Stage 9 of 9

The handover

The handover is where the sale becomes real. It is also the stage most often underestimated, by both sides.

What has to move

Domains and hosting, the platform, payment providers, advertising and analytics accounts, marketplace accounts, supplier relationships, customer data and stock. Each has its own process, and several cannot be done in an afternoon.

Marketplace and advertising accounts are the usual complication. Some cannot change owner at all, and where that is true it should have been established long before signing.

The support period

A defined period, with agreed availability and a clear end, works better than an open promise. Two months of scheduled availability is usually more valuable to a buyer than a year of vague goodwill, and far easier for the seller to live with.

Suppliers and customers

Suppliers should hear it from the seller, in person where the relationship warrants it. Customers usually notice nothing, and that is the objective. Service response times in the first month are the single most visible sign that something has changed.

Letting go

The most common friction after a handover is not commercial. It is a seller who cannot stop suggesting improvements, or a buyer who changes things the seller cared about. Both are predictable, and both are easier when the end of the support period is a date rather than a feeling.

Two months of scheduled availability is worth more than a year of vague goodwill.