The Perfect Score

In This Issue: Aiming for a 10 | Practice Perfect | Grit Practice makes perfect. And even if you don’t believe in perfection (sadly, some people don’t), practice can mean the difference between new business won or lost, between kudos or public...

Brother, Can You Spare Some Time?

In This Issue: Avoiding Time Thieves | Being on Time | The Pomodoro Technique Time is money. Time also provides peace of mind, room for inspiration and the ability to be proactive rather than reactive. So how do investment company professionals get more of it? This...

The Cost of Carelessness

In This Issue: Is Anyone Paying Attention? | The Checklist Manifesto | The Great Typo Hunt The incorrect address, the misplaced form, the embarrassing typo, the neglected piece of critical information … all the tiny shortcomings that day after day, mistake after...

The Power of Examples

In This Issue: Beyond Blah Blah Blah | But Is It Legal? | The Missing Component The two most powerful words in any presentation are “for example.” Yet investment managers use specific examples infrequently or without skill. This issue of Excess Returns...

Consistency and Customization

In This Issue: Consistency and Customization | The Penalty Box | Custom Nation At every step along the path to asset growth—from introductory consultant meetings to client reviews—smart investment managers seek to communicate one set of consistent messages about their...

Know Thy Competitors

In This Issue: Uses and Abuses | A New War Story | Rework Competitor intelligence can confer a decisive advantage in winning business—or it can prove to be a foundation for indecision and mediocrity. This issue of Excess Returns explores the uses and abuses of...