2021 Virtual Conference

This course explores a new approach to negotiation based on building relationships and thereby getting more of what you want.  The course debunks old approaches that relied on power and influence and teach participants how to focus on establishing trust, gaining the confidence of others, and achieving your goals subtly and incrementally.  Participants will have a chance to put their new skills into action through a hands-on exercise.

Presented by J. Larry Stevens
J. Larry Stevens is currently consulting with middle-market companies on acquisition and divestiture strategy and is the Executive-In-Residence and Part-time Professor at Kennesaw State University where, as a member of the faculty of the School of Accounting of the Coles College of Business, he teaches courses in mergers and acquisitions, financial strategy, and accounting in the MBA program.  Additionally, he is the Founder and Co-Director of the Coles College M&A Academy, an executive education program in the Coles College for senior executives focused on M&A issues including strategy, valuation, negotiation, financing, and post-deal integration.

Mr. Stevens retired in 2007 as a Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an international accounting firm, where he led a team of transaction specialists involved in all aspects of buy-side and sell-side mergers & acquisitions, financial due diligence, valuation analysis, financial and tax structuring, and transaction advisory services.  He was previously a Partner in the Corporate Finance Group in Atlanta, where he was a member of the legacy Price Waterhouse National Corporate Finance Executive Committee, and the Partner-in-Charge of Corporate Finance for the Southeast Region.  In this role, which he held from 1989, Mr. Stevens led a team of investment banking and transaction specialists involved in all aspects of selling businesses, raising capital, IPO's, valuation analysis, financial and tax structuring, and corporate finance advisory services.

Because a business broker’s “time” is really their “inventory,” not their listings, successful business brokers consistently find ways to use their time more efficiently. In the first part of this webinar, we will discuss practical methods and forms you can use to minimize the time it takes to convert a listing meeting into a listing.  A critical part of that conversion is your ability to overcome objections typically raised by listing prospects. Over a ten-year period, Len has identified 44 of the most common objections (aka “Impediments to Listing”) that we all encounter. These fall into the following 8 categories: personal, listing, fees, experience, financial, buyer, price, and terms. We will discuss specific responses to each objection, including fallback positions, which will result in increased listing conversion percentages, now, or in the future. That, in turn, will generate a much higher potential utilization of your time and increased fees.

Presented by Len Krick
Prior to his retirement from actively representing clients in the sale of their businesses, Len Krick was the President and Corporate Broker of Sunbelt Business Brokers of Las Vegas from 2000 through 2015. Over those years, he completed nearly 1,000 transactions ranging from $50,000 to $32.6 million. While Len is still affiliated with the Las Vegas office, he is now the educational consultant for Sunbelt Business Brokers corporate office.  In that capacity, to-date, he has: (a) developed and presented 52 monthly, 90-minute, educational webinars, (b) coaches all new franchisees in an 8-week training program, and (c) developed and instructs two of the nine modules in Sunbelt’s Certified Main Street Business Broker (“CMSBB”) professional designation series.

Mr. Krick has over forty years’ business experience with both privately held and publicly traded companies, which includes: consulting, negotiating, turnarounds, bond, and initial public offerings, operations, development, and business brokerage. Mr. Krick has exceptional expertise in operational analysis, business planning, and packaging businesses for sale. Len co-founded, took public on NASDAQ, and served as President for two very successful companies: Europa Cruises Corporation in 1989, and Casino Magic Corp. in 1992.