Who it's for
Who Uses Vertica CRM?
Vertica CRM is built for business brokers and M&A advisors, from brand-new firms and solo brokers to multi-office brokerages and boutique M&A firms. Here's who uses it, what each kind of firm needs, and how the system is set up differently for each.
Quick answer
Vertica CRM is used by business brokers and M&A advisors of every size: new brokerages getting started, solo brokers, small firms of 2 to 20 brokers, growing and multi-office firms, M&A advisory and boutique sell-side firms, and experienced brokers leaving a larger firm or franchise to go independent. About half of Vertica's clients are business brokers and about half are M&A firms, in the United States and internationally, including Australia. Each firm's system is configured around its own methodology, so a solo broker and a 50-broker firm get very different setups from the same platform.
When people ask me who uses Vertica CRM, they're usually really asking: is it for a firm like mine?
It's a fair question. A solo broker selling main street businesses, a ten-broker office with a steady flow of listings and an M&A firm handling a handful of $10 million engagements a year all run their businesses very differently. A CRM that fits one perfectly can feel like a straitjacket to another.
Vertica CRM was designed for all of them, because it's built on the experience of hundreds of brokers and the mistakes they learned from, and because every firm's system is configured around the way that firm works. About half of our clients are business brokers and about half are M&A firms. Here's how each kind of firm uses it.
New brokerages getting started
Starting a brokerage means building everything at once: a website, a buyer database, NDAs, listing marketing, a follow-up process. Most new firms piece it together from spreadsheets and free tools, then spend years untangling the mess.
New brokerages can skip that stage. Vertica CRM comes with ready-made processes built from the experience, and the mistakes, of brokers who came before you, so you can hit the ground running with buyer registration, NDAs, listing marketing and follow-up already in place. Add a website connected to the CRM, and your firm looks established from day one. (Why a business broker needs a website.)
Solo brokers
A solo broker is the prospector, the marketer, the closer and the administrator. Every hour spent on paperwork is an hour not spent with sellers and buyers.
For solo brokers, Vertica CRM works like an assistant. Lead parsing turns marketplace inquiries into contact records and sends buyers the next step automatically. Workflows remind you what to do next. Drip campaigns keep in touch with sellers who aren't ready yet. And everything about a buyer, seller or listing is on one screen, so you can answer any question in seconds.
Small firms of 2 to 20 brokers
Many small firms are still running on tools they've outgrown: ACT!, Outlook, spreadsheets or even index cards. Those tools worked when the firm was one or two people. With five or ten brokers, they start causing problems: buyers kept in personal inboxes, disputes over who registered a buyer, and no clear picture of what's in the pipeline.
Vertica CRM gives a small firm one shared system with clear rules. Permissions decide who sees which contacts, every buyer registration and document release is recorded, and reports and pipeline tools show every broker's activity and every deal's status. (How to set the rules: your company culture.)
Growing and multi-office firms
As a brokerage grows, consistency becomes the challenge. Different offices develop different habits, new brokers take months to learn how things are done, and management loses sight of what's happening day to day.
Vertica CRM helps growing firms run one consistent process. Workflows build the firm's policies into every deal, lead assignment routes inquiries to the right broker, permissions control what each user can see, and decades of historical data can be imported so nothing is lost. Inter-office deals and commission splits are tracked on the deal, so brokers can share buyers and listings with confidence. (How to get every broker on board: involve your team and keep them on their toes.)
M&A advisors and boutique sell-side firms
M&A firms work differently from main street brokerages. They may handle only 10 or 15 engagements a year, but each one is worth far more, and each can attract well over 100 buyer inquiries. Confidentiality, control and a meticulous process matter more than volume.
For M&A advisors, Vertica CRM is set up around the firm's own deal process. The pipeline can mirror the firm's deal sheet step by step, so everyone knows exactly where each engagement stands. Every buyer inquiry is captured and registered, the engagement-specific NDA is sent and signed online, and approved buyers get access to the confidential information in the data room, with a record of every release. The firm's website can feature a few select engagements instead of a long listings search. And the AI CIM generator drafts the confidential information memorandum from the data already in the CRM.
Brokers leaving a larger firm or franchise
Many experienced brokers reach a point where they're doing the work and handing a large share of every commission to their firm or franchise. Going independent lets them keep more of what they earn, but only if they can replace the systems the firm provided.
Vertica CRM gives an independent broker the infrastructure of a larger firm from day one: a professional website connected to the CRM, buyer registration and NDAs, a data room, email marketing and reporting. Your existing contacts can be imported, so you start with your network, not an empty database.
