Lou Sauer - Pro Biz Consulting - Business Brokers - Raligh NC

Pro-Biz Business Brokers

2501 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 150
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 863-4160

www.probiz.us

Updated: Jul. 23 9:20 p.m.

When a Michigan man traveled to North Carolina in June to buy a business, he chose Raleigh business broker Louis Sauer, President and owner of Pro Biz Consulting, Inc. He and others have given rave reviews of Pro Biz. Here is NC Review's report.

NC Review was able to obtain two additional written letters of reference from a web site which recommend Louis and Pro Biz both as a broker and as a business appraiser and for valuation services.

But first the story told us by Elia and John, his son. They owned and operated an up-scale family restaurant in the Detroit area and answered an ad for a restaurant in Charlotte and got ripped off. The broker, they said, conspired with the owner to cheat them out of their good faith deposit. Because the dispute, negotiations and possible law suit is still on-going they asked NC Review not to publish the names at this time.

But they did not give up. They knew the Michigan economy was going to be very rough for quite a while and they continued to interview business brokers. This, they reported, was a disappointing exercise. Many brokers they attempted to call about published listings would not even return phone calls. Getting information about NC businesses for sale was like "trying to pull teeth" they said. Perhaps, Elia thought, because he has a heavy accent and looks foreign he was being mistaken for a Muslim. (They are Catholic and from Lebanon originally) In any event he was not treated with respect, to say the least.

Then he met Lou Sauer and everything changed. Not only was he treated respectfully at Pro Biz, but he successfully closed on a wonderful NC business in August.

What about Pro Biz is different? First, Pro Biz has lovely executive offices in the Atrium building at the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Lake Boone Trail. Convenient to get to from I-40, across the street from Rex Hospital. Lots of free parking. When you enter, you are greeted by one or more very sharp young ladies at the front desk. They stop what they are doing and greet you, make you feel like you are more important than anything they were doing before you walked in. The front area has large clocks from time zones around the world, giving Pro Biz a global feel. They immediately call Lou personally, not an agent. The president of the company is the first person you will be greeted by. If Lou is on the phone or delayed, they offer coffee, cold drink or water and actually bring it to you while you wait.

For your first appointment as new client (prospective buyer) , Lou takes you to a large, impressive conference room and personally spends between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours helping you with a new buyer orientation. He explains how the process works, what to expect, how to handle the up coming meetings with Sellers... and of course, he shows you listings of what's for sale.

"The great thing about what Lou does", says Dan, another client,

"Is that he prepares you to be a buyer. So even if you leave and go with another broker, you have all this helpful information."

Pro Biz is one of the few "high-end" business brokerage firms that does not charge an up-front fee. There is no fee to visit Pro Biz and the Seller pays the broker's commission on any listing you close on.

Pro Biz offers both Buyer-side and Seller-side services. If you want to hire Pro Biz to be your "Buyer's Rep." (there is a fee for this) they will do an organized search for the business you are looking for, they'll make the contacts, assist with the negotiations and stay with you until the job is done and you have the keys in hand. Most business owners know that when it comes time to sell, for health reasons, retirement, burn-out or other reasons, you should use a professional business broker.

NC Review recommends Pro Biz. Louis and his associates are highly credentialed, very experienced and highly motivated. Like most firms they typically charge a 10% commission. This is a success fee and is in lieu of any up front fee. If a business sells for $500,000, Pro Biz receives $50,000 at the closing, much like a real estate closing. Now that's adequate motivation in NC Review's opinion!

Pro Biz has been at this location for about 8 years and Lou, the owner has nearly 20 years business brokerage experience. Lou is also certified as an equipment and machinery appraiser. He is often engaged by Lenders, CPAs, Owner's and Attorney's for Business Valuations and Appraisals. (fees vary).

Pro Biz handles what are called "Main Street" business brokerage transactions - that is, the kind of business you would typically find and would be in the range of $50,000 to $1,000,000 to $1.5 Million in sales. Lou also heads up Pro Biz M&A which handles "lower middle market merger and acquisitions" which start at $1.5 Million and could be as high as $50 Million.

NC Review gives Pro Biz and Lou Sauer its highest 5 Star rating. They are truly Pros.