Small business brokers (selling firms w/ <$1mm in CF) are almost universally bad and do tremendous disservice to their clients.
They charge high rates (5%-10% of purchase price is common) and in return...
The CIMs they prepare are often laughable at how little info they convey and how little effort went into their development.
They 'qualify' buyers by sending out a questionnaire
Maybe they will offer advice to the seller about merits of any offers that come in, help to create a sense of scarcity for the asset, and help buyer to achieve their objective(s), if it aligns with theirs.
Data room...perhaps
At this point, the seller is often very freaked out and if relationship with buyer isn't building trust fast, deal can crater out of seller's fear and anxiety.
From a buyer's perspective, this is tedious and annoying. Upside - if you are willing to wade through all of this and sort through 100s...
There are some great small brokers out there that care deeply about their clients and represent them well, but they are the minority.
I keep waiting for someone to really build a brokerage that does this right...
/end of rant