The Deciding Vote

At a recent finals presentation, two investment firms presented to the board. The board cast seven votes, with three choosing one firm and three choosing the other based on the in-person presentation. The tie-breaker? A decision based solely on the book—by a board...

You Can Judge a Book by Its Cover

A friend recently told us this story: We had a big final presentation—a sizable mandate for a foundation. We worked hard to prepare, and I thought we did a pretty good job. To my surprise, on the plane back home, I happened to be seated next to a key decision-maker,...

Research Is a Commodity If…

Here’s our spin on comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck if…” series.* We call it “Research is a commodity if…” It is inspired by our suspicion that many investment managers do not treat market research as a...

Time on the Phone Saves Time on the Plane

A Canadian plan sponsor told us this story at a conference: “The marketer for an investment company called to arrange a meeting with me. I told him I could give him 20 minutes. He showed up at my office and launched into a description of this new product his...

Beware False Customization

During a final presentation to win a $100 million piece of new business, the marketer for an investment firm made the following statement several times: “We manage money for many organizations just like yours.” The marketer opened the presentation by...