I'm a senior associate at a smaller boutique investment bank and am in line for a VP promotion in the near future. If and when that promo happens, I will be expected to start contributing more to business development efforts and start pulling in my own deals for our firm.
As context, we work with primarily mid-market private companies, usually as sell-side advisors. Most of our clients are entrepreneurs who grew their businesses to > $10M EBITDA and may be looking to monetize. We do some buy-side mandates and some work with public companies, but that isn't our bread and butter.
I've been a high performing analyst / associate / senior associate but I recognize that the skills I will need to excel as a VP and in more senior roles will be different. I would describe myself as analytical, fairly outgoing and social, but not the most extroverted person you'll meet. I like meeting new people and being around people but I also enjoy some time alone getting through a model or analysis.
Looking for any insights or input on how to successfully make the transition from the number-crunching, powerpoint preppin' junior responsibilities to the sales and relationship management requirements that come with more senior IB positions.
How did you find your first deal?
How do you keep in touch with pursuits (quarterly calls? Sporting events? Gratuitous industry insights? I am trying to stay away from the boiler plate "check ins" and provide more value when I do interact with pursuits)?
How do you get Founders / CEOs to take you seriously as a 30 Y / O? I find I am usually fine establishing trust with clients when we start working on a deal, and they're able to see after a few interactions that I (generally) know what I am talking about or have some reasonable insight. I find it more challenging on the first interactions where I have to "sell myself" - they often look at me as a kid and not necessarily their "trusted advisor"
Any systems / structure that you implemented to support your own business development efforts?
Books / podcasts / other resources that you have found to be valuable to become a better salesperson / relationship manager.
Any insight, anecdotes or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers.
Kaptain
There are probably like, 5 people that actively use this site that can help you with this. It's an interesting question that I am hoping someone has a viewpoint on, but just making you aware that the majority of users here are interns, analysts, or college students.