At the 2025 International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, held this past weekend, Robin Gagnon, CEO and co-founder of We Sell Restaurants, delivered a breakout session that challenged brokers to rethink buyer engagement. Her presentation, The Buyer Follow-Up Formula: Balancing High Tech with High Touch for Maximum Success, resonated with Certified Business Intermediaries, from first-time attendees to industry veterans.

Gagnon, a recognized leader in the industry, and co-author of Appetite for Acquisition, drew on her decades-long career in restaurant brokerage and franchising to deliver actionable insights. In addition, she received awards for this year from IBBA including the IBBA Deal Maker Award for closing more than ten transactions and the IBBA Chairman’s Circle Award for deals totally more than $3 million. Her message: speed alone isn’t enough—substance and connection seal deals in today’s digital-first, experience-driven market. Her presentation, titled The Buyer Follow-Up Formula: Balancing High Tech with High Touch for Maximum Success, was a call to action for brokers navigating today’s buyer expectations in a digital-first, experience-driven landscape.

Charting the Industry’s Evolution

Gagnon opened her presentation with a historical lens, outlining four key eras of buyer interaction in business brokerage. These stages chart the industry’s evolution, highlighting how communication methods and buyer expectations have changed—often without the industry keeping pace.

• Print-Driven Era (1990s): Buyer inquiries came from newspaper classifieds and phone calls. Response was slower, but more intentional and relationship-based.
• Digital Discovery Era (2000s): Listing platforms like BizBuySell expanded broker reach, but inboxes flooded with unqualified leads, and brokers began to chase volume over connection.
• Automation Era (2010s): CRM systems and auto-responders became the norm. While efficient, they lacked the warmth and follow-through needed to build trust.
• AI Divide (2020s) and Experience Era: Today’s buyers expect an intelligent, immersive, and immediate experience. Brokers now face a choice: evolve or risk becoming obsolete.
  
  

Robin believes that the next frontier focuses on shaping the buyer journey through technology-enabled, personalized experiences, where trust and accessibility win deals. Gagnon emphasized that the next frontier lies in crafting guided buyer journeys, leveraging tools like AI and virtual tours to meet modern expectations while prioritizing trust. This aligns with 2025 IBBA themes, such as digital transformation and buyer psychology, discussed in sessions like the Main Street Marketplace and IBBA Insights podcast episodes.

Real Data, Real Impact

Backed by internal data collected over seven years of mystery shopping more than 500 brokers through We Sell Restaurants, Gagnon shared alarming statistics that underscored a growing gap between buyer expectations and broker behavior.

• 33% of buyer inquiries received no follow-up at all—not even an automated email.
• 53% received only an autoresponder.
• In just 9% of cases, a broker made a single phone call.
• Only 5% of buyers received two or more phone calls.

That means 95% of buyers never heard from a broker more than once—if at all.

As Gagnon put it, “A business isn’t bought with a click. It’s sold with a connection.” She challenged the audience to reflect on how many deals were likely lost—not because of price or terms—but because no one bothered to make the second call.

The Buyer Journey, Re-imagined

The highlight of Gagnon’s session was a walk-through of the modern buyer journey as implemented across We Sell Restaurants' national platform. This isn't theoretical—it’s already in motion.

Gagnon showcased We Sell Restaurants’ multi-channel approach, already implemented across its national franchise network. This system reflects the realities of 2025’s economic landscape, where transparency and trust are paramount. Key components include:

• Phone calls as the first point of contact, not an afterthought
• Text and email follow-ups that supplement—but don’t replace—human outreach
• Video-rich listings, where brokers narrate key financials and operational details
• 3D virtual tours of restaurants, allowing buyers to explore spaces without scheduling an in-person visit
• AI-generated multilingual voiceovers, including one modeled on Gagnon herself, to reach a diverse and expanding buyer base

”For example, a buyer can virtually tour a restaurant’s kitchen, view its layout, and hear a broker explain cash flow in their native language, all before scheduling a visit. “This isn’t about gimmicks,” Gagnon explained. “It’s about creating an informed, guided journey that moves buyers toward decisions.”

