[chernevik]

They surrendered control of the time frame, chiefly by ceding exclusivity but also with the technical due diligence. It's reasonable for a buyer to seek assurances their interest isn't being leveraged to other buyers, but it's too much to expect the seller to close down talks or let the phone ring on new interest.

That leads to stuff like "we'll discuss at the next scheduled board meeting". I don't know practices for this space, but a CEO can convey a meeting on a conference call for something he wants. Once they know they can wait that long, they'll think about whether they really want this -- the excitement cools down, they see other options, they move on.

People are asking how buyers can sense they're in control. One chief thing is the seller's neglect of their own inconvenient but reasonable interests. If a seller is making unreciprocated compromises of their interests to make things easier for the buyer, that says a lot.