Advertising your business is for sale may bring unwanted attention too.

Could you give an example of such unwanted attention?

Customers/users abandoning a product when they learn it is for sale.

Bargain hunters, brokers of ill repute, press and so on, it may also put a serious dent in your ability to do business development until the situation around the (potential) sale has stabilized which in turn will hamper your ability to negotiate.

Personally, it's kind of self-advertising. you can find my products/things if you fly over to my site. Otherwise, some people might be afraid of the competition and are gathering some low-hanging fruit that not a lot are aware of their worth.

Poker face and cordial until all the bodies are dug up and the figure and most importantly, terms and conditions of sale and transition plan are agreed and the check is deposited, because it's tire-kicking until the ink is dry. It's important to telegraph genuine admiration to suggest a shop might have a better home than competing bids.

It's a hard thing to do, trade-in somwthing more precious than cash, labor, time and effort, life... so have a good time and aim make people consistently, insanely happy and always satisficed

The best companies aren't sold, they're bought. ;)

Would you enter a contract with a small business when you knew the sole proprietor was actively looking for a buyer?