Why deals fall away
| Cause | What it may tell you |
|---|---|
| Buyer funding | The buyer, not the business, was the constraint |
| Due diligence findings | Issues to resolve or disclose earlier next time |
| Trading deterioration | Timing — results during the process matter |
| Deal structure | Terms that did not work for one side |
| Renegotiation | Value expectations reset late in the process |
| Disclosure issues | Something emerged that should have been raised earlier |
| Seller or buyer withdrawal | Circumstances or appetite changed |
A collapsed transaction does not necessarily mean the wider buyer market has disappeared.
Were there other interested buyers? Were relevant acquirers never approached because the process went exclusive early? Those are the questions that shape a restart.
Under Offsell's model, if a transaction collapses after Heads of Terms and Offsell continues the same mandate, no second Heads of Terms payment is charged for a later buyer. The final Terms of Business set out the exact position.
What should you do next?
- 01Record the reason the deal ended, in as much detail as you have.
- 02Focus on trading — a dip after a collapse can affect the next process.
- 03List other buyers who showed interest, and those never approached.
- 04Get a fresh view before restarting.
Find out why before you simply try again.
We don't list businesses. We find buyers.
Get a fresh viewOff-market · Confidential · £0 upfront