I have come to meet with many good management teams over the last few years. One thing that impresses me about the PM juniors is just how accessable the top people are for the average retail schmoe to contact them. For example, just try to get in touch with the president of Inco, or even a small tech company. But most of the time, I can call in directly to the office of a junior and reach the senior executives, or at least leave a message and they will call me back. Very often it is the senior people that will be on hand to speak to investors directly at gold shows. I was the Vegas show last September, which had a thin turnout, and spoke with a gentleman the Sabina Resources booth for half an hour, and then took his card. It wasn't until I was on the plane home that I realized I had been talking to the company president, and not some IR guy. And even more shocking to me, when I call them back weeks later to get more info, they still remember who I am.
It should be noted that this is a result of the dedication that these people have for their chosen field (no pun intended). Most of the geologists I speak with are delighted to talk for as long as you let them about their interest and why their property is exciting. It is only very recently that individual investors ever bothered to talk to management directly (and most still choose not to do so even though it is a most valuable resource to them), and during prior bull markets only analytical teams from institutional houses ever contacted them. For many technical people, it is a difficult skill to go out and speak to individuals, and 'dumb down' their explanations enough for the average investor to understand what the hell they are talking about.
My advice to anyone investing in a junior resource company is to invest the time to attend at least one major show a year, and talk to as many people as you can. Introduce yourself, make personal contacts, and follow up with them later on. You will gain far more information than one can get from just reading the published material, and you can usually depend on a straight answer to any questions you may have. Do not waste people's time, and have specific information that you want to discuss, but take the time to do meet the guys you are depending on to make your investments grow.
cheers!
COACH247 |
