Creating an Attentive Environment

An institutional salesperson recalls the agony of regularly presenting with a hyperactive portfolio manager. While members of his team were presenting, this person would shuffle papers, look inside his briefcase, look out the window and generally fidget as if he...

How to Stay Up When Your Numbers Are Down

The following is adapted from an article written by Liz Hecht of Alpha Partners for Advisor, a journal for members of the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE). The article is reprinted with permission by AIMSE. Comment from a...

What You Don’t Learn On The Golf Course …

An investment firm lost an existing client to a new firm. The relationship manager was flabbergasted. He and his wife had become great friends with this client, attending golf outings and charity functions together for many years. He had forgotten that being a best...

“But You All Sound Exactly Alike …”

Early in her career, an institutional salesperson recalls this classic situation: She and her team had made a finals presentation for a sizable account. They described their “disciplined investment process,” their extensive resources, the quality of their...

When Bringing in the Big Guns Backfires

The director of a large family investment office tells this story. “This young woman, a marketing associate for a local investment firm, had been calling me for some time. She asked good questions, provocative questions that helped me think through some issues...