How can I chat with buyers?

Last updated: February, 26th, 2026

After your listing goes live, interested buyers will request access to your startup's private details and (hopefully) send along a friendly note to introduce themselves.

Respond to their message and start asking questions to gauge their interest. Or start a conversation yourself by following the steps below.

You must sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the buyer when they request startup access to protect the information you share between you.

If you’ve found a buyer already or decided the buyer isn’t the best fit for your business, feel free to reject startup access.

How to start conversations with buyers

Before you start talking to buyers, you’ll have to approve their startup access request. You can enable auto-approve buyer requests to speed up the process or manually approve requests under the My acquisition tab.

Auto-approval saves you the time and hassle of manually approving each request. With the mutual NDA, there's little reason to disable it, unless you want stricter control over your buyer pool. You can disable it from the My listing page.

1. Click on the Requested tab. Click Approve to allow the buyer access to your full listing.

2. Click the Chat with buyer button on the right to start a conversation.

3. The chat sidebar will open on your right. You're ready to send a message!

How you behave towards buyers can influence whether they want to do business with you. Check out our seller etiquette tips to build rapport from the start.

Use the Auto-Responder to Instantly Follow Up with Buyers

To help you engage buyers more quickly, Acquire offers an Auto-Responder feature that automatically sends a message to buyers after they sign your NDA.

This ensures buyers receive immediate communication from you — even if you’re not available to respond right away.

How It Works

When a buyer signs your NDA, your custom auto-response message is sent automatically.
If you have Auto-Approve Access enabled, the message is sent immediately after the buyer is approved.
If Auto-Approve is turned off, the message is sent once you manually approve the buyer and they complete the NDA flow.

What to Include in Your Auto-Response

Many sellers use this feature to:

Share a Calendly link to schedule an intro call
Provide a brief welcome message
Set expectations around response times
Highlight key information about the business

This is a great way to maintain momentum and increase engagement with qualified buyers right after NDA signature.

How to Enable It

Go to your listing settings.
Turn on the Auto-Responder feature.
Enter your custom message.
Click Save.

You can edit your message at any time. If you turn the feature off and back on, your saved message will remain.

How to view responses from buyers

Buyer messages appear in the chat bar or by clicking the little inbox icon on the top right.

1. Click the Inbox at the top of your screen.

2. Click a conversation to continue an existing chat or type a new message.

Keep your communication on-platform to reduce the risk of fraudulent activities and protect your information. Learn more about the risks of communicating off-platform.

To learn more about communicating with buyers and navigating Acquire.com, check out the live walkthrough below.

Still need help?

Please search the help center again or contact us at support@acquire.com.