Too often, there’s an assumption that The Numbers speak for themselves so that too little time, money and resource are devoted to telling the other side of the story – long term strategy, strength and agility of management team, commitment to responsible and sustainable growth, strength of governance – and telling it well.
But it’s a part of the story that mustn’t be neglected, especially when it can help make the numbers both stronger and/or better understood. Story telling and strategy work best hand in hand.
Especially when there’s competition.
2013 was the biggest year for U.S. real estate initial public offerings in almost a decade, despite mid-year shakiness over the possibility of increased interest rates. While concerns about interest rates and economic trends – domestic and international – continue to hover in the wings for 2014, a number of companies have filed for future listing and many of these already will be contemplating the key challenges that lie ahead.
Among the inevitable fees, drains on time, and headaches that come with the territory, are a host of other issues: track record, performance, management team competence, compliance, suitability of the market, market appetite, reputation and perception. What do potential investors really think? What are they looking for?
REIT.com advises prospective REIT investors to look for such things as:
These are exactly the sort of mixed metrics – harder, financial data and softer reputational-based data – that together constitute reputation, and which, when effectively communicated, have been proven to make a difference to share value.
If you’re a REIT (or even if you aren’t), listed or not, what is your story? Why should anyone invest in you?
For more information on how we can help you tell your story, please email simon@thackwaymccord.com