Are you getting fewer meetings with investors than you’d like? Consider this: your fact sheet is failing you. (Yes, we’re talking about that 1 page tear sheet that you barely give a second thought.) We know what fact sheets usually look like: 95% charts, tables, and graphs, with a sprinkle of text so dry it even puts compliance to sleep. Fund managers tend to pack in performance graphs and tables, MPT stats, annualized returns, monthly returns, and more—because they think that’s what investors want to see.
But this first piece in your collateral suite has an incredibly important job you might be forgetting:
The job of your fact sheet is to get a prospect to want more.
Let’s challenge the status quo of this unsung hero in our marketing stack with a rebel idea: What if your fact sheet wasn’t just a spreadsheet in disguise? What if it answered the real question on an investor's mind: Why should I care?
Louder for the people in the back. Why. Should. I. Care.
Yes, numbers matter. But so does your story. The people behind the portfolio. The heart and soul of your fund. Imagine flipping the script and leading with qualitative facts—the stuff that makes an investor feel something (and still includes quant - don't freak out).
Behavioral science tells us that people buy with their hearts first. (Even in our industry.) Investors care about qualitative info as much as, if not more than, quantitative info. Check out this study from CAIA. Spoiler: Investors said qualitative is as important, if not more important, than quantitative. If you miss the qualitative, you miss the opportunity to be memorable.
When you fill your fact sheet with tons of data, that also means over half of one page will be… yep, you guessed it… disclosures. *insert us sighing*
Plus, what if you are a brand new firm and don’t have loads of data? Now you have a fact sheet full of data but the data is blank? Zeros? Let’s not do that. Let’s go from zero to hero.
Don’t get us wrong; there’s a place for numbers, but your leading marketing collateral has 60 seconds to make an impression. Will it look like everyone else’s (and fall flat like theirs too)? Or will it make investors feel something?
5 types of qualitative info that make investors lean in:
- The “Why We Exist” Origin Story
Did you launch this fund because of a personal mission, a market gap, or a late-night epiphany over pizza? Share the moment that lit the spark. Why does the world need another fund?
- The People Beyond the Pedigree
Tell us about the human beings running the show. Not just “20 years of experience at BigFirm, Inc.,” but what drives them, what makes them tick.
- The Sharp Edges
What makes your fund different? The beliefs that make you zig when others zag. Why are you different from your peers? Bring the bold.
- The Reasons Clients Invest
Why do clients allocate to you? What role does your strategy play in a portfolio? How is it a complement to other allocations? Invite people into the journey.
- The Values That Guide You
Numbers change; principles don’t. Highlight the ethos behind your culture. What aligns your people, inspires how you invest, how you hire, how you build?
There will be plenty of time for data, but not if you lose the deal before you even start.
How should you lay out your fact sheet?
Let's get tactical up in here.
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Do you have a powerful qualitative story? Is the Portfolio Manager a breakaway from a well-known firm? Are they well-known in the industry? If so, use the qualitative template in our Fact Sheet Power Pack. |
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Do you have a powerful quantitative story? 3+ year track record? Beating benchmarks and peers? Are your MPT stats strong? If so, use the quantitative template in our Fact Sheet Power Pack. |
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Is there a powerful quantitative story or long track record AND a powerful qualitative story? If so, use the hybrid template in our Fact Sheet Power Pack. |
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE LAYOUT
Is the timeline an important part of your story? Are you an Institutional Manager launching mutual funds for the first time? A breakaway manager with a strong history? If so, perhaps include a timeline on your fact sheet.
Is your investment process uniquely differentiated? Does the story arc include something unique about the investment process? If so, maybe include a process section.
Are the firm values a differentiator? Is the firm employee-owned? Be sure to call out what makes you unique in the main content.
Is the strategy capacity constrained? If so, add to your key facts.
Does the strategy solve an important problem that investors face? Is there a market dynamic that investors should be aware of? If so, include the strategy in your content.
ESSENTIALS to include on your fact sheet
Every fact sheet should include:
- Logo
- Name of strategy / fund
- “As of” date
- Contact info and website
- Strategy summary
- Portfolio managers / team (include photos!)
- Investment objective: 1 - 2 sentences from your DDQ
- The role your fund plays in a portfolio
- Fund (or) strategy facts / overview table
- Data such as risk / reward metrics or portfolio statistics
- Portfolio characteristics - either a strategy overview or simple bullets
- Portfolio data: Top 10 holdings, sector allocation, portfolio allocation (depending on product)
- Disclosures
It’s incredibly important that you tell stories and put a face, a heart, and a soul on your brand. Data doesn’t move money. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. Your numbers might open the door, but your story is what gets the deal done.
