What is Investor Relations?
written by Joe Diaz
Investor relations is a proactive process by which publicly traded company management teams’ interface with existing and potential new investors on a consistent basis, not just on quarterly financial reporting events.
The purpose of IR is to initiate and maintain dialogue with investors to keep them updated on the progress taking place at the company. There are thousands of publicly traded companies competing for the attention of a slice of the investment community. If a company does not engage with “the Street” on a consistent basis, that company is essentially “out of sight” and consequently “out of mind” – i.e., undiscovered and undervalued.
An important expectation of a CEO is that their company – Fortune 500 or micro-cap – capture the attention of a portion of the national investment community that is aware of the potential value of their company. That’s one of the reasons they were hired by the company’s board of directors. Not driving shareholder value is one the leading reasons for CEO turnover.
How does a CEO capture the attention of the national investment community? Articulating the strategic business plan of the company and providing insight as to how management is going to execute on that strategy. Creating a “story” that is believable and achievable. Over the years investors have heard all of the amazing stories of how companies and their respective technologies, products, and services are going to revolutionize the way we work, play and live our lives; strike one. Beware “hockey stick” projections; strike two. The slope is now extremely slippery. Very few of those have come to fruition. Investors are searching for themes and companies that can sustainably grow and become profitable in a reasonable time frame.
Messaging to the investment community should focus on how the company continues to develop and mature and how it is going to consistently gain market share; and how that will translate into market cap value. While it’s great that a company has leading-edge technologies, products or services, investors want to know how the company is going to take that leading-edge and turn it into sales. Investors generally care far more about execution than they do about technology. The technology means nothing if is cannot be converted into a consistently growing business.
What institutional investors are actually buying is the ability of the management team to execute on the business plan. They are looking to develop trust in the CEO and the CFO that when they say something, more than likely, it is going to happen. They are also looking for management to openly and honestly confront issues or financial results that do not meet expectations. They understand there is a natural ebb and flow to business – some seasonal, some unexpected, and some internally induced – even smart people make stupid mistakes. The important thing is that management explains the issue on a timely basis, how they are going to deal with it and what the metrics or milestones are that investors can follow to determine whether the company is gaining traction in alleviating the problem. That’s credibility, and in addition to execution, that’s what long-term investors are looking for.
As it relates to the tools IR provides – press releases, slide deck, quarterly conference call scripts and transcripts, SEC filings, investment conference participations, etc. – they should all reinforce the strategy, how that strategy is being executed, and the market acceptance of the company’s products. While the technology is important, the execution of the strategy is even more important.
Consistent outreach needs to be the focus for a small-cap company to attract a large enough investor audience that will drive the value of its stock as management executes on its strategic business plan.
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