Accountant, broker or Proxeno

An owner selling a practice can bring in an accountant, a broker or nobody. The table shows what each covers and where each stops.

What the sale needsAn accountantA brokerProxeno
Sight of the whole buyer marketNoNoa private contact bookYesthe GP Zoo dataset
Matched buyers approached and the deal worked to completionNoNoadvertises and waitsYes
Several qualified buyers at the tableNoNoYes
Fixed fees, not commissionYesbilled by the hourNo6% to 12% and minimumsYesset before work starts
Preparation before the market sees the practiceYesNonot paid to prepareYesthe assessments are free
Confidential outreach, no public listingYesNoYes
Support for buyers and sellers along the wayNoNoYes
The seller's own valuationYesYesYesvia your accountant or valuer
Delivery by people who have run practicesNoNoYes

Fee ranges for brokers and advisers are drawn from their own published rates and engagement terms.

Where each one stops

An accountant covers the financials and the valuation, billed by the hour, sale or no sale. The engagement ends where the sale process starts: finding buyers, approaching them and working the deal are not part of it.

A broker lists the practice, advertises and waits. The fee is 6% to 12% of the sale price with a minimum of $15,000 to $30,000, paid at settlement. A broker is paid only when the practice sells: nobody pays for the preparation, so the broker does not do it, and a sale now is worth more to the broker than a higher price later.

Proxeno maps both sides before any call, scores every mapped buyer against the criteria the seller sets and works the deal to completion for a fixed fee, set before the work starts. Proxeno is paid the same whatever the practice sells for, so it has no reason to push the price. The two assessments cost nothing, and optional preparation work is quoted before it starts.

The fee structure in detail

How the fixed fee works, and what accountants, brokers and specialist advisers charge for the same deal, is on the fees page.

See the feesTwo ways to sell