Time for a
Perception Check
April 4, 2022
In this unpredictable market environment, what are your investors thinking about you and your company?
If your stock price is down, is it macro-economic driven, or is there something company-specific?
Do investors believe management has the proper strategy to drive growth as the economy emerges from the pandemic and faces historic inflation?
Often, the C-Suite is left to guess the answers, but a perception study can provide concrete, actionable insights and feedback to form messaging and enhance company communications.
Recent discussions with both management and industry analysts provide Bishop IR confidence that companies can remain relevant to investors in these volatile markets. However, it’s of crucial importance to gauge the temperature of both the buy and sell sides regarding individual companies - and there is no better way than with a comprehensive Perception Study.
In addition to hearing what the investment community is saying about your company, a perception study also:
Strengthens the lines of communication with both the buy and sell sides, respectively
Explores issues and/or misperceptions that may be impacting a company’s valuation
Provides a third party perspective
Strengthens management credibility
When markets are running smoothly, everyone is content and the communication lines are much less stressful. It is in corrections and unsteady markets that messaging needs to be fine-tuned and candid conversations are essential. With the proper IR program in place, credibility and confidence in management is fortified.
Equipped with years of experience creating perception studies, Bishop IR works hand in hand with management to customize questions for investors and analysts and will provide a comprehensive report of our findings.
If you would like to learn more about our perception capabilities and/or general Investor Relations offerings, please feel free to reach out to mike@bishopir.com or jim@bishopir.com.
Small Cap Stocks:
How to Remain Relevant in a Turbulent Market
March 7, 2022
In today’s volatile stock market environment where many small and mid-cap companies’ equities are seeing all-time lows, management teams face the difficult challenge of how to garner investor attention and maintain/preserve their capital support in the process.
It’s important to remember, investor relations is a long term process of reputation building and execution, so management teams should continue to act methodically while implementing any IR plan.
A few ideas from Bishop IR to manage through this uncertainty:
Talk about the opportunities AND challenges. Very rarely do management teams like to talk about the less optimistic aspects of their business, however in a period where nearly every company is facing the same macro-economic forces, it is an opportunity to differentiate the company and its executives, set the tone, and establish near-term milestones toward overcoming headwinds. When those milestones are achieved, those audience members will know the company was both “out in front” of any issues, and expertly navigated the short term challenges.
Seek out public speaking opportunities. Syncing your PR and IR teams, seek out venues to raise the company’s profile. While peer companies may wish to shrink from the spotlight during periods of a low stock price, there may be more opportunities to appear on financial news shows, be interviewed in the press, or present at sell-side conferences.
Have a clear message. Let’s be honest, very few investors want to sit through another “Company Overview,” but investors will go research a company and get the necessary background if they see an effective, compelling presentation about a topic. Finding a “hook” that’s not a routine company overview is more effective at pulling an audience in to do more due diligence. When the markets are down, one idea is to describe the strategies your company will use to exit a downturn better than your peers and competitors. If you have a vision for your industry that is counter to prevailing convention, state it. Make sure your presentations are succinct, compelling and confident.
Remember, small caps can provide outsized returns and those with stable fundamentals can provide investment managers with unique opportunities to capitalize on price displacement. Those companies with stable fundamentals can provide unique opportunities to capitalize on price displacement caused by uncertain market conditions. If you can demonstrate that your company has, or will have these characteristics, your equity will be a “buy.”
BishopIR is Growing
July 14, 2021
BishopIR is expanding! We are excited to announce that Jim Gorman has joined the team as a Managing Director. His prior experience in IR, combined with more than 20 years on the buy-side will help provide deep insights and great strategic advice to our client roster of growth companies.
Nasdaq Interview
September 28, 2017
Mike participated in Nasdaq's "Intro to an IRO" blog series, where he was interviewed about life as an investor relations officer and advisor.
BishopIR Launched!
August 1, 2017
We have launched BishopIR, an investor relations agency for growth companies. Our first client is exciting and will change the consumer electronics landscape with wire-free charging: Energous Corporation Nasdaq: WATT.
Activist Investing in MicroCaps
June 7, 2017
At the LD Micro Conference, Mike led a panel entitled, "Activist Investing: A Growing Force in Microcap Companies," with speakers representing both management and the activist investor community.
