Communicating the Sale to Customers: Messaging Do’s and Don’ts
If there is one audience founders consistently underestimate during an M&A process, it’s their customers. Employees get more attention, investors get more pressure, and buyers get more communication—but customers? Too often, founders wait until the very last minute, send a rushed email, and hope for the best. And that’s a mistake.
Customers are not passive observers in your exit. They are one of the core assets a buyer is purchasing. Their loyalty, their contract terms, their satisfaction, and their stability all directly influence valuation. When you mishandle communication with customers, the buyer sees instability. And instability leads to renegotiation, delayed closing, or worse—customers leaving at the moment you need them most.
That’s why in The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I talk at length about customer communication being one of the “quiet risks” in M&A—ignored early, catastrophic later. And if you’ve listened to the Legacy Advisors Podcast, you’ve heard Ed and me emphasize that announcing a sale to customers is not a courtesy; it’s a strategy. Get it right and you strengthen trust. Get it wrong and you erode the very revenue base you’re trying to sell.
Let’s walk through how to handle this delicate moment with intention, clarity, and leadership.
Why Customer Communication Is One of the Highest-Stakes Moments of a Deal
Your customers care about two things above all else:
1. Will this change affect me?
2. Can I still trust you?
Every question they ask—whether about pricing, support, timing, or service continuity—ultimately rolls up to those concerns. When you announce your sale, you’re disrupting their sense of stability. Even if the change is a positive one, customers don’t initially experience it that way. They experience it through the lens of risk.
Your job is to reduce perceived risk, reinforce continuity, and strengthen the relationship at exactly the moment it feels most vulnerable.
When to Communicate: Timing Is Strategy
Customers should not be informed too early, and they should never be informed too late. And they absolutely should not find out through a press release, social media post, or industry gossip.
The optimal sequence is simple:
- Your internal team learns first
They need to be prepared to answer questions confidently. - Your biggest customers learn next
Preferably through personal outreach—phone call, video call, or in-person meeting. The key is intimacy. - Then your broader customer base
A clear, polished announcement consistent with the messaging you’ve aligned with the buyer. - Finally, the public announcement
Press release, social media, website updates.
Your most strategic accounts deserve personalized communication. They helped build your company. They earned that respect.
In The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I describe this as “communicating in concentric circles”—from closest relationship to broadest audience.
The Message: What Customers Need to Hear
Customers don’t need to know the structure of the deal, the valuation, or your earnout terms. They need to understand how this shift affects their experience.
Your communication should center around four pillars:
1. Continuity
Reassure them that service, support, pricing, account management, and operational processes will remain stable during the transition.
2. Strength
Explain why this acquisition makes the company stronger—for example:
• More resources
• Better products
• Increased innovation
• Expanded support
• Enhanced reliability
Customers will assume risk unless you show them opportunity.
3. Appreciation
Acknowledge that they made this possible.
Loyal customers feel proud when they know they helped build something meaningful.
4. Access
Give them a direct line to ask questions—an account manager, a dedicated email, or a hotline. Nothing reduces anxiety faster than access.
A strong message reinforces:
“This transaction strengthens our ability to serve you. Your experience won’t be disrupted.”
What Not to Say: The Unforced Errors That Create Panic
Founders sometimes overshare or undershare in ways that backfire. Avoid:
1. Overly technical explanations
Customers don’t want legal details. They want clarity about impact.
2. Promising nothing will ever change
This is unrealistic and destroys trust later.
3. Apologizing for the deal
Selling your company isn’t a burden—it’s a milestone. If you sound defensive, customers sense instability.
4. Sounding uncertain
If your tone wavers, customers assume the worst.
5. Sharing information out of sequence
You cannot tell some customers one thing and others something different. Consistency avoids confusion.
6. Avoiding tough questions
If customers ask whether pricing will change, you don’t dodge.
You answer: “There are no immediate plans to adjust pricing. If that changes, we will give you plenty of notice.”
The goal is honesty without alarm.
The Psychology Behind Customer Reaction
How customers react depends on three factors:
1. Their reliance on your product or service
If you’re mission-critical, they worry more about disruption.
2. Their history with you
If they trust you, the transition goes smoothly. If not, the sale becomes an opportunity to reconsider the relationship.
3. Their fear of change
Even if everything stays exactly the same, the idea of “new owners” creates uncertainty.
This is why personal communication to your highest-value accounts is essential.
An email can’t deliver reassurance the way a conversation can.
On the Legacy Advisors Podcast, we often say:
“Acquisitions don’t cause churn—poor communication does.”
Do’s and Don’ts of Customer Messaging
DO: Be proactive.
Get ahead of rumors. Control the narrative.
DO: Lead with confidence.
