We are deep in the due diligence phase and the buyer is starting to ask for ridiculous amounts of data, which is wearing out my team. How do I handle this without blowing up the deal?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Due diligence is a high-friction environment where trust can easily erode, leading to deal fatigue and broken transactions. When a buyer starts demanding excessive data, it is often a sign of fear or a lack of trust in your operational transparency. To manage this tension, you must actively apply a trusted advisor framework to your interactions with the buyer. Do not respond with immediate defensiveness or hostility. Instead, engage with them directly, listen to their underlying concerns, and frame their data requests in a way that addresses their actual risk profile. Often, buyers ask for a mountain of data because they do not know what they actually need to verify. By adopting an other-focused mindset, you can help them navigate their own learning process. Offer them structured access to your weekly EOS Scorecard, your documented core processes, and your historical quarterly review data. Showing them a clean, organized operating system builds immediate credibility. When you demonstrate that you have nothing to hide and that your operational data is highly organized, you disarm their anxiety, rebuild momentum, and guide the deal toward a successful closing.