We help founders, shareholders and acquisitive businesses understand value, prepare for sale, identify acquisition opportunities and complete transactions in the B2B sales and marketing market.
Thinking of selling or acquiring in the next 12 months? Speak to Milestone. We know the B2B sales & marketing market, the buyers who are active in it and the factors that drive valuation. Whether you are preparing for exit, looking to realise value in the short term, or exploring acquisition opportunities, we can help you understand your options and what needs to be done before going to market.
Specialist advice for founders, shareholders and acquisitive businesses across RevOps, sales development, marketing automation and B2B technology marketing.
B2B sales and marketing services are converging. Clients increasingly want partners who can connect strategy, sales development, marketing automation, RevOps, ABM, content, CRM, data and AI into measurable pipeline and revenue outcomes.
For founders, this creates a stronger buyer story, but only if the business can show clear differentiation, recurring revenue, strong client relationships, scalable delivery and a link to commercial impact.
For acquirers, the market offers attractive opportunities to build capability across sales, marketing, RevOps, automation and B2B technology specialism, but the best opportunities are often off-market and require a structured approach.
Milestone helps clients understand value, prepare properly, identify the right buyers or targets, and approach the market with clarity.
B2B clients are under pressure to make sales and marketing more accountable. CRM, automation, sales development, RevOps, data, ABM and content are becoming increasingly connected. Businesses that help clients create, manage and convert pipeline are becoming more valuable to strategic buyers.
At the same time, AI and automation are changing delivery models. Buyers are becoming more selective, placing greater value on businesses with defensible strategic capability, embedded client relationships and proven commercial outcomes.
Businesses helping clients improve CRM, lead management, marketing automation, attribution, reporting, sales workflows and sales-marketing alignment.
Includes firms working with HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Pardot / Account Engagement, Eloqua, Dynamics and related platforms.
Businesses creating pipeline through outbound, enterprise account engagement, lead qualification, appointment setting and outsourced sales development.
The strongest businesses are strategic and insight-led, not simply appointment-setting operations.
Agencies supporting SaaS, enterprise software, cybersecurity, cloud, AI, data, infrastructure and other complex technology clients.
This includes proposition development, content, demand generation, product marketing, sales enablement and brand-to-demand.
Agencies helping clients target accounts, create demand, improve conversion and link marketing activity to pipeline and commercial outcomes.
Businesses improving sales performance through onboarding, sales playbooks, training programmes, enablement, graduate academies and sales methodology.
Specialist firms focused on SaaS, technology sales, enterprise sales and commercial leadership, particularly where recruitment is linked to training, academy or managed sales capability.
Technology-enabled businesses supporting sales engagement, intent data, attribution, ABM platforms, data enrichment, sales enablement, revenue intelligence and AI-led workflow.
Understand what the business could be worth, who may buy it, what acquirers will care about and whether now is the right time.
Get a view on valuationPrepare the business before market, including financial narrative, revenue quality, margin story, management depth, client concentration and growth plan.
Growth AdvisoryPrepare materials, identify and approach buyers, manage conversations, negotiate offers and support the process through to completion.
Sell Your BusinessDefine the acquisition strategy, map the market, identify off-market targets, approach founders and support the transaction through valuation, negotiation and completion.
Buy a BusinessSpeak to Milestone. We know the B2B sales & marketing market, the buyers who are active in it and the factors that drive valuation. Whether you are preparing for exit, looking to realise value in the short term, or exploring acquisition opportunities, we can help you understand your options and what needs to be done before going to market.
Value depends on more than revenue. Buyers look at profit, margin, revenue quality (recurring versus project), client concentration, growth trend, sector focus and how much the business relies on you personally. Two firms with the same turnover can be worth very different amounts. The first step is an honest view of value and the factors moving it up or down.
Most are valued on a multiple of profit (usually adjusted EBITDA), with the multiple set by how attractive and de-risked the business looks to a buyer. Recurring revenue, defensible specialism, strong management and proven commercial outcomes lift the multiple. Reliance on one founder, a few large clients or one-off project income pulls it down. Technology-enabled businesses with product and proprietary data can attract higher, software-style multiples.
The best time is usually before you have to. Buyers pay more for businesses that are growing, well run and not dependent on a tired founder. Ideally you prepare 12 to 24 months ahead, so the numbers, the team and the story are all ready when you go to market. If you are thinking about the next year or two, it is worth a conversation now.
A typical process runs six to nine months from preparation to completion, though it varies. Preparation and buyer approach take the first few months, then due diligence and legals take the rest. Being well prepared shortens the process and reduces the risk of a deal falling over late.
Getting the business into the best shape a buyer will see. That means a clear financial narrative, clean and reliable numbers, improved revenue quality, reduced client concentration, management depth below the founder, and a credible growth plan. Most of the value is won or lost here, before you ever talk to a buyer.
Buyers range from larger agencies and consolidators building capability, to private equity backing buy-and-build platforms, to technology and services groups moving into the space. The right buyer depends on what you have built. Part of our job is knowing who is active, what they want, and how to reach them, including buyers who never advertise that they are acquiring.
Yes. On buy-side we define the acquisition strategy, map the market, find off-market targets, approach founders discreetly and support valuation, negotiation and completion. Many of the best opportunities are never openly for sale, which is why a structured, direct approach matters.
Always. Early conversations are private and carry no obligation. Most founders start by simply understanding their options and what their business could be worth before deciding whether to do anything.