If you sound unsure, customers lose faith.
DO: Personalize the message for key accounts.
High-value relationships deserve high-value communication.
DO: Align messaging with the buyer.
Nothing erodes trust faster than conflicting statements from the buyer and seller.
DON’T: Sugarcoat.
Customers see through unrealistic promises.
DON’T: Hide behind email.
Conversations matter—especially with strategic customers.
DON’T: Dismiss their concerns.
Validate questions, offer clarity, and remain accessible.
DON’T: Create ambiguity.
Ambiguity is a breeding ground for fear.
A confident announcement keeps customers steady.
A sloppy one pushes them toward competitors.
Prepare Your Team Before Customers Hear a Word
Your employees—especially account managers, customer success reps, and support teams—must know the messaging before customers do.
They need answers to:
• “What should I say if a customer asks about pricing?”
• “What if a customer wants to renegotiate?”
• “What if they express fear or frustration?”
• “What if they want to speak directly with leadership?”
Equip your team with talking points before the announcement goes out.
If customers hear mixed messages, they assume instability.
Remember: You’re Not Just Announcing a Sale—You’re Reinforcing a Relationship
Your customers helped build your company. They are emotionally invested in the relationship, even if they don’t say it. When you communicate the sale with confidence, clarity, and gratitude, you elevate the relationship instead of risking it.
Handled well, a sale deepens customer loyalty.
Handled poorly, it destabilizes the very revenue you’re trying to sell.
That’s why customer messaging is not an afterthought—it’s a strategic pillar of deal success.
Find the Right Partner to Help Sell Your Business
Communicating your sale to customers is one of the most delicate, high-stakes moments in M&A. If you want help crafting your messaging, sequencing your outreach, or preparing your team for customer conversations, Legacy Advisors can guide you through every phase with precision and professionalism.
Frequently Asked Questions About Communicating the Sale to Customers
1. When is the right time to tell customers about the sale?
The timing has to be strategic, not reactive. Customers should hear the news after your internal team has been briefed and before the public announcement is made. The worst-case scenario is a major customer learning through industry gossip or a press release—that instantly damages trust. In The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I describe customer communication as a “concentric circle” approach: internal team → key customers → general customers → public. On the Legacy Advisors Podcast, Ed and I stress that key accounts should never receive a generic email; they should hear directly from the founder or their account manager in a personalized conversation.
2. What do customers care about most when they hear a company has been sold?
Customers care about impact—not deal structure, valuation, or ownership percentages. Their first questions are always some variation of: Will my price go up? Will service suffer? Will my support team change? Will the product still work the same? In The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I explain that customer fear comes from uncertainty, not from the acquisition itself. Your message must focus on continuity, stability, and the ways the acquisition strengthens their experience. On the Legacy Advisors Podcast, we often remind founders that customers are risk-averse by nature—your communication must protect their confidence.
3. How should I communicate the sale to my largest or most strategic customers?
Personally, directly, and early—before the broader announcement. These customers represent a disproportionate share of revenue, and losing even one of them during diligence can materially affect valuation. The communication should be a conversation, not an email. Reinforce stability, explain the strategic benefit of the acquisition, and give them a direct line to ask questions. In The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I emphasize gratitude—big customers feel valued when you treat them like partners, not accounts. On the Legacy Advisors Podcast, Ed and I share repeatedly that personal outreach is one of the strongest retention tools during an acquisition.
4. What messaging mistakes do founders make when communicating with customers?
The biggest mistakes are over-promising, under-explaining, or hiding behind vague corporate statements. Customers don’t want spin—they want clarity. Promising “nothing will change” is one of the most common errors, because it’s rarely true long term. Overly technical explanations backfire too; customers care about impact, not transaction mechanics. Another mistake is inconsistent messaging—if your team says one thing and you say another, customers assume instability. In The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I talk about how poor communication is one of the biggest drivers of churn during M&A. On the Legacy Advisors Podcast, we warn founders that sloppy messaging risks the very asset they’re trying to sell: customer loyalty.
5. How do I keep customers from leaving during or after the announcement?
Retention is an active strategy, not a hope. You maintain customers by communicating early, clearly, and with confidence. Provide continuity assurances, reinforce the strategic value of the acquisition, and give customers access to leadership or account managers who can answer questions. Celebrate what the acquisition means for them—better service, more resources, improved product innovation. In The Entrepreneur’s Exit Playbook (https://amzn.to/4iG7BAH), I explain that the announcement is not the end of communication; it’s the beginning of retention. On the Legacy Advisors Podcast, Ed and I emphasize that customers don’t churn because a company is sold—they churn because no one explains what the sale means for them. Proactive outreach protects your revenue and strengthens buyer confidence.