Wicked Smaht Fixed Income Guys*

Wicked Smaht Bond Guys*

I’ve worked with a lot of fixed income experts over my career — and let’s be honest, they’re all pretty impressive. From specialists in asset-backed receivables to multi-sector stars running chart-topping strategies, they’ve got the credentials, the expertise, and more than a little swagger.

But here’s the thing: if everyone in fixed income is smart, why do so many managers still think “smart” is their differentiator? Clients aren’t picking managers based on where they went to school. Yet you’d never know it given how often strategies are pitched with a version of: “You should work with us because we’re really, really smart.”

The problem gets worse once they start talking. Instead of connecting with the audience, they dive headfirst into convexity, deltas, gammas, amortization schedules, and waterfalls. Put a few of them on a panel and suddenly it’s an all-out peacocking display.

Impressive? Sure. Impactful? Not so much.

Here’s what too many managers forget: meetings with clients, prospects, and consultants are for their benefit — not yours. If the takeaway is, “They’ve got great performance and the guy was super smart, but I have no idea what they actually do,” that’s a wasted meeting.

A truly smart manager builds a message around client relevance:

• How might we and our strategy improve this client’s investment program?

• Why do we make the decisions we make?

• Why will we continue to be effective in the future?

Now the takeaway sounds more like: “Smart team with a distinctive approach that could complement our high-grade credit exposure by adding structural cash flow risk from equipment-backed collateral. Let’s dig deeper.” That’s a conversation worth having.

Don’t confuse education with relevance. Educators lecture to convey information they want students to learn. Investors listen for what matters to them: their portfolio, their challenges, their success; they dig deeper to learn more when they find the content relevant.

Before your next meeting, stop thinking about what you want out of it. Think about what they want. Shift your message to speak to that — and watch your conversations become far more productive.

That’s what I help fixed income firms do every day. I work with investment teams across public and private markets to transform complex expertise into clear, compelling and relevant messages that resonate with prospects, clients, and consultants.

If you’re ready to move from “smart” to strategic — from lecturing about what you do to winning more business because of how you say it — let’s talk. I’ll help you sharpen your story, elevate your impact, and grow faster.

Now that’s wicked smaht.

*The pejorative, “Guys”, is used here as reflective of both the composition of the fixed income professional landscape and the natural tendencies of, well, guys.