“I” on the Target

Determining an advisor, team or platform’s value to your organization and the opportunity to grow that relationship is, if not easy, relatively straightforward with the right data and technology. Influence, by contrast, is easy to gloss over because it involves quantitative and qualitative elements—and a bit of intuition.

But a well constructed, successfully executed advisor segmentation and engagement strategy requires distribution leaders to consider all three elements—influence, value and opportunity—in the evaluation of top-tier advisors and strategically important distribution partners.

Classification and quantification of influence is possible with the right data and institutional knowledge. It requires a close collaboration between national sales and national accounts to identify the levers of influence across platforms and with individual advisors, and to develop both top-down and bottom-up engagement strategies.

This report explores the role of influence in advisor segmentation and provides a framework for how distribution teams can assess sway to execute an influence-aware sales strategy.