Deals Still Run On Relationships: VRA Partner's Chris Reilly On Why The Best Buyers Build Trust First

We all know relationships are key in BD, but it’s still easy to forget that there’s always a real human on the other side of your transactions. Chris Reilly, Managing Director at VRA Partners has years of experience building lasting relationships that have helped propel and maintain his career in investment banking. Chris joins the show to discuss how PE folks can engage boutique bankers and create lasting relationships that stick, what kind of engagement tactics work and what ones will land your email in the trash, and how building reciprocal relationships with wealth advisors and M&A Attorneys can help you stay in the know and get referred to the bankers and deals that will take your career to the next level. He also leaves us with advice on what the next generation of PE industry titans should be doing now to ensure long lasting and thriving careers in a competitive business.

Chapters00:00 — From Accounting to Deal Origination

Chris Reilly’s unconventional path into investment banking and discovering a passion for sourcing deals

03:50 — What VRA Actually Does

Inside a boutique investment bank: clients, deal size, and how they operate

05:32 — How to Engage Boutique Bankers

Why most outreach fails—and what actually gets attention

08:32 — How Often Should You Reach Out?

The right cadence for building (and maintaining) banker relationships

10:17 — Who Gets Priority Time (and Why)

Track record, capital, and what separates serious buyers from the rest

13:05 — If I Were Starting a PE Firm Today…