not on Export invoices. If valid GST is updated in the same month of payment and the filing does not reflect on your GST portal even after 3 months of payment you can reach out to us at help@inbox.smergers.com. If you wish to display a VAT/Tax number on your Export invoice, you can add the same next to your company name, for example, "TransTech Restaurants LLC (VAT: 987654321)"

Question 17

How do I close my profile?

Accepted Answer

Log in to your dashboard and click on the "Close" button on the profile which you would like to close. Refer to the image below:

Kindly note, closing a profile does not mean that we will be deleting your information permanently from our database. We retain confidential information from closed accounts to derive industry knowledge, comply with law, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes and take other actions otherwise permitted by law.

Question 18

What formalities need to be completed post successful deal closure?

Accepted Answer

Once a deal is successfully closed, as per T&C, both the investor/acquire/advisor and the business should promptly disclose in absolute good faith the correct transaction value and transaction closure date to SMERGERS by sending an email to info@smergers.com within 2 business days of transaction closure.

The business/franchisor is also liable to pay the finder’s fee, except in the case of advisor listed profiles as per the contractual agreement. In case of non-compliance, the onus falls on both investor and business to clear the finder’s fee along with penalty interest of 4% per month. Failure to do so would attract legal action from SMERGERS.

Question 19

I have received several introductions but still unable to successfully close a deal. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

SMERGERS is a marketplace that provides businesses and franchises visibility amongst interested investors/buyers/advisors so interested prospects can find your business/franchise and connect with you. Once the introduction has been made on the platform, the onus of taking the discussion forward & successfully closing the deal rests with the business owner and the buyer/investor. Key factors affecting deal closure include business and valuation attractiveness, management discussions post the introduction, and mutual interest. SMERGERS does not have any control over these aspects. There has to be a meeting of minds between the buyer and seller for successful deal closure.

Typically, we have seen a few common mistakes that business owners make. You could go through the link here and understand how to avoid these mistakes.

Click here to read testimonials from some of our members who have recently closed deals on SMERGERS.

Question 20

What should I do since I haven’t received enough introductions to successfully close the deal?

Accepted Answer

Business credibility and Valuation attractiveness are the two main factors that drive introductions on the platform. Major issues with your profile are automatically listed on your dashboard. Please check your dashboard to see if there are any such suggestions/improvements mentioned for your profile.

The easiest ways to improve your profile visibility and introductions include:

1. Ensure your profile is up to date with relevant information including high-quality images of your business facilities and machines, preferably clicked exclusively for SMERGERS. It is very important to have high-quality images of your business facility to showcase your credibility and boost the number of introductions.

2. Your business proposition and valuation should be attractive enough for an investor/buyer when compared to other businesses listed on the platform. This is one of the most common reasons why you may receive fewer introductions compared to other profiles on the website.

3. Ensure you are using your proposal credits to send out alerts to all investors/buyers that match your business criteria. This is an easy way to reach several prospects in a quick and easy manner.

4. If one of your introductions has a question on your profile, it is most likely that others also have the same question, because of which they may refrain from connecting with you. Ensure you update your profile with information based on past investor feedback.

Also, you may click here to see how to avoid a few common mistakes that business owners typically make.

Click here to read testimonials from some of our members who have recently closed deals on SMERGERS.

Question 21

How successful has SMERGERS been in helping its users successfully close a deal?

Accepted Answer

SMERGERS is a discovery and matchmaking platform with a global reach. It helps in connecting Businesses, Investors, Acquirers, Lenders, M&A Advisors and Boutique Investment Banks across locations, industries and transactions.

Over the years numerous deals across both traditional and sunrise sectors have been successfully concluded on SMERGERS. Some of the deals which we can share publicly are available here.

Question 22

I already have a profile on SMERGERS and have a few questions. Can someone call me or can you provide your contact number?

Accepted Answer

We request you to send us your question through the 'Contact Us' page (https://www.smergers.com/contact-us/) so the appropriate team can revert to you with proper resolution or contact you over the phone to clarify your doubts. It would be difficult for us to assign the right person without knowing your queries. If you have subscribed to the professional plan or account manager plan you would have received an email with your account manager's phone number for ad hoc phone support.

You could also check out our FAQs here

Question 23

Is there a guarantee on deal closure if I register my business on SMERGERS?

Accepted Answer

Deals close because of various reasons and no one can provide any guarantee of a successful deal closure. If anyone does, you need to be taking that with a pinch of salt. SMERGERS is a platform which provides you the visibility amongst interested investors/buyers/advisors so interested prospects can find you and connect with you. Discussions post the introduction, business attractiveness and mutual interest will be key factors affecting deal closure. SMERGERS does not provide any guarantees that such discussions will lead to a successful deal closure. To view testimonials from business owners and investors who have successfully closed deals on SMERGERS visit the testimonials page.

Question 24

How does the 1% finder’s fee work?

Accepted Answer

Finder's fee is only applicable to business owners and franchises when they successfully close a deal with an investor/buyer introduced by SMERGERS and this is applicable at all points of time, irrespective of whether the profile is live or closed.

1% of the total deal/investment amount or INR 30,000 (or USD 400), whichever is higher, plus taxes as applicable is payable by the business to SMERGERS immediately after receiving the initial amount or signing of definitive agreements, whichever is earlier. In the case of rental deals, the total first-year rent is considered as the deal amount.

Kindly note, that finder’s fee is not applicable to investors/buyers and advisor listed businesses.

Question 25

I had connected with a business / investor and had an initial discussion. However, there is no response now. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

You should provide sufficient time for the investor / business owner to go through the details and then you can reach out to them again to understand their decision. A useful technique in such situations is the ‘call-mail-call’ tactic. Call a business owner / investor and brief them about your business / requirements. Wait for a few days, and then drop an email enquiring if there’re any updates from their end on the same. Fast forward a few days, and then call them again to remind them. This is a good method as it tells the business owner / investor that you’re genuinely interested in making a deal, and also gives them time to make a decision.

Inspite of the above if things don’t progress as per your expectations then it would simply mean that the buyer / seller is not interested at this point in time. You need to move on and start talking to other buyers / sellers. The deal gets consummated only when there is a meeting of the minds between both the members.

Question 26

How to sell my business quickly?

Accepted Answer

Typically a business would take anywhere between 2 – 24 months to execute the sale transaction. But businesses selling out within 2 weeks itself is not unheard of. To hasten the process of selling the business, consider below points:

1. Valuation can make or break the deal. Positioning the sale price of the business at an attractive level can reduce the time taken to sell the business drastically. You can view typical business valuation here and price it at the lower level to make it attractive.

2. Businesses which have offers from other buyers are the ones which get sold quickly as there is a sense of urgency. Ensure you have several interested buyers rather than talking to just one buyer. You can get started by creating a profile for your business here and receive buyer introductions within days.

3. Keep all your documents, audited statements, tax returns, guides, contracts, etc readily available as these are required for the due diligence process which typically lasts a few weeks.

4. Even post selling, business owners will be asked to continue for a period of 6-12 months for handholding and graceful takeover. If you want to move on quickly, ensure the business is not overly dependent on you, the business owner.