How to do deals like the FBI

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TOOL KIT

1. How to Negotiate Main Street Deals Like The FBI

Mark had done the work.

After joining the Contrarian Community, he put countless hours into the process, chimed in on endless threads from peers, and showed up to dozens of deal review calls.

Eventually, he crossed the finish line — or as we like to call it, the starting line — by buying a painting business, a franchise in this case. But instead of a clean handoff, Mark found himself in the business equivalent of a hostage standoff.

The seller, once responsive, started ghosting him — even on basic questions like:

Mark tried financial incentives to keep things moving. No luck. “I get it — he might be going through something,” Mark said.

The Fix? FBI Negotiation Tactics

One community member gave Mark a gem straight from Chris Voss’s Never Split the Difference — a phrase he used in actual hostage situations when the other party went dark:

It’s disarming.

It reopens the conversation.

And it makes it just awkward enough not to respond.

One member even used it on a friend who’d gone silent for 6 months: “Have you given up on our friendship?” Boom — a reply within hours, full apology.

What does this sound like in an SMB deal?

Simple. Try this: “Have you given up on a smooth transition?”

Then? Say nothing. Let the silence do the talking.

It’s the kind of Jedi mind trick that can get people back to the table — and hell, if it works for the FBI, who’s to say it can’t help here?

DEALMAKING 101

2. The Magic of the Profit Payback

There’s a timeless saying in investing.

It’s why private equity firms use other people’s money to fund their growth. It’s why people get mortgages. And it’s why savvy Main Street buyers sometimes use a method called Profit Paybacks — AKA seller financing.

Here’s how it works: You buy a business using some of that business’s own profits to pay for the purchase over time. This isn’t theory. Members of our community have used Profit Paybacks to close deals like this:

In most cases, this structure covers a minor but meaningful portion of the deal, though you’ll hear about rare cases where it covers up to 50%, 75%, or even 100% (very rare).

Wait a damn minute. Why would a seller do this?

Buyers often look for seller financing because they expect it will incentivize the seller to help them succeed. But it’s not just a buyer’s cheat code — it can be a seller’s win, too. Here’s how:

• It can drive faster closing processes
• It can lead to cheaper closing costs
• It can attract more buyers (driving a higher overall price)
• It can reduce the seller’s tax burden over time

Everybody can walk away happier, if it’s structured right. Of course, you still need to run the business successfully, hit your payback targets, and manage real risk.

But if you’re willing to work — and find the right seller — Profit Paybacks can be a major unlock.

👉 Want to go deeper on deal structuring, negotiation tactics, or Main Street financial analysis? Schedule a consult with our team here so we can help.

RUMBLINGS

3. Main Street Chatter

😮 Steal this: A catered, red-carpet VIP launch party…? Yup, it worked for this laundromat

💰 Life lessons: Powerful takeaways from a day-in-the-life of a roofing biz owner

📊 Try this: A fascinating question for any business owner to ask themselves…

🧠 A good reminder: Earning employee trust as a new owner is a steep uphill battle…

DOPAMINE HIT

The information contained here is educational, may not be typical, and does not guarantee returns. Background, education, effort, and application will affect your experience and the profitability of any business. Individual results may vary.