Application 6-A Respond to an Information Request from a Potential Investor The background. Sometimes individuals or organizations seek information from a particular company. The request could come, for example, from a potential investor or bank lender, a government agency that regulates your industry, or one of your service providers. When you receive such requests, you should first find out from more senior colleagues whether you or someone else should respond and how much company information can be provided. Most companies want to be relatively transparent; however, they will not want to divulge confidential records or trade secrets to an external constituency if they are not required to do so. In this application, the chief financial officer of an investment firm has heard that your company, Royal Pets, recently developed a new line of organic pet foods, which you are just beginning to place in local stores. She might be interested in investing in your product and helping to place it in a range of retail stores with which she is associated. As the marketing assistant for Royal Pets, you have been asked by the director of marketing to draft a response for her review. Can you include in the draft some basic information about your product and outline the successes you have already had with sales? (For this application, you will need to make up some plausible facts and figures and offer to meet for further discussion.) Here is the letter of inquiry: Dear Royal Pets: I read in our local paper The Happening Times about the organic foods for dogs and cats that you have created and are beginning to market locally. I have lots of experience in product placement in the retail industry and might be interested in investing with your company. If you think this sounds like a possible opportunity for you, please send me your company's product, marketing, and financial profile. We can then discuss possible further steps. Sincerely, Juanita Flores, CFO Investment Cooperative The purpose. Your draft response to the potential investor is a preliminary means of testing the waters, a way for both sides to see whether further, more serious discussions are warranted. So you will need to provide only a few key points about your new product and some basic sales information. Your company does want to attract investors; thus, the letter you write should be positive and persuasive. The audience. Based on her letter, Juanita Flores may have seen only a newspaper article about your company. Therefore, she will probably need a more detailed description of your new organic product and why it would benefit pets and be attractive to pet owners. She will also need some sales and financial facts to determine whether Royal Pets would be a good investment opportunity for her. The communication strategy. In a short (perhaps one-page) letter, combine your enthusiasm for the new Royal Pets product with some key facts. In other words, ground your persuasive energy in evidence