Accessing banks and broker-dealers has become one of the most misunderstood, and competitive, paths for emerging managers. Platforms are consolidating, diligence standards are rising, and allocators are overwhelmed with new strategies seeking shelf space. As a result, waiting until you “look big enough” is no longer a viable strategy.
These best practices reflect how successful emerging managers are approaching banks and broker-dealers today, and how Dakota Marketplace helps teams identify the right entry points, relationships, and timing to break through.
Why This Channel Matters Now
Banks and broker-dealers remain one of the largest gateways to scalable capital, particularly as private markets, models, and centralized decision-making continue to expand inside wealth platforms. While institutions may move slowly, wealth intermediary platforms are actively underwriting managers earlier, tracking progress, and preparing for future allocations.
Across thousands of emerging and established managers, Dakota consistently sees that firms who start this process early, and run it with discipline, are the ones that convert platform conversations into real assets over time. This perspective comes from firsthand fundraising activity, allocator conversations, and years of observing what actually moves the needle inside these platforms.
Want allocator intelligence and workflows that support these best practices? Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace
The Top 10 Best Practices for Emerging Managers
1. Start the Sales Process Earlier Than You Think
One of the most common mistakes emerging managers make is waiting until they feel “ready” to engage banks and broker-dealers. In reality, platform conversations are not about immediate asset flows, they are about underwriting the firm, the team, and the strategy over time. Banks and broker-dealers want to understand who you are well before you reach their allocation thresholds.
Starting these conversations early allows platforms to build a file on your strategy as it evolves. By the time you are investable, you are no longer an unknown name, you are a manager they’ve been tracking, updating, and evaluating over multiple cycles.
2. Separate Platform Underwriting From Asset Allocation
Getting approved or reviewed by a platform is not the same thing as receiving assets. These are two distinct milestones, and confusing them often leads managers to abandon the process too early. Platform underwriting is about diligence and familiarity; asset allocation comes later, often after years of interaction.
Successful emerging managers treat underwriting as a long-term relationship-building process. Even when allocations are not immediate, consistent updates and engagement ensure that when demand emerges, the groundwork has already been laid.
3. Focus on the Home Office First, But Don’t Ignore the Field
Banks and broker-dealers have become increasingly centralized, with research teams and home office committees playing a larger role in manager selection. That said, internal advocates still matter. Advisor teams and regional leaders can influence how and when a strategy gains traction internally.
The most effective approach balances both. Emerging managers prioritize home office research conversations while also building relationships with advisor teams that can support and reinforce the story from within the platform.
4. Match Your Product Structure to How Platforms Buy
Product structure plays a critical role in how banks and broker-dealers evaluate strategies. Platforms are designed around specific delivery mechanisms, models, SMAs, UMAs, mutual funds, or discretionary programs, and managers need to understand where they fit.
Managers who clearly articulate how their strategy can be accessed make it easier for platforms to engage. The more aligned your structure is with how a platform allocates capital, the smoother the path to adoption becomes.
5. Don’t Overlook Regional Private Banks
Large national platforms often get the most attention, but regional private banks can be some of the most attractive opportunities for emerging managers. These firms often behave more like RIAs, with meaningful discretion and the ability to move earlier.
For many managers, regional private banks serve as both early adopters and long-term partners. Treating them with the same level of focus and professionalism as national platforms can lead to meaningful, scalable relationships.
See how Dakota Marketplace supports this workflow, book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
6. Debunk the “You Need a Huge Wholesaling Team” Myth
A common misconception is that accessing banks and broker-dealers requires a massive sales force. In reality, centralization within platforms has increased leverage points and reduced the need for broad, inefficient coverage.
Emerging managers who succeed focus on the right conversations rather than the most conversations. By identifying key decision-makers and points of influence, small teams can generate real momentum without overextending resources.
7. Run a Long-Term Pipeline, Not Just a Near-Term One
Sales cycles in the bank and broker-dealer channel are long by nature. Managers who only track near-term opportunities miss the value of maintaining visibility into future-fit conversations.
Tracking long-term evaluations, “not now” feedback, and evolving platform interest allows managers to stay engaged without forcing outcomes. Over time, these deferred conversations often become actionable opportunities.
8. Use City Scheduling to Create Efficient Coverage
Even in a centralized world, geography still matters. Face-to-face meetings accelerate trust, deepen relationships, and create momentum that is difficult to replicate remotely.
City scheduling allows emerging managers to maximize limited travel time by clustering meetings and creating a consistent presence in key markets. Over time, this discipline compounds into stronger regional relationships across platforms.
9. Let Your CRM Drive Calls to Action
A CRM should not exist for reporting, it should exist to create action. When used properly, pipeline and activity reports tell managers exactly where to focus their time each day.
By reviewing recent meetings, upcoming activity, and pipeline stages, emerging managers can prioritize outreach, follow-up, and travel with clarity. This discipline is a critical lever for doing more with less.
10. Focus on What You Can Control
Market conditions, allocation cycles, and platform timing are outside any manager’s control. Process is not. The most successful emerging managers commit to consistent outreach, disciplined follow-up, and structured execution regardless of headlines.
By focusing on controllable inputs, coverage, meetings, pipeline hygiene, and updates, managers position themselves to benefit when market conditions turn in their favor.
Dakota Marketplace gives emerging managers allocator profiles, platform intelligence, AUM context, team structures, and workflows designed specifically for efficient fundraising. Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace.
Why These Best Practices Matter Now
Banks and broker-dealers are evolving. Decision-making is more centralized, product access is more structured, and platforms are increasingly proactive about identifying future managers of interest. At the same time, competition among emerging managers has intensified.
Old approaches, waiting to be “big enough,” relying solely on warm intros, or ignoring platform dynamics, no longer work. Data-driven teams that understand how platforms actually operate gain an edge by starting earlier, staying organized, and maintaining visibility over time.
Top-tier emerging managers differentiate themselves not by speed, but by consistency, clarity, and professionalism across long sales cycles.
How Dakota Supports These Best Practices
Dakota Marketplace gives emerging managers the allocator intelligence and research workflows needed to access banks and broker-dealers strategically. By combining platform data with CRM discipline, teams can identify the right contacts, understand platform structure, and manage long-term pipelines more effectively.
It’s why thousands of investment professionals rely on Dakota to help them grow efficiently, even with lean teams.
Want to Apply These Best Practices With the Industry’s Leading Allocator Intelligence Platform?
See how Dakota Marketplace helps emerging managers research smarter, cover platforms more efficiently, and win capital over time. Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace
