You’ve put extraordinary effort into planning the roadshow, confirming meetings with investors, triple checking travel arrangements and exhaustively reviewing marketing materials. Then, bam, a significant event occurs, and the roadshow you have been impeccably planning gets postponed.

As frustrating as it may be, your efforts don’t have to go to waste. Investment managers can utilize the time when the economy fumbles and fundraising comes to a halt to build remote relationships with investors remotely. The efforts won’t look the same as your well-orchestrated plan, but they’ll be effective in establishing rapport with prospective investors.

Continue reading to learn the five ways investment managers can turn lemons into lemonade and establish relationships with investors when the world pushes the pause button.

ONE: SCHEDULE VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH INVESTORS

The plane didn’t take off, but that doesn’t mean investment managers can’t forge ahead with scheduling investor calls. There are many reliable video conferencing tools, such as Zoom and join.me, to help organize “face-to-face” meetings even when the meeting can’t take place in person. Put on your power suit and schedule investor calls to keep the conversations going. Before you do, ensure the technology you choose has the infrastructure to support these types of conferences.

TWO: PROVIDE GREATER TRANSPARENCY

During precarious times, opt on the side of providing investors with greater transparency. Deal Rooms, such as Intralinks, and other online document sharing tools make distributing sensitive information secure and straightforward. Investors will appreciate the extra information you provide.

THREE: REVIEW FUND TERMS

 From a legal perspective, it may be worth considering if any investment terms should be adjusted during the fundraising period. For example, a fund may want to extend the fundraising period to provide investors time to complete the subscription process. Investment managers can use this as an opportunity to demonstrate to investors that they prioritize the needs of their investor base.

FOUR: BECOME A THOUGHT LEADER

This point goes hand-in-hand with providing investors with greater transparency. Kick it up a notch and provide detailed market commentary in a compliant fashion. Send weekly investor letters, write blog posts or share information on LinkedIn. These tools will be effective in keeping both active and passive investors informed of your market views.

 FIVE: BE AVAILABLE

Generally, make yourself available and responsive to investor calls and questions. Investors want to know that investment managers will pick up their call, so begin doing so now. Demonstrating that investors are a priority goes a long way when building deeper relationships with investors.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The current event or market environment is equally as difficult for investors to navigate as it is for you. So, take time to strategize a thorough communications plan that helps you continue to build relationships with investors when an in-person meeting or dinner is not an option. Spending the time now to build credibility and provide additional transparency to investors will pay off when the market trends upward.