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Insights
Notes for buyers.
Written for people who do this repeatedly, not for people considering it once.
- Why most good companies are not for sale Intermediated processes are competitive by construction. The companies worth owning are the ones nobody is selling — and reaching them is a coverage problem, not a relationship problem.
- What buy-side M&A advisors charge in 2026 Retainers, success fees and minimums on the buy side: what the survey data actually says, why buy-side pricing sits below sell-side, and how to read a fee schedule.
- Transaction value, and where buyers overpay the fee The percentage is the small print. The definition of transaction value is where a buy-side fee is actually decided — assumed debt, rollover, escrow, seller notes and earn-outs.
Next step
$600per introduction · min. $1,200