Investor Relations

SEVEN KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL INVESTOR RELATIONS 49identification? Annual shareholders’ meetings? Company positioningand message development? Annual report production?Does your search concern a specific transaction, such as an acquisitionor a capital increase?Do you want the agency to be have an international network of affiliatesor partners?Is the agency staffed with former IROs, financial analysts, portfoliomanagers?What is the agency’s policy regarding conflict of interests?Does the agency have experience in your industry?How many IPOs has the firm been involved in ?2.3.5.2 Identification and selection processThere is a wide range of Investor Relations vendors and advisors to choosefrom. Some agencies offer comprehensive services, and certain consultingfirms are more focused on specific areas. Determining which InvestorRelations agencies to retain is similar to searching for any other top-levelcompany advisors:Resource directories for public companies;Internet search engines;Referrals from investment bankers, brokers, lawyers, or audit firms;Management at other listed companies you know by asking them aboutthe firm they use.Once you have done your background checks, and have come up with a listof potential candidates, you may consider launching a request for proposalsprocess. Some key questions that should help you prequalify agencies forin-person meetings are as follows:How does the agency track client program results? What specific metricsdo they use? For example, does the agency track volume, institutional