Article
QUALIFYING YOUR INVESTOR AUDIENCE
by Jessica Greer
The importance of making a good first impression cannot be overstated. From a marketing perspective, you do this by offering a professional and compelling presentation of your firm on your website, in your pitchbook, in interviews, and through research pieces. To attract the attention of the right investors, it is imperative that your public presence be one that conveys your firm's mission with clarity and credibility.
So now that you have an investor's attention, what do you do?
Be responsive. A timely response to an inquiry can make all the difference. A prospective investor's interest in your firm is at a peak when they reach out to you. You can take advantage of this momentum when you provide:
1. an immediate response (ideally within 24 to 48 hours);
2. a direct line of contact (preferably human over an automated response); and
3. a value-add offering (in this case, information that helps a prospective investor determine a future investment).
Gather information. Your goal is to find the right kind of capital for your investment strategy. The investment community is huge. Doing some initial research on your prospect audience sheds some light on what kind of prospective investor they might be (individual, institutional, follower, etc.) and will help you determine an appropriate contact strategy to pursue as you seek to engage your audience further. Using a good customer relationship manager (CRM) to capture information, segment your audience, and track engagement is key as you manage a growing audience.
Follow up. Investors are busy and often inundated with information and an overflowing inbox. There is a good chance that your initial response got buried on a to-do list. A well-timed follow up with an offer of an introductory call can serve as a great reminder and help move the relationship forward.
Applying this qualification process to your day-to-day operations is key to successfully turning an inquiry into a partnership. Your best investor prospect is one who is aligned with your investment strategy and has confidence in your ability to scale. This first impression gives your investor some insight into how they can expect to be treated as a limited partner.
Do your operations support your goals for growth? For an emerging portfolio manager, operational best practices can often get lost in the shuffle. Your most important role is to manage the portfolio, and that should come first. But what opportunities are you missing when you are unable to address the operational duties that support the growth you want to achieve?
Willow Oak's Fund Management Services (FMS) can help. At Willow Oak, we believe that your time is your most valuable asset. Willow Oak's FMS team partners with fund managers, providing operational infrastructure that supports growth and ensures that the manager stays focused on the portfolio. See how Willow Oak handles the qualification process for our affiliated funds by visiting our website: willowoakfunds.com.
Jessica Greer is vice president of Willow Oak Asset Management and leads all Fund Management Services for Willow Oak. With two decades of experience building and managing strategic operations and development programs in the public and private sectors, Jessica is adept at taking a fund from concept through execution, providing invaluable operational leadership through every phase of the fund's operations and development. Jessica is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland.
Jessica can be reached at jessica@willowoakfunds.com.