US Wealth Management Firm
Brand repositioning and development, strategy execution, and organizational alignment to capture "money in motion" after an economic downturn.
Capabilities Deployed: Brand, Strategy, Innovation, Culture, Insights, Creative
The Challenge
Our client is a premier US-based wealth management and financial advisory firm. In the midst of an economic recession, the firm's partnership group and executive committee recognized the need and opportunity to revisit the firm's strategic vision and operating plan. It was clear that investor preference in the US was shifting away from the traditional Wall Street investment advisory firms, and that as the economy recovered, many individual investors would likely be seeking to change financial advisors to receive a more personalized, thoughtful approach to financial planning and wealth management. The partnership group wished to position the firm to capture that "money in motion" and emerge from the recession in a significantly improved strategic position.
Our Solution
Our team facilitated a series of strategic re-imaging workshops with the partnership group, focused on clarifying the strategic intent, core values, points of difference, and expansion opportunities at the time. We then conducted discussion groups with both clients and strategic partners of the firm, assessing the brand profile, firm reputation, perceptions of the firm's capabilities, services, and potential future competitive positioning concepts. We identified an untapped opportunity to position the firm as the wealth management company that uniquely (and genuinely) seeks to understand the complete picture of the individual investor in order to earn the right to offer them advice. We then worked with the firm's leadership to develop a comprehensive go-to-market approach to ensure authentic and consistent delivery of the new brand promise. Initiatives we facilitated and led included the development of client service protocols, a new cultural framework, a revamped investment committee structure and playbook, client communications programs, advisor brand training workshops, and outbound marketing programs.
The Outcome
With the new strategy and activation plan in place, the firm delivered a more consistent and compelling client experience, building on the core principles that had already defined the intent and spirit of the firm in years past. The firm tripled its assets under management within two years (and a corresponding massive increase in profitability), with the vast majority of that growth coming in the form of new assets as opposed to market improvement. Today, the firm has successfully expanded into new markets, and has nearly doubled its headcount, with assets under management, revenues, and average client portfolio size continuing to grow year over year.