Key commercial questions

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April 30, 2026

by a professional from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management in TX, USA | Buenos Aires, Argentina

One thing I keep coming back to in SMB deals: once you begin validating the numbers, buyers still need to address whether the revenue can hold up after the seller steps back. A few commercial questions I’d want to answer before closing: • Who really owns the customer relationships? • Are prices and terms written down, or mostly informal? • Which customers are most at risk during a transition? • Is growth repeatable, or seller-led? • Are there market, competitor, or AI-related changes that could weaken the business? My take is that this matters most in founder-led or relationship-led businesses, where transferability can matter more than historical revenue. Curious how others think about this. What commercial questions have you found most useful before closing?
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Reply by a lender
from Eastern Illinois University in 900 E Diehl Rd, Naperville, IL 60563, USA
I would also include what benefits the company provides its customers and how sticky those customer relationships are. You also want to verify what contracts are in place with both vendors and customers and whether those contracts automatically transfer. I hope this helps.
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Reply by a searcher
from New York University in New York, NY, USA
I would also get to know the staff, who might be impacted post transition. and also have a clear ask to myself if I have the same skills or ability to learn from the seller to continue the success
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