What is a sales ad?

A sales ad is a brief business description of the business to be sold that shares both general business information and core qualities of the business. Preparing a good sales ad significantly increases your chances of a successful sale. Buyers can find out within 1 minute what your company does, what the company excels at and where growth opportunities lie. A sales ad is like an "elevator pitch" of your company.

A catchy sales ad consists of 4 parts:

1. A general description of the company

2. Identification of strengths and opportunities for growth

3. In-depth company information regarding (online) market position

4. Reason for sale

Setting up a great ad for business sale

A sales ad is like a business brochure; it describes the business in general, as you describe it to your customers, PLUS the necessary in-depth sales information. General information includes the year of incorporation and the industry the company is in. The method of order fulfillment and any private brand registration can also be listed here. In-depth information concerns more details regarding the company's (online) market position and internal strengths and challenges. This information makes the ad catchy and not unimportant: experience shows that buyers react faster and more focused when detailed information is shared.

Create a catchy business description by answering the questions below:

  • What are the company's strengths?

  • What are the company's immediate growth opportunities?

  • How is the company doing in terms of online visibility? (e.g. positions on key keywords)

  • How does the company relate to suppliers and customers (e.g. procurement from 1 supplier, multiple suppliers, B2B customers and/or B2C customers etc).

The secret to a catchy sales ad lies not only in the content but also in the structure of an ad. The recommended structure leads the buyer from general information to unique core values of the company. Concluding with the reason for sale, this adds a personal touch. We are happy to walk you through the process of creating the ideal sales ad by sharing a structured step-by-step plan.

Sales ad 10-step plan.

By following the 10-step plan below, you can quickly and easily create an attractive sales ad. Answer the questions in the order in which they are asked. The basis of a structured sales ad is in place. Of course, we recommend expanding this foundation with more information that applies to your unique situation.

General Information

1. When was the company founded?.

2. What niche does the company operate in and what type of products are sold? 

3. Do you ship from your own inventory, fulfillment, dropshipping or otherwise? If yes, where is the logistics partner located?

4. Are the products/services also sold through external sales channels? If yes, which ones?

Strenghts and chances

5. What have you invested a lot in / worked hard on in recent years and what does the company excel at? This is an important point to include buyers in the core qualities of company! Things to consider include:

  • Own brand
  • SEO
  • SEA
  • (Extensive) supplier network
  • Customer base
  • Automation .
  • Email chains
  • Social media follower base
  • Unique content

6. Where do you still see growth opportunities? (e.g., in marketing, expanding product offerings or entering a new market, etc.)

In-depth information

Online visibility

7. A. How do visitors reach the website? Organically, through Google Ads, directly, through social media? If possible give an approximation here in percentages (e.g. 20% organic, 80% paid).

7. B. How good is the online visibility of the online business? Is the shop in the top 3, top 5 or top 10 positions for important keywords? Or has this not been worked on yet and is online visibility limited?

Purchasing / sales

8. Do you have 1 or more suppliers of your products? Do you purchase through a wholesaler, directly from the manufacturer or do you produce the products yourself?.

9. If you sell through other sales channels: how is the turnover distributed among these channels? (e.g. 60% through Bol.com, 40% through the online business).

Reason for the sale 

10. Why are you selling the business?

Sales ad vs. sales memorandum

The ad text acts as a teaser with which you pique the buyer's interest. This is different from a sales memorandum where there is a much more in-depth look at not only internal business processes but also market conditions. More information related to preparing a comprehensive sales memorandum can be found in our knowledge base.

Start selling at Businessforsale.eu

Selling your website or online business starts at Businessforsale.eu. On the homepage you will find the green button 'register for free as a seller'. This way you can easily create your company profile and sales advertisement and share it with us. We will review your profile and post it as soon as possible after a short review. Need some personal contact first? Schedule an intake call and we will think with you!

Yes I want to sell my online business together