How do I tell my IT support clients I am selling without causing worry?
Tell clients once the sale is agreed and the buyer has met you, and lead with what stays the same: the team, the support line and the service they pay for. Speak to your largest clients yourself before anyone else hears, and name one contact they can call.
Clients of an IT firm worry about two things: whether the help desk keeps answering, and whether their systems stay safe during the change. Build your message around both. Say who their technicians will be, how to reach support, and that nothing about their setup changes on the day of the announcement.
Decide the order before you speak to anyone. Your biggest and most anxious clients deserve a call or a visit from you, not a mass email. Then send a short written note to everyone else the same day so nobody hears it second-hand. Ask your buyer to join the early conversations so clients meet the person taking over.
Keep the confidentiality terms in mind. Your buyer or lawyer can tell you when the sale may be mentioned and what you may share. Plan for questions about passwords, access and who holds client data, and have plain answers ready. Afterward, stay reachable during the handover period so clients see you are not disappearing overnight. Afterward, check in with the clients who seemed most uneasy a few weeks later. A short call to ask how support is going shows the new owner cares, and it catches small problems before they grow.
Key takeaways
- Open with continuity: same team, same support line, same service.
- Call the largest clients yourself before the wider announcement.
- Introduce the buyer in person where you can.
- Check with your lawyer when the sale may be mentioned.
Related reading
14 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Buying
- Expert answerHow can I tell if a computer repair shop for sale is profitable?
- Expert answerHow can I tell if an auto repair shop for sale is really profitable?
- Expert answerCan I buy a payroll bureau’s client list without buying the company?
- Expert answerAre client conflicts of interest a worry when buying a public relations firm?
Selling
- Expert answerHow do I tell clients my bookkeeping practice is changing hands without losing them?
- Expert answerCan I sell my bookkeeping client list without selling the whole firm?
- Expert answerCan I sell my MSP’s client contracts without selling the whole company?
- Expert answerHow do I sell my wig or hair replacement business without losing its clients?
- Expert answerHow do I tell home care clients and their families the agency is sold?
- Expert answerHow do I tell my financial planning clients I am selling my practice?
- Expert answerHow do I tell my grooming clients their dog’s groomer will stay after the sale?
- Expert answerHow do I tell my staffing agency’s clients and temps it is being sold?
- Expert answerWhat should I tell clients with prepaid lash fills when my bar is sold?
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to minimize negotiations when selling your business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentUnderstanding the options for selling your business
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.