For as long as I've been in this industry...since 1995...IROs have been reluctant to correlate their participation in events and meetings with investors with the subsequent purchase or sale of their company's stock. But it's the most important thing of all.
It's true, of course, that an IRO can't will an investor to respond to engagement by buying shares, or control the internal and external environment that makes a company's shares more or less attractive to purchase. IROs may also be concerned that coming across as salesy can undermine the credibility of the key messages they need to convey.
And yet, influencing investors--closing--is the point. Closing indicates that your company is in the right business, with the right people executing the right strategy at the right time. From an IR perspective, it means that you're meeting the right people and communicating effectively. Closing is the ultimate feedback loop. If you don't close, one of these key items is falling short.
Closing is equally compelling to the C-Suite during planning and evaluation. CFOs ask, 'Why did we spend a month on the road last year?' Wouldn't it be nice to be able to respond, 'Because four of the targets we met are now among our top 20 shareholders. We did that, you and I."
