The Science of Knowing Who To Speak To (And When)

Fund distribution has always been a business led by the contact book.

For a long time, that was enough. If you had the right relationships, a good sense of timing, and a calendar full of meetings, you could build meaningful momentum.

But the rhythm of the industry has changed.

There’s more noise, more pressure, more people trying to reach the same desks. Sales & Marketing teams are still working hard, but often without the visibility they need. The challenge isn’t effort: it’s clarity.

Most of the work still happens upstream of the conversation itself. Not the meeting, but everything that precedes it—working out who to contact, when to reach out, what to lead with. It’s an enormous tax on time. And while it’s part of the job, it’s not always where the value lies.

In fact, many teams still spend 60-70% of their time on discovery work. That’s time spent searching – rather than selling, nurturing, or closing. And it can create an imbalance, where activity runs high, but impact doesn’t always follow.

This isn’t a new observation.

At the Funds Europe Fundstech Forum earlier this year, Fundpath’s Chief Growth Officer Adam Harrison captured it plainly:

Distribution hasn’t historically enjoyed the same spotlight as the investment side. It’s been treated as a cost centre. So the incentive to innovate hasn’t matched the urgency. Meanwhile, sales teams are making forward-looking decisions based on yesterday’s news.”

That line has stayed with us. Because it names something many in the industry have felt for a while: that despite the growing sophistication of the products being sold, the process of selling them has remained stubbornly analogue.

From Search to Signal

But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

There are now real signals—clean, structured, and timely—that help answer the question every salesperson asks: Who should I be speaking to right now?

These aren’t broad strokes. They’re specific: A gatekeeper or key decision-maker moves roles. A firm shifts its asset allocation priorities. A fund selector raises a new investment requirement. These changes quietly shape the rhythm of decision-making – but they often go unseen.

The teams who notice these shifts early don’t just get the meeting—they get there before the window closes.

That’s the change we’re seeing and catalysing. A movement away from relying solely on instinct, toward a more informed approach, one that respects the pace and pressure on both sides of the conversation.

When the right tools are in place, discovery work doesn’t disappear. It becomes sharper, faster, and more focused. The result is that teams spend more time where it counts – adding value, following up on signals, and building deeper commercial relationships.

Because at its core, relevance isn’t just about landing the right message, but landing it with the right people at the right time. It’s about showing up when the message is most likely to matter.

Less Guesswork, More Confidence.

This isn’t about replacing relationships. It’s about enriching them.

The best conversations still come from trust. But even trust needs timing. The shift is subtle but powerful: from working the contact book to knowing how to work it well. From being present in the market to being present in the right places.

For asset managers, this means fewer false starts, faster paths to the right conversations, and a greater sense of control over their time.

For wealth managers, it means a better experience: outreach that feels timely, relevant, and considered.

Because in a crowded landscape, attention is earned. And outreach that reflects current needs isn’t just more effective: it’s better received.

Seen this way, reducing discovery time isn’t just about speed. It’s about cost efficiency, smarter resource allocation, and creating more time for higher-value work. And in the longer-term, it’s about laying the groundwork for relationships that last – because they began with relevance, not repetition.

This is the quiet shift we’re seeing: from broad targeting to precise engagement. From guesswork to good judgement. And it starts with being able to see more, before others do.

What’s Next

This is the first in a four-part series exploring how clearer insight creates better commercial outcomes: from opportunity to outreach, retention to reputation.

Next, we’ll look at the idea of market visibility and how being able to see the whole field (not just the familiar names) can change the way distribution teams operate.

Intelligent distribution doesn’t just begin with the right message. It begins with knowing where to look.

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