Luckily, progressive growth in the space combined with an upward shift in transparency makes reaching family offices a considerably simpler process than ever before. To ensure effective engagement with these remote entities, FINTRX outlined a number of best practices for crafting a pitch that turns heads and gets funded.
Prior to comprehensive family office intelligence platforms such as FINTRX, many capital raisers found it difficult to access these private markets, let alone secure a deal with a family office. Increased sophistication and cutting-edge technologies helped to improve and facilitate this essential operational need - many of which have been specifically designed for this sector.
Best Practices for Crafting an Effective Pitch to Family Office Investors
1) Understand the Family Office Landscape
To successfully engage family office investors, it is vital to have a well-versed understanding of the intricacies of the space - as trends and and strategies are constantly changing and presenting unpredictable factors that could alter initial strategies. Start by analyzing their portfolios to determine if you have any aligned interests. What can you offer them? How would your venture add value or help diversify their portfolio? Another simplified approach is to research individuals in the space that have successfully raised from a family office before. This will not only help give you a clearer picture, but doing so may also provide you with unexpected opportunities to expand your family office network. In order to find and attract the most suitable family office, you must have a solid understanding of the industry.
2) Find Commonalities & Expound On Them
In order to create valuable relationships with family office investors, you must first get your foot in the door. In the past, expanding your FO network often involved leveraging colleagues and contacts at conferences to form a web of valuable connections. Now, this 'web of connections' lives in a seamless digital universe - one that is advanced enough to expand your network through existing connections. Find and explore commonalities you share with the key decision makers at the family offices. Nuggets such as shared alumni roots, previous employment history, overlapping years at previous stops, board, charities that you share - even passions you share outside of work. Our data shows these to be incredibly impactful and productive ways to spark meaningful conversations. You can do this manually within your own network, or leverage technology & evolving algorithms with an offering like our FINTRX Affinity solution.
3) Persistent & Polite Follow Up
It is critical to have an implemented plan for staying connected with those in the family office realm. Whether it is a phone call, email, or in-person meeting, ensuring a strategic follow-up shows your seriousness and interest in working with them. Another strategy that helps in securing a deal with a family office is to provide actionable or informative links, articles, or other useful resources that drive value. Doing so helps strengthen your relationship and subtly markets you or your firm as a promising business option.
4) Create Value
Most (if not all) business ventures are conceived for the purpose of fulfilling a need or want of some sort. Craft your pitch around this idea...ask yourself how you would either add value to the family office or show how you are are different - especially if you may not be the most attractive investment opportunity, or if you haven't already raised 'X' amount with a long track record of performance. How does your product, service, or involvement move the needle & stand out? Whatever it may be - see if there is something that could potentially help 'build their legacy' by changing the world with you - while also compounding capital.
5) Know Their 'Why'
Every family office is different in regards to what is most important to them in their investment thesis and specific needs. Some may focus strictly on producing the best returns, while others are more focused on impact driveninvestments that not only provide a strong return, but also help improve our environment or society in some way. Because each group is so distinct in their structure and objectives, it is imperative to know their why so that you can then make the most tailored alignment when seeking a family office to pitch. Remember to target the groups that best suit your needs - and vice versa. The connection will be much stronger on both ends.
This post originally appeared on FINTRX Insider.
