What can I negotiate besides price when buying a business?

A purchase price is one line in a long agreement. The other terms decide who carries which risks, what you actually receive and how smoothly the first months go. Buyers who focus only on the headline number can miss room to improve the outcome elsewhere. Here is a map of the main non-price terms, with pointers to pages that go deeper on each.

Training and handover

How long the seller stays, what they teach and how they introduce you around are all open to discussion. Raise them in the offer, not after it is accepted. The seller’s side of this is described in the seller’s role during the transition, and it helps to know what they expect to be asked.

What is included

Equipment, vehicles, inventory, records, brand names and customer lists can be included or left out, and the list can be negotiated. This page assumes an asset purchase; in a share purchase the company keeps its assets, so anything excluded must be moved out before closing, and your lawyer can explain how that works for your deal. Contracts are a related question, covered in leaving certain contracts behind. A clear written list prevents arguments after closing.

Timing and conditions

The closing date, and the conditions that must be satisfied before it, affect both sides. You may need time to arrange financing or to receive approvals. The seller may want certainty and a short timeline. Trading flexibility on one for firmness on the other is a common way to meet in the middle.

Access and introductions

• Reasonable access to records, premises and key staff before closing.
• Introductions to the customers and suppliers who matter most.
• Notice if something material changes in the business before closing.