An effective networking plan is crucial to investment banking deal sourcing. Proper networking has a huge effect, not only on initially identifying potential clients, but also continuing to nurture those relationships. Even with a strong client base, networking is vital in distinguishing ideal investment opportunities for these clients.
Networking in the investment banking realm can take some time to master and requires that combining both physical and online strategies to extract the most out of networking efforts. From utilizing M&A software to relationship building, a combination of these tactics is crucial to success.
Take a look at some key strategies to apply to your networking activities immediately in our investment banking networking toolkit.
Physical Toolkit
A major part of deal sourcing requires contacting potential leads directly. While this approach can be meticulous, it is still highly effective at successfully generating suitable leads when deal sourcing.
There are several strategies that are worth noting when taking a concerted approach to Networking:
- Attend Trade Shows and Conferences - These types of events offer some of the best ways to generate leads and develop relationships that could be the key to a potential financial deal down the road. Sourcescrub can help you with conference preparation to ensure that these events are fruitful.
- Leverage Your Contacts - When identifying investment opportunities, it is crucial to leverage both you and your firm's contacts. To do this, you must access your current client base and discuss with them whether they are aware of any potential leads. For this reason, it is important to always maintain relationships consistently with potential clients. What might be a stale relationship now could be valuable down the line.
- Uphold Your Brand - Be sure to focus on providing consistent information to potential clients. If you are responsible with how you manage your lead base, you will generate a personal brand that will benefit you and your firm.
- Seek Out Advice from Industry Professionals - Industry leaders may be able to provide a unique perspective on potential leads. Attending trade shows can definitely be a rewarding experience when it comes to creating relationships with these professionals.
- Be Comfortable on the Phone - While phone-based deal sourcing is slowly being replaced by other methods, it is still necessary to be comfortable speaking on the phone. If you have the ability to simply call a contact up and be effective in your delivery, you will be one step ahead.
Networking in-person and over the phone is a great way to source deals and is something that every investment professional should try to master. Fortunately, there are also useful platforms that enable you to effectively network online.
Online Toolkit
In addition to a standard toolkit, it's imperative to determine what digital tools you can add under your belt too. Providers like Sourcescrub offer the necessary platform to conduct more effective lead generation and deal sourcing online.
- Make the Most of the Sourcing Platform -It is best to ensure that you learn the technical operations of the platform you are using so that you can get the most out of the data it provides. Sourcescrub provides a free demo and extensive customer success resources to ensure near-immediate time to value.
- Optimize Your CRM - Whether you are using Salesforce, Affinity, DealCloud, SugarCRM, or another CRM, be sure to take the time to understand how you can reach out to your clients and leads best. Sourcescrub integrates with each of these CRMs to help ensure that your data is synced accurately across your deal origination process. If you aren't leveraging a CRM, you're far less likely to ensure relationships stay fresh and opportunities don't get lost.
- Cultivate Industry Knowledge - You can easily utilize deal sourcing platforms to conduct industry research. Sourcescrub offers firmographic data on more than a million companies, which can provide you with valuable information quickly to expand your understanding of the industry landscape and hone in on specific opportunities.
- Broaden Your Horizons - Since you are using a virtual tool, always be sure to broaden your scope and look to uncover potential clients or leads in various geographies. This would be deal specific, but one of the major benefits of using an online platform is that your search can transcend borders more fluidly.
Online deal sourcing can have a major effect on your ability to successfully perform in finance and investment banking if you retain the proper skillset to apply it effectively. A mixture of both traditional, physical strategies and online methods will make you a more well-rounded investment professional.
Gain a Networking Advantage
Networking pain points, investment banking-related or otherwise, are commonplace in this increasingly changing market. Solutions like Sourcescrub can effectively streamline your deal sourcing and lead generation efforts, especially when combined with a focused toolkit for operating in the industry.
Interested in learning more? Request a demo today to learn how to Sourcescrub can be easily incorporated into your digital networking toolkit.
Sources
1. Forbes. A Two-Pronged Approach To Sourcing More Private Equity Deals.
2. Investmentbank.com. Deal Origination: Difficulties in Deal Sourcing Methods & How to Improve.
3. Wall Street Mojo. Deal Origination (Sourcing).
