Looking for some input on if pivoting from an internal wholesaler to an investment research associate could be a step in the right direction. Being an internal has been a great start to my career, but I'd like to be closer to the PM/CIO side of the biz.
Recently, our comp package has changed from base + bps to base + bonus, which makes the role almost completely impossible to truly scale (one of the key advantages of a true sales role, obviously). The prospects for me to make it to an external in the near future are somewhat slim, as they just completely overhauled the team this year and added 4 brand new guys.
Right now, 90% of my day is raw prospecting/cold calling, which is not fulfilling at all. Having the later stage, IC-esque conversations is great, but frankly that's not something I'm doing very often.
My thoughts are that getting more experience and exposure on the more technical side of things could set me up for a career track I'm more interested in, without sacrificing much (if any) upside from a total comp. perspective.
Thoughts?
If you're still fairly young / new to the firm, I don't see why you couldn't try to lateral. I would find an ally who can help make that happen. I know some kids at major firms who have done exactly that. You can easily spin it as "It's been a great learning experience and I know I want to build a career on the investor side". Your firm may have an interesting position like product strategist that straddles both client facing and investor. I know some do.
Helpful rickle, thank you. I definitely have some allies on my side & my gut instinct is that the opportunity to develop my investment acumen early on via this pivot will be hugely additive vs drilling the phones.
There is a product strategist/specialist team that I've developed strong rapport with, but it seems fairly saturated right now and will be until we add some new offerings to the lineup. Plus, my credibility as a client-facing "SME" is limited given I'm in my early 20's...hoping additional accreditations & time spent on the investment side will help from that perspective.
Thanks again.
-S
I would poke around the Strategist / Specialist team and figure out what you need to do to make the pivot. Use good business sense not to burn bridges. Realistically it will take time. Maybe even a year or more. Find out who you need to speak with with, find out what you need to do, Continue doing a great job as a wholesaler as you prep for a pivot. Perhaps start the CFA process so they see you're serious. Most of all, be patient. While you're still in sales see if you can help others with portfolio construction conversations, more depth, etc. Just be patient.
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