Will the Staff Revolt? The Fear of Key Team Turnover

Here’s the part almost no selling doctors think about…but every buyer fears:

What if the staff walks the minute the seller leaves?

It’s the nightmare scenario buyers whisper about behind closed doors. Because it’s not just inconvenient it’s catastrophic. Imagine dropping millions on a practice, walking in on Day One and finding the front desk in tears, the hygienists cleaning out their lockers, and the assistants already updating their résumés. The charts are full, the phones are ringing, the schedule is packed and there’s no one left to run it.

It’s the nightmare scenario buyers whisper about behind closed doors. Because it’s not just inconvenient it’s catastrophic. Imagine dropping millions on a practice, walking in on Day One and finding the front desk in tears, the hygienists cleaning out their lockers, and the assistants already updating their résumés. The charts are full, the phones are ringing, the schedule is packed and there’s no one left to run it.

Staff Turnover Is the Deal Killer No One Talks About

Buyers aren’t stupid. They know your team is watching. And they know that for your employees, the sale of your practice feels like an earthquake.

They fear:

• Mass resignations sparked by uncertainty
• Toxic pushback from long-term staff loyal to you but hostile to change
• Hidden resentment from employees who feel “sold” without warning
• Lost production while new owners scramble to hire and train strangers

They’ve seen how fast morale can collapse. And they’ve seen how fast revenue follows it down. When staff vanish, production craters, patients flee, and buyers get stuck holding a bleeding asset they can’t operate.

So they’re cautious. Suspicious. And they walk into every deal wondering,

“How fast will this team turn on me?”

The Truth: Buyers Don’t Want Your Staff to Love You

They want your staff to love the practice. If your team’s loyalty begins and ends with you, that’s a flashing red warning sign. Buyers see it for what it is: a ticking time bomb.

They fear they’ll inherit a resentful, hostile team who resists every change, or worse, quits en masse and takes the patients with them. And when that fear creeps in, they hedge their bets: lower offers, tighter terms, longer holdbacks or no offer at all.

What Buyers Want to See Instead

Buyers want evidence that your practice will stay upright when you walk out.
That means:

• Staff who are aligned with the mission, not just the owner
• Cross-trained team members who can adapt and cover for each other
• Clear roles and systems so no one person is indispensable
• A positive, collaborative culture that survives leadership changes

When they see this, they breathe easier. They stop wondering how many resignations they’ll get after closing. They start picturing themselves walking in and being welcomed, not feared.

The Silent Risk Discount

If a buyer suspects your team might revolt, they price it in. They assume they’ll spend months rebuilding the culture from rubble that they’ll burn cash recruiting and training replacements that patients will sense the chaos and flee.

So they protect themselves by slashing their offer. That “risk discount” can quietly drain hundreds of thousands from your sales price, and you’ll never even know it happened.

Make Staff Stability Your Secret Weapon

Buyers don’t care how long your team has been with you. They care how well they’ll perform after you’re gone.

If you want top dollar, start now:

• Talk openly with your staff about the future
• Build loyalty to the practice, not just to you
• Give key employees reasons to stay after the transition
• Involve your team in systems, decisions, and culture so the buyer sees stability, not dependence

Because when a buyer believes the team will stay they start fighting to win the deal. But if they fear your team will walk, they’ll walk first.

To your unstoppable success,
Your Team at Everything DSO