Winning is getting easier: management describes the effort needed to land each new piece of business visibly falling, wi
The model's full reasoning — Q4 2017 call → NOWe need to determine if management conveys that winning business has become easier than in the past, with real recent proof, and still in effect. The transcript: Lee Gibson discusses loan growth, pipeline, optimism. He says "The economic conditions in all three of the markets we serve... remained healthy. The Austin and DFW markets yield primarily by job growth and company relocations continued to perform exceptionally well. We are excited about our prospects for 2018 given the newly acquired balance sheet and market area benefits associated with the reduced corporate tax rates, the dynamic growing markets we serve, our strong balance sheet, capital position, credit quality, and foremost, our outstanding team members." That's about prospects, not about winning business being easier. He mentions "customers being more optimistic" in response to a question about growth. He says "We are seeing some additional opportunities in C&I. The optimism comes from the reduced regulation, and obviously the tax cuts that were implemented effective January 1 of this year. So we do anticipate additional C&I business, but also we’ll have some commercial real estate." That's about optimism and opportunities, but not a comparison to past difficulty. No mention of sales cycles shortening, win rates improving, customers arriving pre-convinced, etc. The transcript does not contain any statement about winning business being easier than before. It's about strong markets and tax cuts. So answer NO.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NICE | NICE Ltd. | Q4 2023 | 2024-02-22 | B+ |
| ACGL | Arch Capital Group Ltd. | Q4 2023 | 2024-02-15 | B+ |
| VRNS | Varonis Systems, Inc. | Q2 2016 | 2016-08-09 | B+ |
| ACCO | ACCO Brands Corporation | Q1 2016 | 2016-04-27 | B+ |
ACCO · Q1 2016 → YESThe question is: Does management convey that IT HAS RECENTLY BECOME EASIER FOR THE COMPANY TO WIN BUSINESS THAN IT USED TO BE, based on real recent wins, and still in effect. YES The transcript shows management conveying that winning business has become easier than in the company's recent past. Boris Elisman states that customers have seen the value of the company's strong brands during the past couple of seasons, resulting in broader and deeper penetration in mass retailers and continued share gains.
NICE · Q4 2023 → YESThe question is: Does management convey that IT HAS RECENTLY BECOME EASIER FOR THE COMPANY TO WIN BUSINESS THAN IT USED TO BE, grounded in real business won recently, and still in effect.
VRNS · Q2 2016 → YESThe question is whether management conveys that it has recently become easier for the company to win business than it used to be, grounded in real recent wins, and still in effect.