THE NEED

The wealth and upper affluent markets are the fastest growing client segments in financial services today. Yet most private banks’ operating results are at a near standstill position. While a sustained bull market single-handedly produces portfolio “growth”, the real declines in both market share and client share-of-wallet are obscured – and a realistic sense of urgency is suppressed if not averted.

To challenge the competition, successful companies must align and integrate personal service, relationship development, and operations support structures and processes from a client-focused perspective. But the obstacles to success are immense...old organization models structured around products and operations instead of clients; incentive and “turf” barriers that discourage cooperative referrals of high-potential clients; poor job designs that limit relationship managers to as little as 25% or even 15% of their time spent developing relationships and new business; loss of focus on local markets due to post-merger regionalization of management; uncompetitive information delivery; and ineffective use of technology.

LoBue Associates works with client companies to meet these challenges and implement strategies for portfolio growth, high-quality service, and streamlined operations, resulting in improved total business performance.

THE SOLUTION...REAL EXPERIENCE

LoBue helps wealth management, private banking, and trust companies identify their most rewarding opportunities and ultimately develop and implement sound solutions to capitalize profitably on those opportunities. Expert consultants work with your team, bringing real experience in private client management, securities trading, credit, trust, financial planning, and other financial services and operations/technology to the project. Starting with a review of the client company’s vision and objectives, LoBue assists management in designing sales strategies, business designs, organization structures, and management processes that optimize growth, profitability, service quality and productivity. Specific programs with wealth management organizations include the following:

• Developing and implementing plans to launch a start-up, emerging affluent program with superior results.
• Integrating two merging organizations and implementing best practices to establish a unified sales organization and culture, supported by a reengineered operations infrastructure.
• Analyzing operations and business processes, and designing customer-centered delivery capabilities that improve service quality while reducing costs.
• Surveying client objectives and information requirements to completely redesign reporting and information delivery systems for simplicity, flexibility, and user-friendliness in accessing any level of information and detail.
• Training private bankers in selling to the affluent/wealthy to optimize revenue development and client retention.

LoBue consultants then team up with management to provide the programs and insight required for a smooth transition of new responsibilities and functions within the organization.

REAL RESULTS

LoBue consultants have conducted over 400 consulting projects in 40 countries. Experience and knowledge, partnered with client commitment and ownership, have led to positive change and sustainable results – on-time and on-target.

A newly merged global bank needed to integrate all private banking operations, including trust, investment services, and client management. Relationship positions were redesigned to remove administrative tasks and increase sales productivity. A management process was implemented to establish account loading, track profitability, and migrate clients across affluent, upper affluent, and wealth service levels. Processes and operations were redesigned to implement best practices while achieving cost savings in excess of $80 million per annum.

Working in conjunction with wealth management and private banking executives, LoBue consultants ensure corporate vision and objectives are carried out, creating real solutions that produce real results.