Broker Alchemy

New year new era!, AI tools, Tips, and Industry Insights packed into this month's alchemy.

Author

George Wellmer
January 27, 2026

8.33..% done with 2026

Buckle up: 2026 is officially the Year of the Exit. We’re currently sitting in a "perfect storm" where a massive wave of ready-to-retire owners is meeting a surge of hungry buyers with plenty of cash to spend. But the real story is the velocity. Top-tier brokers are ditching the old-school manual grind for modern marketing and automation tools that act as a "force multiplier," allowing them to manage triple their usual listings without sacrificing quality or hiring more help. In this market, the bottleneck is having the right tech stack to handle the volume.

In this month’s Broker Alchemy, we’re breaking down the tools and tactics required to capitalize on this volume before the window tightens. Here’s what in this month’s newsletter:

  • Industry Insights: hot industries, top performing marketplaces and more

  • AI Tools: check out the tools that can help you source more listings - I used one of them for 5 minutes and received 1,500 prospects

  • Sales Tips: HubSpot’s CEO claims cold email marketing is dead… do you believe her?

  • The 5-Minute Eduction: A video walkthrough on how to scrape targeted lead lists. No technical background required.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin

and so we shall

— Tupelo

Interested in hearing from owners?

Tyler Mumford shares how he leveraged his B2B tech sales background to replace his corporate income in 30 days by launching two thriving, bootstrapped businesses in the niche service and mobile food industries.

Sawdust & Sugar

How I Bought This · Episode

open.spotify.com/episode/2wjwyLG5rM2xSYPJRRlC0x?si=03f793814b574fc8

Industry Insights

Top 5 Industries Sold in 2026

  1. HVAC Businesses

  2. Building & Construction

  3. American Restaurants

  4. Websites & Ecommerce

  5. Bars, Pubs & Taverns

Top 5 Industries by number of Inquiries

  1. Building & Construction

  2. Service Businesses

  3. HVAC Businesses

  4. Manufacturing

  5. Retail

Average Sale Price: $910,000

AI Tools

Muraena: is an AI powered lead gen machine. Put put in a prompt and the software generates you a targeted list. You then use credits to unlock Emails and Phone numbers.

Prompt Example that got me 1,500 companies

"I am acting as a business broker specializing in M&A for the manufacturing sector. I need to identify 'Tool and Die' companies in the Northeastern US (NY, NJ, PA, CT, MA, RI, NH, VT, ME) for potential acquisition outreach.

Target Criteria:

  • Size: 10–50 employees (Small to Medium Enterprises).

  • Age: Minimum 20 years in operation (Established businesses with high probability of owner retirement).

  • Focus: Tool and die, precision machining, or mold making.”

Sendr: is an AI-powered sales platform that uses voice cloning and lip-sync technology to automate hyper-personalized video outreach at scale. It functions as an all-in-one growth engine by combining a database of 479 million B2B leads with automated data enrichment and custom landing pages.

Sales Tips

Is Email Dead?

The CEO of HubSpot is basically saying cold TARGETED emailing is not working and wont work again. She believe the future is signal-based prospecting.

For business brokers, this is incredibly difficult because much of the owner’s actions are not public. But there are still signs. Here’s 5 ways you can incorporate signal-based prospecting into your outbound:

1. The "Deferred CAPEX" Signal

  • The Trigger: A business owner stops investing in new equipment, fleet upgrades, or major software overhauls.

  • Why it works: In 2026, many owners are facing "deferred decisions" on aging assets. If an owner is running 10-year-old machinery or hasn't updated their tech stack in years, they are likely choosing not to reinvest because they have one foot out the door.

  • How to track: Look for UCC filings (or a lack thereof) compared to industry benchmarks, or monitor local permits for lack of renovation activity.

2. Strategic Industry Consolidation (The "Musical Chairs" Signal)

  • The Trigger: A major category leader in a specific niche (e.g., HVAC, Plumbing, Landscaping) is acquired by Private Equity.

  • Why it works: When a "platform" deal happens, competitors in that same niche get nervous. They either want to sell to that same buyer or fear they can’t compete with a PE-backed giant.

  • How to track: Monitor M&A news for "platform acquisitions" and immediately target the 10-20 closest competitors in that geography.

3. Lifestyle & Demographic Triggers (The "Gray Tsunami")

  • The Trigger: An owner hits age 62-65 or experiences a "life event" (health change, relocation, or even a child graduating college).

  • Why it works: These are the classic "must-sell" triggers. In 2026, the peak of the Boomer generation is hitting retirement age simultaneously.

  • How to track: Use data enrichment tools (like Clay or Apollo) to filter your lead lists by "Years in Business" (20+) and "Owner Age" (60+).

4. The "Unsolicited Inquiry" Spike

  • The Trigger: An owner starts receiving multiple "cold" inquiries from strategic buyers or PE firms.

  • Why it works: Owners often don't know their value until they get a lowball "off-market" offer. Once their interest is piqued, they need an advisor to help them run a proper process.

  • How to track: Position your marketing as "The 'I got an offer, now what?' Guide." When owners engage with this content, it’s a signal they’ve been approached.

Bonus Tip: Ask Ask and Keep Asking

"Is there anyone else should I be talking to?"

Business brokering is built on referrals. Ask your network, ask your clients, ask your prospects: is there anyone else I should be talking to.

How to Build a B2B Prospect List with Owner Data in 4 Minutes 2026