Which one are you?
| Type of firm | Typical challenge | What matters most in Vertica CRM |
|---|---|---|
| New brokerage | Building every process from scratch | Ready-made processes, a connected website, NDAs and templates |
| Solo broker | Doing everything alone | Lead parsing, workflows, drip campaigns and one screen for everything |
| Small firm (2 to 20 brokers) | Outgrown ACT!, Outlook, spreadsheets or index cards | Shared records, permissions, buyer registration records and reports |
| Growing or multi-office firm | Keeping every office and broker consistent | Workflows, lead assignment, permissions, data import and co-brokerage tracking |
| M&A advisor or boutique firm | Few engagements, many buyers, high confidentiality | Custom deal pipeline, engagement NDAs, data room, release tracking and AI CIMs |
| Broker going independent | Replacing the firm's systems | Website, buyer registration, data room, email marketing and contact import |
What every Vertica CRM client has in common
Whatever their size, our clients chose Vertica CRM for the same reasons:
- It fits their methodology. We don't tell firms how to use the system. We ask how they want to use it, and configure stages, fields, templates and workflows to match. (How onboarding works.)
- It's easy to use. Brokers are salespeople, not data-entry clerks. Everything about a contact, listing or deal is on one screen.
- It's built for buyer and seller relationships. Buyer registration, NDAs, data rooms, buyer matching and seller nurture are part of the platform, not add-ons.
- It keeps getting better. We add new features regularly, many of them shaped by our clients' ideas. (More in challenging the status quo.)
- The price makes sense. One platform replaces a patchwork of separate tools.
What can a CRM mean for your bottom line?
We won't promise a dollar figure, because every brokerage is different. But here's a simple way to think about it. If a CRM saves a broker five hours a week on data entry, searching and follow-up, that's 240 hours a year, about six full work weeks, to spend prospecting and closing instead. And for most brokers, one additional closing a year is worth far more than the cost of the system.
For a closer look at where brokerages lose money, and how a CRM plugs the leaks, read Vertica CRM makes you and your brokers more money.
Talk to a firm like yours
The best way to know whether Vertica CRM fits your firm is to hear it from someone who runs a similar business. Whether you're a solo broker, a multi-office brokerage or an M&A firm, just ask, and we'll be happy to provide references from clients like you.
What's changed since 2016
We still serve the same kinds of firms we did when this article was first written, and many more of them. What's changed:
- M&A firms are now about half of our clients. The platform has grown to handle their high-value, high-confidentiality engagements.
- Clients beyond the United States. Vertica CRM is used by brokers and advisors internationally, including in Australia.
- A dedicated onboarding team for every client. A project manager, an onboarding specialist and a training coordinator set the system up around each firm. (Onboarding.)
- AI built in. The AI CIM generator drafts a CIM in minutes, and new AI tools for researching buyers and building marketing lists are coming soon.
- More ways to grow. Vertica Sites, Vertica Leads and Vertica People help firms of every size find sellers and buyers and get more done.
See Vertica CRM set up for a firm like yours
Tell us what kind of firm you run, and we'll show you how Vertica CRM would work for you. Contact us for a free tour and a short demonstration.
Schedule a Demo Questions? Call our office at +1 212 381 4994.Frequently asked questions
Who uses Vertica CRM?
Vertica CRM is used by business brokers and M&A advisors of every size, including new brokerages, solo brokers, small firms of 2 to 20 brokers, growing and multi-office firms, M&A advisory and boutique sell-side firms, and brokers going independent from a larger firm or franchise. About half of its clients are business brokers and about half are M&A firms.
Is Vertica CRM a good fit for M&A advisors?
Yes. About half of Vertica CRM's clients are M&A firms. The system can be configured with a deal pipeline that mirrors the firm's own process, engagement-specific NDAs, a data room with buyer approval and release tracking, featured engagements on the firm's website and an AI CIM generator.
Is Vertica CRM good for solo business brokers?
Yes. For a solo broker, Vertica CRM acts like an assistant: lead parsing turns marketplace inquiries into contacts automatically, workflows create follow-up tasks, drip campaigns stay in touch with sellers and everything about a contact or listing is on one screen.
Can a new brokerage start on Vertica CRM?
Yes. New brokerages can start with ready-made processes for buyer registration, NDAs, listing marketing and follow-up, built from the experience of hundreds of brokers, and adjust them as the firm grows.
Does Vertica CRM work for brokers outside the United States?
Yes. Vertica CRM is used by business brokers and M&A advisors internationally, including in Australia.
Can I get references from Vertica CRM clients?
Yes. Vertica CRM can provide references from clients on request, including from firms similar to yours.
How much can a CRM add to a broker's income?
It varies by brokerage, so no honest vendor can promise a figure. As an example, saving five hours a week adds up to about 240 hours a year for prospecting and closing, and for most brokers one additional closing a year is worth far more than the cost of the system.