Thought leadership, relationships, and collaboration

Relationship managers have a pivotal role to play in activating thought leadership – and making it more effective

Execs rely on relationship managers for industry insights

Four years ago, executives were most likely to find thought leadership through third‐party emails, newsletters, and websites, followed by industry events. Today, 59% of executives discover thought leadership based on recommendations from their relationship managers – by far the most popular method. This figure has risen by nearly 20% since 2023 and has almost doubled since 2021, when relationship managers ranked fifth at just 34%.

Q. How are you most likely to find thought leadership material (either by actively looking or being made aware)? (Select 3)

Word of mouth is the most powerful distribution channel

The importance of the relationship manager should not be underestimated. According to our 2024 Client Buying Index, 45% of buyers switched to a new provider because they were “looking for new and innovative ideas.” More than a third of buyers made their final purchasing decision based on the provider’s knowledge and understanding of their industry. Thought leadership is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate that knowledge, and relationship managers have become the best channel through which to share it.

“You can produce excellent research and well‐crafted content, but having a process to disseminate it through client‐facing teams is more important than ever,” says State Street’s Anna Bernasek. She ties this to the challenges of differentiation and brand loyalty: “We’re all inundated with content, so having somebody who can point out the most relevant ‘must read’ pieces is invaluable.”

Personal outreach, whether that's a phone call, a personalized email, or a meeting, is more memorable in a deluge of information.”

Laura Klysz, Global Head of Marketing & Communications, Simmons & Simmons

Peers are powerful promoters of thought leadership

It’s not just relationship managers who hold sway. Nearly half of executives discover thought leadership through recommendations from internal networks, while more than a third (36%) rely on external networks such as their peers. This word‐of‐mouth network is potent: 72% of executives say they would not recommend a provider whose thought leadership was poor. The price of getting it wrong for one client could cost you business with another.

Social media, emails, and newsletters now rank at the bottom of the list of thought leadership sources. One likely reason is that LinkedIn feeds and inboxes are oversaturated, making it difficult for providers to break through. Perhaps a more provocative message, coupled with a stronger emphasis on design, could help capture attention and draw in new readers.

72%

of executives say they wouldn’t recommend
a provider whose thought leadership was poor

Executives are hungry to collaborate on thought leadership

Clients and marketers agree that collaborating on thought leadership – jointly defining, creating, or disseminating content – can be mutually beneficial. In fact, 80% of executives believe that “collaborating with providers on thought leadership improves the strength of the content,” and 78% believe it “improves the strength of our relationship.” Marketers agree on both counts, as revealed in our Thought Leadership Benchmark Report.

Relationship managers need better enablement toolkits

Clients clearly have an appetite for more collaborative opportunities, even though 78% say they “often get asked to help providers create thought leadership.” So, what’s stopping providers from leaping at the chance? Time and approvals for one. “It’s hard to get multiple voices involved and ensure everybody is satisfied with their contribution. Then it’s a case of getting legal and comms to approve. It adds to the complexity of the project,” explains Cindy Anderson of IBM.

Another reason is that customer-facing teams need greater support in nurturing the client relationships and priming the ground for collaboration. Our 2024 Thought Leadership Benchmark Report found that 70% of marketers believe relationship managers are often hesitant to approach clients with collaborative opportunities unless they’ve done it before.

“At LinkedIn, we involve relationship managers in the thought leadership journey from the start, ensuring they feel like joint project owners,” says LinkedIn's Aggie Anthimidou. “We make it a priority to offer clients an exclusive preview of our thought leadership, providing a far more tailored experience than simply viewing the report on our website. This personalized approach is something our clients value and appreciate.”

Click here to read our report on sales and marketing alignment