When I deal with a business owner, this is how I roll out the legal purchase agreement:
“We will send you and your attorney the first draft of the purchase agreement later this week. Review it together and return your complete red-lines. I'll ping you if I haven't heard back next week.”
[= Giving clear instructions + Leaving ball in my court to follow-up (ALWAYS)]
“Yes, sir.”
“After you’ve sent us your red-lines, let’s schedule a four-way meeting with you, me, and our respective lawyers. We want to put all the issues on the table, and work through the list in one big conversation.”
[= Explaining process and the next iteration]
“OK, sure.”
“We want to avoid back and forth on an issue-by-issue basis. If everything’s on the table, it’s much easier to balance things and see that both sides give and take equally. It also lowers legal expenses.”
[= Creating alignment around the process]
“Sounds good, but what if there are any irreconcilable issues?”
“You’ve been a very reasonable person to deal with thus far, and I am reasonable too. And if you and I can’t figure it out, well, that’s why we have hired legal experts to find a solution.”
