Marketing to Investors

We have been marketing companies to investors for a long time, and have found that the most effective method is a combination of the rifle, the shotgun and the blunderbuss. So we use three different routes to investors: Personal contact - we know the active investors, their likes and their dislikes well, so we send them our 3 to 4 page summary of the business, which we then follow up.

We e-mail a 200 word summary to all our investors and to our other contacts who represent investors; circulation is 8,500 and rising.

A further 50 word summary goes on our web site and is given to all new investors. We also give guidance on how best to present your business opportunity when you meet investor

Investment Fairs

Investment Fairs, where you can meet 100 to 150 of our investors face to face are held regularly around the country. We restrict these to 30 clients but there is no limit to the number of investors who can attend. Companies are given a table and investors decide, after reading a catalogue, to which they want to talk. At a recent event there were almost 300 investor meetings in a single day.

Secured Lending

The most economic form of funding for most businesses is a combination of secured lending, where no equity is sold but the lender will take a charge over the company's assets, and equity. Usually equity unlocks banking facilities. As many of our Associates have been in banking at a senior level, we have a very wide range of contacts, not just among the High Street banks. We see our job as helping with all your funding needs, not just the equity element.

Help with Negotiations

When raising money, there are pitfalls for the unwary on both sides. We have enormous experience in doing deals and have seen most of the wrinkles that can emerge. Due diligence, though often informal, can be fraught; we know what the investor will need to see so you don't waste time or money.

We will be asking you to present your investment proposal, face to face, to investors. Whether this is one to one or to a whole room of possible investors, it is important that you follow some simple rules. However experienced you are at presentations, investors are different and you do need to know the DOs and DON'Ts.

Focus on Value

Remember you are not selling your service, you are selling your shares. So focus on the value of your company, now and in the future, rather than how wonderful your latest product is. But they do need to understand the essence of the business. Investors will need to know what is in it for them and never forget the tested sales mantra - sell the benefits, not the features. Tell them:

how they can minimize their risk
why their shares will increase in value
what you think their shares will be worth in 3 years time, and why
when they'll be able to exit

Don't be Boring

If you have anything they can see and touch, bring it along. If you need more than 10 minutes to explain your business and the deal, you've got it wrong. Aim for 5 minutes in rehearsal (and you must rehearse); on the day that will become 7 to 8 minutes. That's the optimal timing. If you cannot get both the part of your speech that describes your business AND a description of the investment deal in the time, cut down the former, not the latter.

Be Prepared

This means that any PowerPoint must be relevant and not undermine the main message. Keep these to a minimum. Remember that investors - at least our investors - are not stupid. Far from it. So you are likely to get some pretty searching questions. Of course it is impossible to generalise, but these are likely to focus on three important aspects:

team: what is in their background that shows they are capable of turning the investor's money into profit?
Product or service and its market: what is unique or different about this, what about competition and entry barriers, status of IPR?
financials: where is profit coming from, what's the margin, what's your burn rate, what do you need the money for?

Painters' Hall, 9 Little Trinity Lane, London, EC4V 2AD Telephone:08701 633033
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, FSA Firm 191021
Company Number: 3737191

Important Information - Please Read Carefully

This communication has been approved by Beer & Partners as a financial promotion. Beer & Partners is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Investment in unquoted businesses carries high risks as well as the possibility of high rewards and an investor's capital is at risk in making such investments. It is highly speculative and potential investors should be aware that no established market exists for the trading of shares in private companies. Please note that any tax treatments referred to in financial promotions approved or issued by Beer & Partners will depend on the individual circumstances of the investor. All of Beer & Partners' fees are payable by the client companies to whom it provides services, investors are treated as retail clients being recipients of Beer & Partners' financial promotions. Where a promotion contains an overseas element the protection afforded to retail clients in relation to UK investments may not be available to investors. Investors also may not be eligible for protection under compensation schemes which are available to investors in UK financial instruments. The information contained within this communication may not be used for any purpose other than in considering whether you should enter discussion with any business described.