The AI Divide: Tool or Crutch?

Gagnon described 2025 as a turning point for brokers. One path clings to outdated practices, ignoring tech-savvy buyers; the other embraces AI and automation to enhance efficiency while preserving human connection. She cautioned against over-automation, urging brokers to avoid “set it and forget it” mentalities. AI, she argued, should collect data and streamline workflows—like We Sell Restaurants’ real-time CRM systems—but never replace follow-up calls or conversations.

This approach mirrors broader tech trends, such as Google’s NotebookLM, which uses AI to summarize complex data while preserving user intent. Gagnon’s multilingual voiceovers, for instance, make listings accessible to non-English-speaking buyers, aligning with the IBBA’s new partnership with the Australian Institute of Business Brokers (AIBB), announced in February 2025, to globalize best practices. “The next stage isn’t about response speed,” she said. “It’s about the experience you deliver.”

Busting the 2% Myth

Gagnon tackled a pervasive industry belief: that only 2% of buyer inquiries are worth pursuing. “If we could identify the 2% from the start, we wouldn’t need brokers,” she quipped. This “2% myth,” rooted in the 2000s influx of unqualified leads from platforms like BizBuySell, leads brokers to disengage prematurely, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, We Sell Restaurants’ three-touch rule—phone, text, and email within 72 hours—nurtures leads systematically. By asking the right questions, brokers can qualify buyers through engagement, not assumption, giving deals a real chance to develop.

She argued that this mindset is not only flawed but dangerous, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where brokers disengage prematurely and then blame buyers for not being serious.

For solo brokers or small firms worried about scalability, Gagnon suggested affordable tools like HubSpot or Zoho CRM, paired with time-blocking strategies to prioritize high-value follow-ups. Outsourcing tasks like lead screening to virtual assistants can also help, ensuring even small operations can adopt her formula without overwhelming resources.

Conference Reception and Broker Reactions

The response from IBBA attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with many brokers sharing comments and takeaways on LinkedIn after the session.

“Robin Gagnon, this post and your presentation at IBBA hit the nail on the head! The business brokerage world thrives on connection, yet so many brokers are skipping follow-up.”

“The data speaks for itself—buyers aren’t just looking for quick responses; they’re looking for engagement, guidance, and real conversations.”

“The best brokers aren’t just leveraging AI and automation; they’re using them strategically to enhance personal interactions, not replace them.”

“At the end of the day, it’s all about building that human connection, even with all the automation in place.”

The session was noted as one of the most actionable at the conference, blending strategy with proven tactics that brokers could implement immediately in their own practices. The session sparked discussions on X about scalable engagement strategies, with some brokers noting We Sell Restaurants’ Certified Restaurant Broker program as a model for training. The IBBA’s 2025 conference, with workshops like Masterminds and the Main Street Marketplace, amplified these conversations, reinforcing the association’s role in driving innovation.

The Role of IBBA in Shaping the Future

As the leading professional association for business brokers, the IBBA champions education and best practices. Gagnon’s session exemplified this mission, offering a roadmap for tech-enabled engagement. The 2025 conference, a hub for such discussions, highlighted the IBBA’s global influence, including its new AIBB partnership to share strategies internationally. From AI-driven tools to buyer psychology workshops, the event equipped brokers to navigate a market shaped by economic challenges and evolving expectations.

From her use of AI-generated voiceovers to real-time CRM workflows and guided buyer journeys, Gagnon challenged attendees to not only think differently—but to act differently.

Final Takeaway: Connection is the New Currency

Gagnon closed her session with a powerful challenge: “Which stage are you operating in—and are you ready for what’s next?”

The brokers who walked out of that room weren’t just handed a theory. They were shown a roadmap—complete with tools, data, and strategy—for how to close the gap between inquiry and transaction. The difference-maker? Connection.

In an industry that has historically lagged behind in tech adoption and customer experience design, We Sell Restaurants is proving that with the right balance of automation and authenticity, brokers can thrive—not just survive—in the modern market.

Because while listings may attract attention, it's the journey—and the broker guiding it—that ultimately seals the deal.