Your marketing problem might be a teamwork problem

Marketing launches a campaign. Sales hears something different from prospects. Operations finds out when the new client paperwork arrives. Everyone is working hard, but the pieces don’t quite connect.

This can happen at a small RIA just as easily as a large institution. Sometimes the departments are separate teams. Sometimes they’re three people sitting ten feet apart. Either way, the client feels the gaps.

Salesforce’s 2023 research found that 79% of customers expected consistent interactions across departments, while 55% felt they were dealing with separate departments rather than one company. In financial services, Cerulli reported in January 2026 that 35% of billion-dollar RIAs identified improving data visibility and usage as a top challenge. Different studies, but both point to something worth addressing: information isn’t always getting where it needs to go.

My starting point would be simple. Bring marketing, sales or business development, and operations together around one question: What does a good experience look like from the first conversation through the first year?

Then get specific. Agree on who you’re trying to reach. Define what makes a prospect worth pursuing. Decide who follows up, how quickly, and where the notes live. Give operations a voice before making promises about onboarding or service.

A short weekly conversation can help. Review what’s coming in, what prospects are asking, and where clients are getting stuck. Look at qualified conversations, new clients, and follow-through together, rather than letting each team celebrate its own numbers.

You don’t need a major reorganization to start. Pick one handoff that’s frustrating people and fix it together. That’s often where a more cohesive team begins.

Sources

• Salesforce — 4 Marketing Principles That Will Keep Customers Coming Back (2023)
• Cerulli Associates — Billion-Dollar RIAs Accelerate AI and Data Investments to Drive Next-Stage Growth (January 29, 2026)