A capable broker earns their fee. They know how deals in your size range get done. They maintain relationships with buyers who have closed before. They package the business, run the outreach, field the tire-kickers, and shepherd the deal through diligence. They have seen negotiations go sideways and know how to keep them on track. None of that should be dismissed, and an honest comparison starts by acknowledging it.
The limits of a traditional brokerage are not about talent or effort. They are built into the model itself:
Take the same four points in order. Instead of one rolodex, the engine continuously researches the whole buyer landscape — strategic acquirers, PE platforms, PE-backed add-on platforms, family offices, independent sponsors, search funds, owner-operators — and scores each against your business. Instead of business hours, the work runs around the clock: research, follow-up, request tracking, deal-risk monitoring, none of it waiting for morning. Instead of human memory, every conversation, every “not now,” every open question is recorded and acted on; nothing depends on someone remembering. And instead of one CIM, materials are built buyer by buyer from one set of verified facts, so each reader sees the case that matters to them. The full machinery behind this is on The Engine page, and if you prefer a side-by-side format, the interactive AI vs. Broker comparison covers the same ground point by point.
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Here is the part the “robots will do everything” crowd gets wrong. Negotiation is human. Reading a buyer across the table is human. Knowing when to push and when to wait is human. Being accountable for the outcome is human. In our process, a senior principal from the deal team runs every conversation that matters — and the owner makes every decision. No buyer is approached, no document is shared, no term is accepted without your written go-ahead. The AI makes the humans better prepared than any traditional process could; it does not replace them.
Many traditional engagements involve a retainer or a listing fee — money paid whether or not the business sells. Our model has neither: one success fee, paid at close, out of proceeds. If your sale does not close, we earn nothing. Whatever route you choose, ask any advisor how they get paid if the deal never closes; the answer tells you whose side of the table their incentives sit on.
If you talk to a traditional broker, ask them: how many buyers will you actually research beyond your existing contacts? Who follows up when I’m your fifth-priority client? What happens to the buyer who said “call me in a year”? If you talk to anyone claiming to be AI-powered, ask: who negotiates? Who is accountable? What happens without my sign-off? The right answer to both sets of questions is the same: machine-scale work, human judgment, owner control.
Fee structures vary by firm. In our model there is no retainer and no listing fee — one success fee paid at close, out of proceeds. Many traditional brokers charge fees regardless of outcome, so compare the structure, not just the rate.
No. The AI does research, preparation, analysis and monitoring. A senior principal runs the negotiations, and the owner approves every material step in writing.