Weekly Newsletter – Week 001

The Hard Truth

Most brokers never even get a shot.

Why? Because they’re invisible when owners start thinking about selling.

Here’s the stat that should punch you in the gut: 80% of businesses never sell through a broker. And it’s not because brokers can’t close. It’s because they never got in the room in the first place.

The Broken Approach

What do most brokers do?

Wait for referrals to magically show up.
Show up at random networking events hoping to meet “the right person.”
Or worse — start cold calling.

Cold calling works… technically. But let’s be honest: it makes you look desperate. And no serious owner is handing their multi-million-dollar exit over to someone who sounds like a telemarketer.

So, what should you do instead of cold calling?

Most brokers I talk with don’t want dozens of listings. They want better listings. Doubling from 3 to 6 a year, or going from 2 to 5, can change their entire business. And everyone knows this truth: a $300k listing usually takes more work than a $1M deal.

So if cold calling isn’t ideal, what’s the path forward?

It comes down to a Two-Part Strategy:

1. Authority Content Production

You need to show up where owners are already looking. That means consistent content that positions you as the trusted advisor:

• Formats: LinkedIn posts, newsletters, webinars, guides, or even short videos.
• Consistency: Not a one-off. Think farming — you don’t plant four seeds and expect to live off them all winter. You plant every week, nurture, and harvest later.

One broker I worked with cut their deal count from 8 small, stressful transactions to 6 higher-value listings… and doubled revenue. The difference? Consistency with content.

Steps to implement:

Choose your “content flywheel”: posts, newsletter, webinars.
Commit to a baseline: 1 post/week, 1 newsletter/month, 1 webinar/quarter.
Repurpose: every webinar becomes posts, clips, and an article.
Track reach: measure what gets the most engagement and double down.

2. Referral Partner Development

Referrals aren’t random — they’re a system. CPAs, attorneys, and wealth advisors can be your most valuable pipeline if you manage it properly.

Steps to implement:

1. Build a referral partner list (20–30 names).
2. Follow the 3×3×3 rhythm: 3 new partners, 3 touchpoints, every 3 weeks.
3. Make it easy: provide scripts, templates, and co-branded guides so they know exactly how to refer you.
4. Track every interaction: when you last connected, what you promised, and what’s next.

The Discipline Gap

Most brokers won’t do this. They’ll say they tried LinkedIn once. They’ll mention the webinar that didn’t bring instant leads. They’ll quit, just like people who expect abs after two trips to the gym.

That’s your opportunity.

If you build the habit and stick to it week after week — even during your busiest transaction months — you’ll stand out. You’ll be the broker who owners already know, like, and trust before they even think about selling.

Your Action Plan (start this week):

• Make a list of 3 content channels you’ll use.
• Write out your first 4 LinkedIn post ideas.
• Block a recurring calendar slot each week to create content.
• Build a referral partner spreadsheet with names + last contact date.
• Find an accountability partner who’ll call you out if you miss.

Do this, and you’ll be ahead of 99% of brokers who keep chasing, while you’re the one attracting.

AI Strategy Corner

One thing I see a lot of is people who know they ‘should’ be using AI, could be using AI, but they aren’t. Most of the time, it’s a ‘Jason, I don’t know where to even start’ issue, more than resistance.

So I want to share some practical ways to use AI (my preferred go-to that I use the most is ChatGPT), right now, to help your business.

And note…my philosophy is not that AI should do your job for you – it should do the things that it can do, that if you did it would take you a lot longer to do. This should then free you up to do what you do best – relationship building, outreach, transactional motions, etc.

Here are two suggested ways to use it this week:

1. Prep Faster for Owner Meetings

Feed AI the owner’s website or LinkedIn profile and ask:

Use a prompt like:

• “What are 5 potential exit challenges this business owner might face?”
• “What referral partners should I suggest they talk to first?”

Why it works: Shows up to meetings more prepared, sounding like you already know their world. And without manually doing all that research.

2. Analyze Deal Data Like a Pro

Drop in anonymized P&Ls or deal summaries and ask AI:

Use a prompt like:

• “What are the top 3 strengths and weaknesses of this business from a buyer’s perspective?”
• “What trends should I highlight to justify valuation?”

Why it works: Speeds up deal prep and helps brokers position listings more convincingly. There are things that AI will notice that you might not have seen. Or it might just give you confirmation on what you thought already.

Again, remember – using AI to do your work for you – like listing presentation meeting prep – could get you into trouble…if you walk into that meeting and ‘someone else’ did your homework for you…and then you have no idea what you are presenting. That is not my goal for you – I just want you to think of ways to speed up the tasks that go into it.

Next week: How AI can save you hours repurposing content.

Broker Growth Hack: Referrals Are Not A Lottery Ticket

We didn’t get to the ‘referral’ part of your biz dev this week…so I want to share a tip here. Most brokers treat referrals like lottery tickets—hoping a CPA or attorney happens to mention them. That’s risky. Referrals aren’t luck; they’re a system.

Tip:

• Build a partner touchpoint rhythm.
• Track when you last connected with each CPA, attorney, or wealth advisor.
• Stick to the 3×3×3 rule: 3 new contacts, 3 touchpoints, every 3 weeks.
• Give partners easy referral tools—like scripts, templates, or co-branded assets—so helping you is effortless.

The result? A steady stream of quality leads instead of unpredictable drips.

I hope you got some value from this newsletter and some action steps you can put into place this week to help fill your pipeline. At Business Broker Growth, our mission is to equip brokers with modern marketing systems that replace guesswork with growth — empowering them to become trusted advisors for owners and partners. As brokers grow, so do the business owners they represent — creating better exits, stronger communities, and more rewarding futures.

To your success,

— Jason Cutter | Business Broker Growth

P.S. If you don’t have your copy of The Trusted Advisor Shift eBook and toolkit – email jason@businessbrokergrowth.com and we will send it over.