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What Small Business Brokers Do and Why Baton Might Be a Smarter Option

Dylan Gans

October 6, 2025 ⋅ 5 min read

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You’re ready to sell your business like many owners selling companies in today’s market. Everyone says you “need a broker,” but you’re not sure what that actually means, or whether it’s the best path to a successful sale.

Traditional business brokerage services were built before modern technology changed how buyers find and evaluate business opportunities. But if you're looking to sell with Baton, you can expect a streamlined process that focuses on transparency and efficiency.

This article breaks down what small business brokers actually do, where owners commonly get tripped up, and how Baton Market provides an alternative to traditional brokers that’s built for transparency, speed, and better outcomes. We’ll keep it practical, so you can move forward with confidence; selling a business successfully should be just as intentional.

What Small Business Brokers Actually Do

Most traditional brokers follow a familiar playbook when helping owners sell.

Here's what their role typically includes:

Estimate the business’s value, often using broad industry comparisons or generic calculators
Prepare marketing materials and listings, sometimes with outdated or templated content
Reach out to potential buyers, usually their own list or local network
Qualify interested buyers, often using subjective criteria
Coordinate negotiations and closing paperwork, helping finalize the deal

While brokers offer business brokerage services to facilitate transactions, the model was designed in an era before digital platforms, real-time comps, or automated buyer vetting. That means what you’re getting might be slower, less data-driven, and more expensive than you expect.

The Problem With Traditional Brokers

While a professional business brokerage firm and other professional services can offer value, there are significant drawbacks for many owners, especially those selling lower-middle-market companies.

Here’s where the traditional model often falls short.

High Fees

Most brokers charge a percentage of the final sale price, often cited in the 10–15% range for small business sales, plus retainers or minimums in many engagements, as Forbes explains in its overview of typical broker commissions. That adds up quickly, especially for middle market companies or businesses with modest annual revenues.

Slow Timelines

Traditional sales often take 6–12 months or longer to complete. In fact, the International Business Brokers Association’s Market Pulse data shows that median times to close commonly sit around 7–10 months, depending on deal size; delays compound when outreach and diligence are handled manually.

Lack of Transparency

Many sellers, accustomed to the visibility common with real estate brokers, report being ghosted. Brokers disappear for weeks.

You don’t know how many buyers saw your listing or if it’s being actively marketed. Clean, organized financials and a clear data room materially reduce delays and surprises during diligence, according to this CPA guidance on financial readiness for a sale.

Limited Buyer Reach

Most brokers rely on personal Rolodexes or local contacts, not a national buyer network. That severely limits visibility and potential outcomes.

Incentive Misalignment

Some brokers inflate valuations to win the listing, knowing it won’t sell at that price. This wastes your time and can delay a successful sale.

According to Baton’s advisors, inflated expectations are one of the biggest traps. Many brokers “tell you what you want to hear,” rather than using comps and deal data to ground your expectations.

Why Baton Market Is a Smarter Alternative

Baton is changing the way small business brokers operate, by eliminating bloat, introducing modern technology, and prioritizing sellers in mergers and acquisitions.

Here’s how:

Free, accurate valuation using real comps and data from over 70,000 deals
Flat success fees that are 10–20% lower than what most brokers charge, only 6%
Access to a national pool of pre-qualified buyers actively looking across multiple industries
Weekly updates and full transparency, so you always know where your sale stands
Dedicated advisors and flexible support tiers, whether you’re just exploring or ready to sell today

Instead of high broker fees and slow timelines, Baton gives you modern tools and human expertise to sell your business faster, and for the best price. Macro conditions matter, too: higher interest rates generally compress valuation multiples via heavier discounting of future cash flows, a point reinforced in EY’s 2024 analysis of higher interest rates and valuations.

Broker vs. Baton: A Clear Comparison

Let’s take a look at how you can clear the gap:

Valuation
- Traditional Broker: Often generic or inflated
- Baton Market: Accurate, free, and fast
Fees
- Traditional Broker: 8% to 12% plus retainers
- Baton Market: Flat success fee (6%)
Timeline
- Traditional Broker: 6 to 12 months
- Baton Market: 50% faster than average
Buyer Access
- Traditional Broker: Broker’s private list
- Baton Market: Pre-qualified national network
Communication
- Traditional Broker: Occasional updates
- Baton Market: Frequent progress reports

For many business owners, the choice becomes clear once they compare the numbers and the business sale process side by side.

When a Broker Might Still Be a Good Fit

Despite the flaws, there are situations where a professional business brokerage firm still makes sense.

Here are a few scenarios:

You’re selling a company valued well above $50 million
You operate in a hyper-niche industry with very few buyers
You need specialized, hands-on attention over a long sales cycle

In such cases, a broker with in-depth industry expertise may offer the ideal solution. However, for most small business owners, Baton offers more transparency, better pricing, and smarter outreach.

If you’re leaning toward a traditional broker, begin by evaluating a business broker on fees, buyer reach, valuation approach, and communication cadence so you can compare options apples‑to‑apples.

Sell With Confidence

You’ve built your business carefully, selling it should be just as intentional. With Baton, you can skip the confusion, bypass bloated fees, and tap into a more intelligent path to closing your sale.

Owners who are still comparing options can use Baton’s guides on finding a business broker and the best business acquisition broker to sanity‑check the process, pricing, and buyer access.

Ready to get started?