What is support worth to you? | Alex Triplett, Leading Sales Figure
On a recent episode of Tech Salescraft, James was joined by the brilliant Alex Triplett, Global Head of Corporate Development at ION Investment Group. We explore a truly fascinating firm through the eyes of Alex, a figure truly engaged with, and excited about, the dynamism of the marketplace. Alex also imparts an invaluable series of advice to founders, at every stage of the journey, highlighting the mindsets and approaches that better position a new firm. In an age of increased automation and demand for speed, we all need to drive more informed, strategic decisions that consider the multi-faceted opinions that exist in the capital markets- and Alex’s conversation with James covers this in brilliant depth.
“What you want isn’t the dollars, or the pounds or the euros. You want an intelligent, supportive investor on the other side. You want help. That is worth a lot more than the money.”
It can be tempting to be driven by the monetary growth of a firm in the initial stages. That early scramble for capital is critical, and should not be overlooked; but as Alex stresses, it should also be strategic. Acquiring capital from countless investors can make relations and future growth tricky as you have to accommodate numerous opinions. This can mar the initial vision of the founders and generate an unsustainable form of collaboration. Alex recommends seeking investors not solely for the financial backing they provide, but also the insights, support and holistic investment they offer. This will allow you to be more strategic about who you bring on your founding journey with you, and prevent founders becoming preoccupied with capital. Whilst Alex acknowledges the importance of gaining the funding you need, he stresses thinking beyond the simple inference of a transaction, and keep the long-term gains for the firm in mind.
“Clarity is attractive. The principle of understanding your mission, your value proposition, and having complete clarity over that, is attractive to investors.”
Showing investors you understand the marketplace, that your product is addressing a need, and that you can envision where the company will go next, is immensely attractive to investors. As stressed by Alex, the firms that are bringing a tangible, demanded solution to the table, are the ones that will see funding come quite easily. And with that comes clarity at every level of your business, and the subsequent ability to ensure everyone is on the same journey. Alex has a wealth of experience in investing and company growth, and so knows how distinctive clarity can be when debating which firms to back and propel to the next stage of funding. Take time to understand the marketplace, to predict product impact; and allow growth to follow on from that clarity.
This was a brilliant addition to this series of Tech Salescraft, and was an absolute pleasure to feature the brilliant thoughts of Alex. Bringing fantastic guidance on investing and growth, Alex brought clarity to an increasingly convoluted conversation. Thank you Alex for joining us on the show, it was a pleasure to feature your fantastic insights!