In Practice April 7, 2008

Study Touts Web as Sales Tool

Advisers covered by wholesalers and who use the Web as an effective sales tool averaged 25% more sales than those who do not use the Web, according to a new study.
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A kasina news release said the asset management consultant’s latest study of the impact of the Web on money management firms’ sales found that the most effective use a well-honed Web site to fill in the gaps left by their wholesalers.

With over 250,000 registered advisers in the U.S., no single wholesaler team is able to effectively touch all of them, the study asserts. “Even the most expansive wholesaling force in the nation touches less than 30% of advisers,” says Anurag Heda, a manager at kasina, in the announcement.

Many advisers are already signaling their interest in Web-based solutions, kasina said. Some 54% indicated that the quality of a fund company’s Web site is “very important” in influencing their buy/sell decisions.

Yet, even as the Web helps grow assets, firm sites are not currently designed to sell or treat advisers as prospective buyers. With increasing margin pressures on the horizon, firms must find new ways to elicit sales.

“Given the Web’s growing impact on sales, firms face a clear opportunity to add major scale to future sales efforts by turning e-Business’s focus to prospecting,” says CEO Steven Miyao, in the news release.


According to kasina, firms can optimize their Web sites to attract prospects by:

  • Designing to sell: Refocus content to drive sales through product reorganization
  • Driving registration: Implement an effective e-mail campaign strategy

The study, “Your Site Can Sell, Too,” examines ways firms can prime their Web sites to fill sales gaps left by wholesaler teams. More information is available at www.kasina.com.

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