U.S. Institutional Marketing and Sales Organizations 2024
Investor Challenges with Current Market Conditions
Plan, Adapt, Grow
- Evaluate how the role of technology continues to evolve in the institutional sales process
- Discover how sales teams are evolving to meet the demands of institutional clients and investment consultants in the current market environment
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Summary
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of asset managers’ institutional marketing and sales organizational teams. Specifically, this report examines trends in consultant intermediation, relationship management, marketing, consultant relations, client service, and request for proposals (RFP)/database teams. A primary focus of this report is the typical organizational structure of these key groups, including how these organizational alignments may vary based on the size or focus of the manager. Other relevant topics include changes to headcount by functional area, trends related to compensation, and how managers can work with consultant intermediaries to best position their firms for new mandates.
A Note from the Author
What Do Institutional Investors Want from Asset Managers?

Christopher Swansey
Associate Director
Bio →

Christopher Swansey
Associate Director
Christopher is an associate director on the Institutional team where he supports multiple reports annually, including the annual outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) report, and various strategic consulting projects throughout the year. He also regularly contributes to The Cerulli Edge—Institutional Edition, The Cerulli Edge—U.S. Edition, and The Cerulli Edge—U.S. Monthly Product Trends.
Christopher was a Senior Analyst at Mercer working within their executive compensation practice before joining Cerulli in 2018.
Full biography here.
In reaction to increased inflation and interest rates, institutional investors actively searching for investment opportunities are looking at current market conditions, but their attention is also focused on asset managers' long-term capabilities, expertise, and capacity.
According to our research, the top factors institutional investors consider when selecting an asset manager for an investment mandate include scale (85%), experience with similar clients (55%), and specialization in a specific asset class (53%).
Service also matters to clients. The most important service polled asset owners want is access to investment decision makers (portfolio managers and analysts), with 38% stating this as a very important element of client service. Investors want to be certain that communications about investment progress and any important events related to their investment will be properly communicated to them—33% of those polled state they have quarterly meetings and 31% note that annual meetings occur with PMs.
Cerulli recommends that asset managers maintain their focus on existing clients as much as prospective opportunities. The longer a firm keeps a client, the more profitable the relationship becomes. Given the abrupt change in the market, asset managers can’t be complacent.
To learn more, access our report, U.S. Institutional Marketing and Sales Organizations. Our research provides asset managers the intelligence they need to plan for the long-term trends affecting demand in the institutional market.
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