On 25th of February, Fondsfrauen held its digital lunch talk about „The Art of Capital Raising”. A panel of seasoned industry experts shared their tips for closing deals and building lasting relationships in the asset management sector.
Fondsfrau Manuela Froehlich moderated the three panelists
- Annika Milz, Co-Head of European Institutional, Fidelity Investments
- Karolyn Jukic, CEO Zurich Office, Head Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Algebris Investments
- Alexandra Weck, CEO & Founder, A. Weck Consulting
Together, they discussed the real-world experiences of their strategies, challenges, and nuances of capital raising. It wasn’t too astonishing to hear that none of them actually chose a sales job in the beginning. Sales is definitely not one of the famous “pink ghettos” in our industry! But they found their position in sales by coincidence or were pushed by their supervisor to take it, when the opportunity was there. In the end, each of the panelists were happy to be in sales now and became fascinated by the direct contact to the client.
Geschützter Inhalt
Zum Weiterlesen musst du Mitglied bei den Fondsfrauen sein. Bitte logge dich ein oder registriere dich als neues Mitglied.
The main take-aways of the discussion are:
- In times where information is available at your fingertips, numbers still might be essential, but in sales, you need a good emotional story as well.
- Storytelling in sales needs a hero. But it is not your product that is the hero; it is your client that is the hero. How did he or she get help with your product?
- A sales person needs to understand exactly the situation and the problem of its client.
- More important than pitching your things is listening to your clients. Try to understand the mission that your counterpart has. Try to make it visible them how it would be if they collaborated with you.
- Trust is important! It is better to admit that you don’t have a solution or that you don’t know the figures. Be honest! If you made a mistake, admit it and to say ‘excuse me’!
- Bosses in sales are impatient! You have to cope with this pressure, because it’s you who is managing this relationship!
- Do not be pushy. Only call your clients or send them an e-mail when you really have something meaningful to say or to offer.
- Even if they say no, treat your clients with respect. They might come back to you at a later stage.
- Celebrate successes with your sales team, even if they are small. Sales is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and you have to keep people motivated.
Manuela summarized the results of the discussion: “Sales is a phantastic job for women! And women are predestined for it!”
Anke Dembowski ist Finanzjournalistin und Autorin verschiedener Investmentfonds- und anderer Finanzbücher. Sie ist außerdem Mit-Gründerin des Netzwerks „Fondsfrauen".