Deal terms
Can you keep certain clients or folders out of a deal?
Yes, and settle the list before you speak to anyone. Whole systems, folders or record types can come out, and nothing is exported until you and the buyer have signed off on which systems and which years.
01
What owners usually leave out
People
HR files, payroll, reviews, medical notes, complaints, legal disputes
Clients
Most sensitive accounts, anyone under an NDA, clients who would feel betrayed
Your edge
Pricing workbooks, bid tabulations, margin reports
Systems
Whole tools, for example the owner's inbox while the job software goes in
| Category | Typical exclusions |
|---|---|
| People | HR files, payroll, reviews, medical notes, complaints, legal disputes |
| Clients | Most sensitive accounts, anyone under an NDA, clients who would feel betrayed |
| Your edge | Pricing workbooks, bid tabulations, margin reports |
| Systems | Whole tools, for example the owner's inbox while the job software goes in |
02
What buyers remove without being asked
According to buyers, names, contact details, account numbers and passwords are stripped out first, sometimes by an outside firm. Some go further and drop entire categories like sensitive HR and health records.
03
Every exclusion has a price
Hold back more and the offer shrinks. Price follows the systems, amount and quality you hand over, so cutting the archive in half shows up in the number. A buyer that refuses data you keep for clients can shrink the pool further.
04
How to check your exclusions held
- Get scrubbed samples before anything is released
- Run your exclusion list (names, accounts, keywords) against those samples
- Attach the exclusion list to the signed agreement
- Ask what happens, in writing, if something excluded is found later
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can certain clients be kept out?
Yes. Whole systems, folders or record types can come out. Write the list into the contract and test the samples against it.
What do buyers remove anyway?
Personal details, account numbers and credentials, and often whole categories such as HR and health records.
Will exclusions lower my offer?
Usually, in proportion to how much you remove.
Find the buyers that fit your company
Answer a few questions about your size, tools and history. We show which buyers want a company like yours. Free, no files.
Keep reading
Sources
Every number on this page links back to one of these.
- 1micro1, enterprise data partnerships pagemicro1.ai
- 2Polyshares, data handlingpolyshares.com
- 3Grepped, security pagegrepped.ai
- 4Mode, company data programdata.mode.inc
- 5Pewter, company websitepewterdata.com
- 6BERI, micro1's enterprise data partnerships: terms and risksberi.net
Spot something wrong? See our corrections policy. Some buyers pay us a referral fee. How we make money.