Prepare for Your Investor Earnings Call: Expert Coaching

How do you prepare for an earnings call? What makes a good investor call? What could you do to improve your earnings calls?

Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball

Ben is the founder of Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London.  Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page. 

Why are investor earnings calls so important?

As we all know, in investor relations, what you say determines how you are perceived by investors, analysts and journalists. Your upcoming investor earnings call plays a key role in shaping perceptions and influencing investment decisions.

To run earnings calls that have a positive impact on investor’s perception, and your share price, you want to be on top of the strategies and best practices that will move the dial.

Earnings calls are a powerful opportunity for you to build and maintaining investor confidence amongst analysts and shareholders.

The skills required to master your earnings calls can be learned.  We know. We’ve helped dozens of firms run better earnings calls.  And we can help you too.  Just call to discuss your next earnings call. 

Some things we have learned over the years to improve your next earnings call:

Let’s look at each of those points in turn:

1. Start preparing early

Even if you don’t have the financial results until a few days or a few hours before the earnings call, you can start preparing your call early. Work out the key messages you want, start scripting, and work out what your analysts and investors need to hear. Anticipate potential questions and prepare well-researched responses. And coach your team so they feel fully prepared and confident before the stress of the event.

2. First things first

Ditch the corporate drone. Imagine you’re having a fireside chat with your most valued investors, not delivering a robot recital. Write your script for the ear, not for the page.  That means inject personality, enthusiasm, and even a touch of humour.

The more natural you make your call, the more likely that investors will trust you and relate to you. It’s you that your investors are investing in, not just the numbers.  The most natural-sounding calls are usually the best prepared.
 

3. Craft a compelling narrative

Your investors will not be poring over every financial statement. Instead, they will be looking for your story – your investor narrative – and then seeing how your numbers support that story.  Write a story that matters, the why behind the numbers.

Highlight key achievements, challenges overcome, and future opportunities. Think of it as the financial equivalent of a blockbuster: keep them hooked with a clear narrative arc, surprising twists, and a hint of what’s coming next.  Effective storytelling can transform a mundane earnings call into a memorable experience for investors.

Why Pick Benjamin Ball Associates for Your Investor Call Coaching

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we’ve been coaching business people to improve their business communication skills for over 15 years.  Our coaching is fast and effective.  We work with individuals and with companies, one-to-one and in groups.  Call us today to learn more.

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”

Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

Our most popular training courses include:

• Investor Pitch Support and Coaching
• Presentation Coaching
• Public Speaking Coaching

Trusted by some of the most successful companies globally

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

4. Data is your friend, but use it wisely

Don’t drown your audience in a sea of figures, or they’ll be gasping for air, not insights. Support your story with your data. Think Message => Proof. Then you can create powerful visuals like charts and graphs, and explain them succinctly. Think “show, don’t tell” – let the data support your story. Your data alone is not the story.

5. Increase transparency

Transparency is a cornerstone of successful investor relations. Be open and honest about your company’s challenges.  Investors appreciate transparency, and it fosters trust, even in challenging times.

6. Use Q&A to your benefit

Q&A is your chance to showcase your knowledge and responsiveness. Don’t dodge tough questions – address them head-on with confidence. Even negative feedback can be an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to improvement.

Remember, every question is a chance to build trust and rapport.  Anticipate common questions and rehearse your answers. But don’t be afraid to go off-script when necessary – authenticity trumps robotic perfection. And show that your team is open to challenging questions.

7. Develop a clear, confident voice  

How do you sound to your investors?  Is your voice hesitant; are there too many ums, errs, OK?s or Y’knows?  All these verbal tics can be fixed quickly with a professional coach.  It can make the difference between showing an uncertain director or a confident leader. With some expert presentation coaching, you can get rid of those verbal ticks forever.

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8. Use confident language

Every word you use should be carefully chosen. Do you say “sales have increased by 10%” or “we are very pleased to tell you, because of the restructuring we did last year, that we’ve grown sales by 10% in the last six months?” 

Great scripting with careful use of the right words will change perceptions and make it easier for analysts to take away the story you want them to take away.  You can read a selection of earnings call transcripts.

9. Have clear consistent messages in your earnings call. 

Do you know what you’d like the analyst notes to say?  Have you thought about the headlines they will use?  Being clear about the messages you want to get across is possibly the toughest part of arranging a successful investor earnings call. 

It’s like having a map before you set out on a journey.  We often add most value when we coach our clients by forcing them to work out exactly what they want to say.  The whole earnings call is all about making sure those message are delivered in the most powerful way.

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10. Have a powerful positive end to your earnings call

The last thing people hear in your earnings call is important.  Use a tried and tested format of the end of your call so that people go away feeling positive and clear about your business. 

11. Practise to make it look natural

There’s always room for improvement in your earning calls. Before the event, keep improving the script (where we can probably add most value.)  Add more stories, give more examples.  Keep checking that your key messaging are clear enough and you are not being too subtle in getting your story across.   Any tennis player would only go on court after extensive practise. You should too.
 

Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment
Try new formats, involve different team members, and get feedback from investors. Remember, the best calls are constantly evolving, just like the markets in which you work.

So, ditch the dry drone and step into the spotlight. By following these tips, you can transform your investor earnings calls into engaging, informative, and, dare we say, even enjoyable experiences.

Remember:

• This is just a starting point. Adapt these tips to your specific company, industry, and audience.
• Don’t forget to check out the fantastic resources on the Benjamin Ball website for even more investor relations expertise.

Improve your next investor call

And if you want to discuss how we can support your team for better earnings calls, get in touch today.

Feel free to reach out today to explore how we can assist your team in improving their earnings calls. Call Louise Angus on +44 20 7018 0922 or click on the link below.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

Why Choose Us:
Transform your pitches and presentations with tailored coaching

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too.

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”

Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice for leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We’ll help you improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.

Some recent clients

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball

Ben is the founder of Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London.  Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page.