Advisor Book Sales
INDUSTRY:
FINANCIAL SERVICES
CLIENT:
US INDEPENDENT ADVISOR BROKER-DEALER
YEAR:
2022
ROLE:
AVP PRODUCT DESIGN PRINCIPAL
The Backstory
Independent financial advisors sometimes manage client accounts that are high-maintenance but low-revenue. The idea? Let advisors sell a portion of these accounts back to the broker-dealer, freeing up their time and resources while the company takes over servicing them.
The Idea
We decided to use a shopping-cart approach—something advisors could immediately relate to. Advisors could:
Browse accounts in their book of business
Select which ones to sell
Submit for review by the broker-dealer’s finance team
The goal: make a complex, partially transactional process feel familiar and easy to navigate, even for less tech-savvy users.
The Challenges
Most existing business-sale tools were built for full acquisitions, not partial sales.
They required heavy in-person coordination, which we wanted to minimize.
Advisors needed a process that was intuitive and low-friction, without requiring a deep learning curve.
The Design Journey
The Validation
Validation tested whether the new Client Segmentation & Monetization flow made it easier for advisors to identify low-revenue accounts, package them for sale, and maintain client service continuity.
Insights
The “Estimated Payment” feature was a key trust driver.
Some advisors wanted the ability to export reports before committing to transfer.
The book monetization process was co
Impact Summary
Validation demonstrated that the redesigned flow reduced task time by 28%, increased confidence in valuation transparency, and helped advisors feel comfortable using the platform to scale more efficiently.
Streamlined flow simplified complex transactions
Deal preview screens built trust and confidence
Visual summaries clarified before/after outcomes
❌ What Didn't
Price negotiation flow caused hesitation
Legal language reduced readability
Prototype lacked compliance check step
92%
Success
25%
Time Savings
75%
Confidence
4.3
Satisfaction
The Outcome
The tool, which later became nicknamed “Profit Rocket,” was launched after six months of design. Within one year, it generated over $1B in AUM sales for the broker-dealer. Also, the nationwide rollout also garnered a 90% NPS score.
Lessons
Ease-of-learning matters. By building on users’ prior experience and familiar mental models, even complex transactions can feel intuitive. Good design helps people transfer what they already know to new workflows
Good design builds on what users already know. The less they have to learn, the faster they can succeed.
Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.
