We’re celebrating the winners of the 2026 ABC Business Sales Excellence Awards. If you’re selling, these are the people you want on your side.
After 40 years in business sales, these awards show one thing hasn’t changed. Every deal comes down to people.
Not the listing.
Not the numbers.
Not the market.
People.
At ABC Business Sales, that’s what we recognise. The conversations brokers handle. The judgement they apply. The persistence it takes to keep a deal moving when things get difficult.
When multiple parties, expectations and pressures need to align, how your broker shows up often determines whether a deal gets done or quietly falls away.
These awards recognise the people who consistently deliver results, not just for what they achieve, but how they do the work.
Explore the full list of winners from this year’s ABC Excellence Awards.
“Behind every sale is something real. An owner moving on and someone else stepping into an opportunity. The brokers who do this well understand that and stay close to their clients all the way through.”
— Chris Small, Managing Director ABC Business Sales.
What actually drives a successful business broker
Across ABC, strong performance shows up in different ways.
At the top end, there are brokers who combine all of it. Structure, consistency, experience, and the ability to stay with a deal through to the end. 
Linda Harley stood out this year. Highest Volume of Sales, leader of Regional Branch of the Year, and Salesperson of the Year. At that level, it is not just a strong year. It is sustained, repeatable performance.
This is the standard across ABC. Around that top tier, performance shows up in different ways.
Some brokers build deep buyer networks over time. They stay close to their market and keep conversations going. Often, they are already speaking to the right people before a business even comes to market.
That showed in this year’s Highest Volume of ECAs, where Shaun Khanna generated nearly 2,000 signed confidentiality agreements. A clear signal of sustained buyer demand.
Others focus on pipeline. They are out there talking to owners, bringing new opportunities forward and keeping momentum in a market where quality businesses are not always easy to find.
Angela Zhu, named Lister of the Year, secured 50 new listings across the year and consistently created new opportunities.
Some focus on how a business is presented. They back strong marketing, invest in video and content, and make sure the opportunity stands out from the first impression.
That was clear in this year’s Best Hi Viz Video, where Ricky Cockerill and Mat Nicolson combined strong storytelling and presentation to attract buyer attention.
Consistent performance at this level is not accidental. It is built.
Where deals are won or lost
Across many of the awards, one theme kept coming through. Relationships sit at the centre of this work.
The brokers who consistently generate enquiry and bring listings to market are the ones who stay close to people. Buyers, sellers, advisors and their wider networks.
- They communicate clearly.
- They follow through.
- They build trust over time.
Awards recognising complex transactions, such as Deal of the Year, show what it takes to bring multiple parties together and get a deal across the line. Ben Smith and Daren Leng led this year’s winning deal, running a trans-Tasman process and managing multiple stakeholders through to completion.
When a deal involves multiple parties and moving parts, that trust often determines whether things keep progressing or start to slow down.
How your broker positions your business matters
Buyers are doing more of their thinking upfront. They look online, compare options, and form a view before they ever speak to a broker.
That makes how a business is brought to market critical.
- Clear positioning.
- Strong visuals.
- Well-structured marketing.
It is what attracts the right buyers and creates competition.
That shift shows in awards like Hi Viz Marketing Investment, where Donna Harpur-Swain led the business, backing stronger marketing to drive better buyer engagement.
Current market conditions are reinforcing this. Strong buyer demand and limited supply are creating competition for quality businesses.
Explore the latest Quarterly Market Intelligence Report to see what's driving the market right now.
It’s more than a transaction
It is easy to look at a business sale as just a deal.
For most owners, it is not.
It is years of work, risk and commitment wrapped into one decision.
On the other side, it is someone stepping into something new.
The role of a broker sits between those two points. Keeping things moving, managing expectations, and helping both sides reach an outcome.
“It’s a very emotive business we deal with. And if you ever forget that, you’re not going to succeed. It’s not all about logic.”
— Steve Smith, Founder and Chairman, ABC Business Sales.
Explore the full list of winners from this year’s ABC Excellence Awards.
Thinking about what your next step might look like?
When it comes to selling a business, outcomes are rarely accidental.
They reflect the experience, judgement, and persistence of the people behind them.
Most owners take time to understand their options before making a move.
If you are starting to think about it, a conversation can help you get clarity on where you stand and what is possible.
→ Talk to an ABC broker about what’s possible for your business
→ Request a confidential appraisal to understand your value and where you stand in the market
→ Learn how to prepare your business for sale and and achieve a stronger result