As a searcher, sourcing off-market deals is hard. Thousands of cold emails. Hundreds of cold calls. Dozens of conversations nurtured for months in hopes of LOI. And even when you find an owner ready to sell… the odds of it being the right fit are slim. Fewer than 1% ever blossom into an acquisition.
So what happens to the other 99%?
Are they a total waste? Not necessarily.
Even when businesses aren’t the right size, appear too messy, or are just a bit too off-thesis for you, remember one searcher’s “pass” is another searcher’s dream.
Many hungry searchers, brokers, and deal listing platforms would kill for your leftover opportunities. Most pay a success fee, but there are ways to monetize business owner leads without waiting the 6+ months for a deal to close. Here are a few simple, low-lift ways to sell off-market leads from impropriety search that fall outside your buy box.
Success-fee referrals (lowest probability, highest payout)
As a searcher, sourcing off-market deals is hard. Thousands of cold emails. Hundreds of cold calls. Dozens of conversations nurtured for months in hopes of LOI. And even when you find an owner ready to sell… the odds of it being the right fit are slim. Fewer than 1% ever blossom into an acquisition.
So what happens to the other 99%?
Are they a total waste? Not necessarily.
Even when businesses aren’t the right size, appear too messy, or are just a bit too off-thesis for you, remember one searcher’s “pass” is another searcher’s dream.
Many hungry searchers, brokers, and deal listing platforms would kill for your leftover opportunities. Most pay a success fee, but there are ways to monetize business owner leads without waiting the 6+ months for a deal to close. Here are a few simple, low-lift ways to sell off-market leads from impropriety search that fall outside your buy box.
Success-fee referrals maintain alignment—everyone wins when the deal closes—but most off-market conversations never pan out, so your expected value (probability x payout) is exceedingly low per referral.
1. Rejigg
— a marketplace for sellers to self-list their business
Success fee for referred close: 10% of the Lehman scale (up to $10,000)
Rejigg pays a closing bonus for any deal that originated from your introduction. You make the intro, step back, and let their buyers take it from there. It’s straightforward, but the payment depends entirely on a successful sale.
2. Deal Prospectors
— a network of investors who buy niche and traditional businesses
DealProspectors pays a flat bounty for any deal they close that came from your referral. Their network is wide, which increases the odds that your “not for me” lead may work for another buyer. As always, you only earn if the transaction completes.
Per-lead fees (high probability of lower payout)
Instead of waiting months for a deal to close — and hoping it actually closes — you get paid upfront for introducing a qualified business owner. No long-tail uncertainty. No dependency on a buyer’s diligence or financing.
This model works especially well for searchers who generate steady deal flow or who consistently speak with owners outside their buy box. Even a few extra leads per month can offset outreach costs and make your entire sourcing process more sustainable.
To feed our network of active searchers, Evergold pays a fixed amount for each business owner who meets two simple criteria: the company produces more than $100k SDE, and the owner is open to having a real conversation about potentially selling. There’s no requirement for the deal to close and no expectation that you stay involved after the intro. It’s the most predictable option because payment is tied to the lead, regardless of outcome.
Unlike success-fees, where you might send dozens of intros and never see a dollar, getting paid per business owner lead offers immediate value.
For anyone running a consistent proprietary search engine — letters, calls, email sequences, or industry-focused outreach — this is often the most practical way to monetize the “not for me” businesses you come across. It turns the non-fits into something useful instead of dead ends, and it helps smooth out the variability that defines off-market sourcing.
Have SMB sellers you’d like to monetize?
Alternative ways to monetize off-box leads
Not every lead fits neatly into a success-fee or per-lead model. Some owners want guidance, not a buyer. Others are still exploring their options and aren’t ready to be introduced to an investor. These situations can still create value if you handle them thoughtfully.
Below are a few additional paths searchers use to make their sourcing more sustainable:
- Broker hand-offs — warm introductions to local or niche brokers
Some sellers aren’t a fit for financial buyers at all, but they might be perfect for a small regional broker. Many brokers will pay referral fees when the listing closes. It’s slower than a per-lead payout, but can work well for businesses that need packaging, prep, and valuation support before going to market. - Advisor referrals — accountants, exit planners, and fractional CFOs
Some owners aren’t ready to sell but clearly need help getting there. A referral to an advisor can be valuable, and some firms offer referral compensation. This route works best for messy businesses — the ones with no books, no systems, or no clear valuation. They may not close soon, but they’re real relationships worth nurturing. - Industry roll-up groups — aggregators with very specific buy boxes
Many vertical-specific acquirers (home services, healthcare staffing, Amazon agencies, etc.) operate outside the traditional search world and quietly pay generous success fees for off-market intros. If your pipeline includes niche businesses, these groups can be strong partners. - Strategic buyers — companies looking for bolt-ons
Strategic buyers often move faster than individuals and value intros much more because the fit is obvious. They don’t always advertise it, but many are open to paying referral fees for warm leads in industries they know well.
These paths are not as predictable as per-lead monetization, but they expand your toolkit. Off-market sourcing takes time, effort, and relationship-building — so any model that helps you recover those costs is worth considering.
And more importantly, these alternatives help you build a reputation as someone who creates value for owners even when you’re not the buyer. That goodwill compounds over time and often leads to stronger, more serious conversations down the road.
Key Takeaways
Proprietary search takes real work. Most searchers accept that the vast majority of their pipeline will be a waste, but you don’t have to.
Success-fee referrals are lucrative, but the probability of collecting on a referred close is infinitesimally low. Per-lead monetization is the most predictable option and helps subsidize the cost of outreach. And for everything else—owners who aren’t ready to sell, businesses that need cleanup, or niche companies outside your target—broker hand-offs and specialist referrals give you additional ways to make a buck.
The real point is: once a business owner trusts you enough to take your call, that relationship has value. Even if you’re not the buyer, there are buyers, advisors, and operators who are looking for exactly what you’ve found. Monetizing the “99%” of discarded proprietary deal flow is easier than you thought. Get in touch if you have questions or want to explore options with Evergold.
