Geographic Density Approach¶
Definition¶
The Geographic Density Approach is a market coverage strategy where an origination team prioritizes city-level market visits based on the density of existing COI/referral relationships in that geography, then builds additional meetings (direct outreach, sponsor coverage) around those anchor relationships to maximize ROI on travel.
Origin¶
Described by Chris Reilly in Ep. 23: Deals Still Run on Relationships as VRA Partners' primary method of planning field coverage.
How It Works¶
- Identify anchor markets: Cities where VRA has a density of established referral relationships — Dallas, Tampa, New York, Chicago, and others.
- Anchor on key meetings: Plan visits around key COI relationships or events (ACG conferences, law firm one-on-one meetings, PEIB deal meetings).
- Build around the anchor: Add direct business owner outreach, sponsor meetings, and secondary COI meetings to the same trip.
- Share the lists: Take the direct calling list built for a market visit and share it with COI partners as a goodwill gesture — "do you know any of these businesses?"
Seasonality¶
The approach follows a seasonal rhythm: - High travel: Late January through Memorial Day - Lower travel: Summer months - High travel: Labor Day through Thanksgiving - Limited travel: Holiday season (deals aren't launched during Christmas)
On average, the origination team travels every other week.
Why Not Sector-Based?¶
VRA covers five broad verticals (consumer, healthcare, industrial, technology, business services), which Chris describes as "pretty generalist." Because the firm isn't narrowly sector-focused, geographic density is a more useful organizing principle than sector density for field coverage.