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...

Strength Through Presentation Adversity

If you often participate in new business meetings, you’ve probably found yourself in at least one of the following tough situations: How do we customize our presentation when we can’t find out anything about the prospect? There is so much information out there to help...

All Consultants Are Not Created Equal

Two firms with a similar investment style and comparable performance were competing for the attention of a prominent investment consulting firm. One firm, Company A, got to know the consulting firm in depth, meeting often with consultants as well as research analysts...