Every exit advisor, business broker, or M&A specialist wants to work with high-value business owners—those who have built something worth millions and are now ready to move on. But by the time most advisors find out a business is for sale, it’s already too late.

The owner has already started fielding offers, chosen another advisor, or worse—decided to go it alone.

So how do some professionals seem to consistently connect with high-value business owners before they raise their hand?

Here’s the secret: They don’t wait. They attract.

Let’s break down how it works—and how you can use the same strategy to consistently land premium clients before your competitors even know they exist.

Timing Is Everything (And Most Advisors Miss It)

The exit decision isn’t made overnight. Business owners spend months—even years—thinking about selling before they take action. During this “silent stage,” they’re not calling brokers or asking for referrals.

Instead, they’re:

Googling questions like “How much is my business worth?”
Watching YouTube videos on life after business ownership
Reading articles about succession planning, retirement, or valuation
Quietly exploring their options without alerting partners, staff, or competitors

This is where the opportunity lives—in that quiet window before they go public.

The Real Secret: Show Up Before They Need You

If you want to attract high-value business owners before they sell, you need to:

Get in front of them early
Offer value without selling
Stay top-of-mind until they’re ready

This approach isn’t about being pushy. It’s about positioning—creating the right message and putting it in front of the right business owner before they ever start actively looking for help.

Here’s How the Pros Do It

1. Identify Your Ideal Owner Profile

Are you targeting $5M+ companies? Certain industries? Family-owned businesses? Know exactly who you want to attract, and build your messaging around their pain points and goals.

2. Create Educational Content That Speaks to Their Journey

Examples:

“The 5 Most Overlooked Risks When Selling a Business”
“What Every Owner Needs to Know Before Exiting”
“How to Prepare for a Successful Business Sale in 12 Months”

This isn’t about pitching your services. It’s about positioning yourself as the trusted expert they’ll eventually turn to.

3. Use Paid Traffic to Reach Them Where They Are

High-value owners are on LinkedIn, reading business publications, and watching high-level content. With smart ad targeting, you can:

Show your content to owners based on industry and job title
Target business pages and owner-specific search behavior
Retarget people who engage with your content but don’t take action right away

4. Capture Their Contact Info with a Lead Magnet

Once they’ve read your article or watched your video, offer them something deeper—a downloadable guide, checklist, or free assessment.

Now you’ve gone from invisible to valuable contact.

5. Automate the Follow-Up

You’re playing a long game. They may not be ready now—but if you nurture the relationship with smart, personalized follow-up (email, retargeting, SMS), you’ll be the first person they call when they are.

Strategic Marketing Beats Reactive Networking—Every Time

The advisors who win the most high-value deals aren’t just great closers. They’re great marketers.

They’ve built systems that:

Identify exit-ready business owners early
Position themselves as trusted authorities
Stay in front of those owners until the moment is right

This isn’t guesswork. It’s strategy. And it works.

Want the System That Makes It All Happen?

At Exit Funnels, we help exit planning professionals implement the exact framework outlined above—with none of the tech headaches.

Our platform gives you:

A lead generation funnel built for your target market
Automation tools to nurture leads over time
CRM tracking so you know exactly what’s working
Performance reporting to prove ROI and scale smartly

You bring the expertise—we bring the system to grow it.

Final Thought

Finding high-value business owners before they sell isn’t luck. It’s strategy.

Stop chasing last-minute deals. Start attracting your next best client—before they ever hit the market.

Book your free discovery call now and see how Exit Funnels can help.