Sell an Insurance Brokerage
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We are an M&A boutique specializing in insurance brokers, client books, and financial services across the DACH region.
For more than 25 years, we have supported owners with succession planning, valuation, buyer outreach, and the successful
completion of transactions that protect client relationships, service quality, and continuity.
Our process is discreet, structured, and efficient—from the initial portfolio review through signing/closing:
a defensible purchase-price analysis (commissions, portfolio maintenance, lapses/cancellations, growth),
preparation of a teaser and information memorandum, targeted outreach and qualification of suitable buyers,
due diligence coordination, and support in negotiations and contract structuring. We manage the data room,
communication, and timeline rigorously so your day-to-day business keeps running smoothly.
- DACH focus: We know the buyer landscape, market logic, and regional dynamics in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland—from independent brokers to brokerage firms and groups.
- Brokerage M&A expertise: Client book sales, company sales, earn-out structures, succession from within the team, integration into broker pools, and portfolio transfers—plus commercial and operational handover planning.
- Discretion: NDA workflow, staged disclosures, and controlled outreach—without unrest within the team and without confusion for clients.
- Compliance & privacy: A clean data-room setup, clear access rules, and a handover concept that treats client data, mandates, and documentation securely.
- Deal certainty: Structure, risk clarity, handover planning, and buyer-ready documentation for banks, investors, and acquirers.
Sell your client book—planned, not stressful.
Higher value through clean portfolio logic and high-quality data.
Handover in phases—protect retention and reduce risk.
A sale works best with a clear roadmap: define objectives, structure the portfolio, make commission and lapse logic transparent,
tidy up documentation/CRM, and only then approach buyers discreetly. This keeps your daily business stable while the process
moves forward professionally.
Buyers mainly assess quality and repeatability: portfolio stability, client retention, line-of-business mix,
service depth, claims ratio, lapse-liability risks, and data quality. If you present these points cleanly,
you negotiate on equal footing and increase the chance of a strong offer.
The typical flow: preparation and valuation, teaser & NDA, indicative offers, due diligence, contract negotiation,
handover phase (communication, portfolio maintenance, mandates/authorizations), signing/closing. A structured process
reduces friction, prevents delays, and protects your client relationships.
1. Selling an insurance brokerage: what is really transferred?
A sale is not just about shares or hardware. What matters are client relationships, broker mandates/authorizations,
distribution and commission agreements, CRM/documentation quality, and ongoing servicing (portfolio maintenance).
Buyers pay for trust and recurring value—not for “yesterday’s revenue”.
If you prepare the transition professionally, you sell a portfolio that can be integrated and remains stable in servicing.
2. Reasons and timing: when does selling make the most sense?
Common drivers include retirement, lack of a successor, a desire to reduce workload, scaling pressure, or joining a larger platform.
The best moment is typically when the portfolio is stable, servicing is demonstrably effective, and key metrics are clean and available.
Early planning creates options: more buyer profiles, better terms, an orderly handover, and less stress.
3. Valuation & price: what drives value in a client book?
Valuation is not based on a single formula. Key drivers include recurring commissions, lapse/cancellation rates,
line-of-business mix (e.g., P&C / life / health), servicing quality, cross-selling potential, contract durations,
and dependencies on pools or product providers.
We translate these factors into a defensible price range—credible for buyers, banks, and investors.
4. Legal & regulation: asset deal, share deal, and clean data transfer
In practice, structure and speed depend on liability, contract transfers, mandates/authorizations, and data protection.
Whether an asset deal (portfolio/assets) or share deal (company shares) is best depends on risk logic— including lapse-liability,
employee matters, and contract issues.
We coordinate legal and tax partners to keep the transaction compliant—without slowing down operations.
5. Data room & documentation: the fastest path to trust
A clean data room determines whether buyers move quickly and seriously. Relevant items include commission and portfolio reports,
lapse/claims KPIs, line-of-business mix, pool/product-provider contracts, process documentation, CRM export logic,
and evidence of compliance and documentation quality.
With staged access, discretion stays protected: teaser first, then NDA, then deeper data as the deal progresses.
6. Buyer groups in DACH: who fits your goals?
Typical buyers include brokerage firms and groups, regional networks, financial distributors, pool-adjacent acquirers,
and successors from within the team. Each group values differently: strategics pay for synergies, investors for scalability,
internal successors for stability and handover quality.
We manage outreach so purchase price, retention, and service continuity are achieved together.
7. Process: from preparation to signing/closing
A structured process includes: valuation & preparation, teaser/information memo, controlled buyer outreach,
indicative offers, due diligence, contract negotiation, signing/closing, and a handover phase (client communication,
mandates/authorizations, portfolio maintenance, and an integration plan).
Clear milestones prevent unnecessary loops and create confidence—professionally, financially, and emotionally.
8. Market trust: positioning, content, and clarity
Anyone searching for “sell an insurance brokerage” expects guidance: valuation, buyer logic, documentation,
timeline, discretion, and handover. Strong content explains this clearly and professionally—without marketing fog.
Combined with clear structure, performance, and clean internal linking, this builds organic visibility across the DACH region.
9. Common mistakes: why client book sales fail unnecessarily
Typical pitfalls include unclear KPIs, messy data, missing documentation, sharing sensitive client information too early,
relying on a single buyer, or lacking a servicing handover strategy. This leads to price pressure, delays, or deal breaks.
With a clear data-room logic, a coherent story, and professional buyer management, the probability of closing increases significantly.
10. Next steps: start discreetly, decide cleanly
The best start is a confidential first conversation focused on objectives, timing, buyer profile, and an initial indicative valuation.
From there, we build a roadmap that protects retention, your team, and deal timing.
If you want to pursue a sale seriously, structure is the difference: clear data, clear logic, clear steps—until the closing is secure.
