Management of Wholesale Distribution of Investment Partnerships

Mr. White started with this Broker/Dealer as a Vice President responsible for the wholesale distribution of investment partnerships in a region of the country approximating the Mountain time zone. This was a marketing/sales role, which primarily consisted of enabling and motivating financial services sales people (insurance and financial planners) to market the company's partnership syndications of triple net lease Class A real estate properties, and operating businesses. Mr. White also functioned as the tax expert when prospective clients involved their CPAs in the decision process.

In the four years prior to his taking the position, the volume in the territory was completely flat, under two previous staff members. In his first year in the position, Mr. White tripled the volume from $6 million of equity raised, to $18 million. After two years, Mr. White was promoted to Senior Vice President, managing five other Vice Presidents.

At first, it would appear that Mr. White is a natural salesman. However, the truth may have had more to do with his ability to understand technology, people, and operations, and to combine those skills in such a way that barriers to success were removed. This ability to identify and remove barriers to success has been a recurring theme of Mr. White's career.

The following are some of the examples of how that capability was used in this case:

• Sales staff difficulty identifying availability and features of products: Mr. White created an information system enabling field sales personnel to know what was available when a sales opportunity surfaced, and to be able to quickly identify specific property selling features.
• Sales staff difficulty communicating long term tax impact of investments: Clients were purchasing investments that would impact their tax returns for the next 15 years. Mr. White created a software application allowing sales staff to easily demonstrate the effect of the purchase over that period.
• Sales staff difficulty simplifying the education of prospects about complex products: Mr. White developed a very simple presentation which could be done using one blank piece of paper, and drawing a chart as the prospect followed. This helped prospects understand where the investments fit in their overall portfolio of investments.