Needed: Proprietary Data

The opportunity with institutional investors is vast, to put it mildly. Trillionaire asset managers (e.g., Blackrock, Vanguard, Fidelity, Franklin, Invesco, Capital Group, etc.) leverage their brand, political networks, and other strategic resources to easily gain access to institutional decision-makers. For small asset managers it's a struggle. Investment consultants make it harder by functioning as the de facto gate-keepers to institutional decision-makers. So the question on the minds of [non-trillionaire] asset managers looking for growth is "how can we increase access to investment decision-makers?" Take three steps, none of them are easy, so they require commitment and firm resolve. 

Step 1. Find a way to build your own database on investment decision-makers. Firms out there sell institutional data for over $200K per year. On top of that competitors have access to the same data -- there is no 'edge.' The technology and capabilities exist for them to do it themselves for a fraction of the cost. 

Step 2. Create a standardized, but proprietary, map of how institutional clients make decisions. There is a process, and every investor has their own way. There are usually many people and committees that weigh in on these decisions. With this information, refine the sales and marketing processes to fit into the decision-making process. Tap into the database from Step #1 above to stay on the radar of these decision-makers and influencers. 

Step 3. Lean on technology to complement human sales efforts.

The secret-sauce, the competitive advantage, is not in implementing the three steps. Rather, it is in the firm's ability to build the three steps into capabilities so that they become a part of it's DNA.