Jan 4, 2012
Please let me clarify this whole matter. This company is not a scam. I've been working with this "group" (IAG, International Acquisition Group, LLC) for 5 1/2 years as an independent contractor. IAG was actually formed fall of 2009 by acquiring other firms in the Mergers and Acquisition industry, of which I was a part of. They advertise in print (USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, etc) and on the Internet (businessesforsale.com, bizquest.com, bizbuysell.com) looking for individuals, investors (Private Investment Groups, Private Equity Groups and Private Investors), and Foreign and Domestic Corporations looking to invest or to purchase an existing privately held company through a liquidity event. They start with the buyer/investor. Through their buyer registration process it is determined what type of business, price range and location the buyers/investors are looking for. Through their buyer registration it is determined what qualifications the buyer has, e.g., cash for down payment, back ground knowledge or skills they possess in their requested business type. Does the buyer need financial assistance for the purchase? IAG then begins a search for matching businesses. They obtain information from Dun & Bradstreet for this business search. Unfortunately, the information provided through Dun & Bradstreet isn't 100% accurate. And in the search for business owners that may want to sell, IAG sometimes is asking for an owners name that doesn't exist.
Since an owners decision to sell their company should be maintained in privacy, IAG can not tell an employee who answers the phone, "the reason why we are calling is to talk to your boss about selling the company, please put him on the line." IAG maintains complete confidentiality for the business owner.
Are there fees involved? Yes, IAG provides their client an Independent Certified Business Valuation, Confidential Business Review and a Comprehensive Business Plan for the owner of the business. These Documents are prepare by outside companies and are used by Buyers/Investors, Sellers, Lenders for the Buyers, and the Courts. They are a necessary part of the seller/buyer process. They are ordered and prepared in the beginning steps of the selling process to be ready for those that need them, so they are paid for at the beginning sales process, and at a cost of about 1/3 what it would normally cost without IAG's involvement.
There is no excuse for bad phone behavior. If you experience bad behavior from any of IAG's employees, IAG would like to know. No company is perfect. IAG has a lot of good employees that work hard for their clients, and they, too, would not like to have their reputation marred be people out of control. If you experience bad behavior from an IAG employee, please call 877-497-0693, and ask for Ellen Lalli.