It would be reasonable to assume—especially given the increasingly competitive and uncertain distribution landscape—that distribution leaders’ views would vary greatly about which initiatives will drive long-term success for their firms. After all, National Accounts and National Sales leaders must consider a plethora of external and internal factors that can really impact business outcomes. However, based on our recent surveys of National Accounts and National Sales leaders, there is a general consensus that data and technology refinement and enhanced business intelligence will be two points of focus for the majority of asset management organizations in 2023.

In our "Remote Selling is Here to Stay" study, we analyzed survey results from more than 500 financial advisors (conducted in association with Horsesmouth) to identify how advisors are now thinking about engagements with asset managers as many professionals are returning to the office. The results may surprise you.

Over the past several years, important buy and sell decisions have increasingly been centralized within research/due diligence teams at every major distributor. During this time, the reach and influence of these teams have grown dramatically due to advisors’ increasing reliance on recommended lists and models for investment selection and monitoring, as well as continued platform rationalization and fee compression triggering a trend toward fewer available fund families and funds.