Structuring your first call with an advisor (or investor)

  • Created:

If you’re preparing for your first call with an investor or advisor you’ve recently connected with, the following script will help guide the call to ensure you get the most out of your 30 minutes on the phone and manage your time effectively. Learn how to structure your conversation and extract all the necessary information you’ll need to evaluate the relevancy of a new connection for you and your business.

1. Introduction: Familiarity & Rapport (2-5 minutes) – get to know each other!

  • Personal story
    • Where are you from?
    • Where did you go to school?
    • Are you married? Do you have any kids?
  • Background
    • How long have you been at XYZ firm?
    • How did you get into the industry?
    • What was your experience previously?
  • Other
    • Where’s your favorite place to vacation?
    • Who’s your NFL team?
    • How was your weekend?

2. Industry: Trends & Observations (10-15 minutes) – harness the power of an analyst team

  • Facts and figures
    • How long have you been focusing on my industry?
    • How many industry deals have you gotten done?
    • What does transaction volume look like in the industry right now? How does that affect me?
    • What interest rates are you seeing on working capital loans?
  • Qualitative M&A trends
    • In what direction are valuations moving in my industry? Why?
    • Would you say it’s a buyer’s or a seller’s market? What will it be in 3 years? 5 years?
    • When will be the best opportunity to make an acquisition?

3. Company: Tips & Opportunities (10-15 minutes) – learn lessons of other companies

  • Other Companies
    • How have you seen companies make the jump from $XXm in rev to $XXm in rev?
    • Do you have any examples of internal issues we should seek to avoid as we continue to grow?
    • What initiatives do you see other companies in our industry undertaking?
  • Your Company
    • We’ve been around for XX years and do somewhere in the neighborhood of $XXm in rev. What transitions do you foresee us experiencing as we get to $XXM in rev?
    • What can we be doing operationally that we probably are not?

4. Closing: Dictate Next Steps (2-5 minutes) – decide where you go from here

  • Thinking a transaction in the next 0-3 years?
    • Find time to reconnect in a matter of weeks
    • mention a specific type of transaction you’d like to discuss further
    • exchange NDAs
  • Not transactionally minded?
    • follow up in 6 months
    • plan to check back, get updates on initial topics discussed
Tagged: