For brokers

For business brokers: a second buyer for your sellers' records

Your sellers' inboxes, drives and job systems now have a buyer of their own, and none of the business brokers we checked mention it. For the right listings, a data license can add cash to an owner's exit without touching the purchase price.

Here is which clients qualify and how to bring it up without derailing a deal.

AI Data Offers research deskChecked against our methodology Updated October 28, 2026 3 min read 10 sources

In this guide

Is it big enough to matter to your sellers?

In Q2 2026 BizBuySell logged 2,117 completed sales worth roughly $1.8B combined, or close to $850K each on our math. Data buyers advertise $100K to $2M for most trading companies.

Plenty of listings will not qualify. Buyers generally want at least 20 to 30 staff, some set no floor, and a couple make exceptions for small accounting and law firms. The sweet spot is the larger end of your listings: agencies, brokerages, professional practices and businesses with several locations.

What buyers ask your sellers for

Think procedures, playbooks, wikis, templates and task logs, along with the daily email, chat, CRM and ticketing tools. The customer list is not part of it, and buyers keep client-held data out.

Referral programs and their conditions

Several buyers pay whoever introduces a business. Terms vary: when the fee is paid, how much, and whether you may describe yourself as the buyer's partner. Mode, Pewter and Ventra publish partner or referral pages. Get the written terms before you mention any buyer to a client, and disclose the fee to your seller.

Where it fits in a listing

Bring it up when you take the listing, not when diligence starts. The acquirer's team will find any earlier data deal and ask for paperwork. One done early and documented well is much easier to defend than one uncovered at the last minute.

Questions to put to any data buyer

Is this a license of a copy, or a sale of the records outright?
Is it exclusive, and for how long? Can I license the same data elsewhere later?
Which systems and date ranges are in scope, and can I leave folders or whole tools out?
Who removes names and personal details, how, and do I approve a sample before anything leaves?
When does payment arrive, and does the clock start at signing or at your acceptance of the delivery?
Do I pay anything, and does anyone in the chain take a cut?
How long do you keep the copy, and what happens to it if you are acquired?

FAQ

Questions, answered

Which of my clients qualify?

Businesses with a sizable team and years of records kept in software. The usual minimum is 20 to 30 staff.

Will it slow the sale down?

It should not. Offers usually come within two weeks and the owner's work is mostly an export.

Can I earn a referral fee?

Some buyers pay referrers. Read each program's written terms and disclose any fee to your client.

What could a license pay?

For a business that is still trading, most buyers publish bands of roughly $100K to $2M. Treat those as marketing claims. They are no price for you. Only a written offer from a buyer whose criteria you meet tells you what your data is worth.

Does my listing agreement entitle me to a fee on a data license?

That depends on how your agreement defines a transaction. Clarify it with your client up front.

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Sources

Every number on this page links back to one of these.

Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.