# Marketing Synthesis — Cross-Track Design Rules

> **Status:** v1 (2026-10-09). Synthesizes the three research briefs into the operating rules for BOTH marketing tracks (client-track, RM-track). Each rule points to its evidence base in the source briefs. This is the contract that every deck, letter, and demo script must satisfy.
> Sources: `research-rm-psychology.md` (RM), `research-client-pitch-mistakes.md` (clients), `research-storytelling-science.md` (science).

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## 1. The ten non-negotiable design rules (both tracks)

1. **Hard caps: 10–12 slides, 1 idea per slide.** Working memory holds ~4 chunks; 10 slides ≈ the ceiling. Anything else goes to appendix, handed over — not presented. (Sweller; Kawasaki; storytelling brief §design rules)
2. **One number per message.** Pick THE number that carries the point; cut the grid. Numbers shown must be translated into consequence ("that's CHF X of your money"). Numbers without translation don't persuade. (Knaflic; evaluability RCT)
3. **Client/RM is the protagonist; we are the guide.** No firm-as-hero narrative. The story is THEIR situation, THEIR risk, THEIR transition — we're the tool that gets them through it. (storytelling brief; client brief M-protagonist)
4. **Lead with the tension, resolve it honestly.** Emotional engagement requires cortisol (tension) AND oxytocin (empathy/resolution) — a pitch that only scares or only reassures fails chemically. Never leave fear unresolved. (Zak both-biomarker rule)
5. **Candor is a persuasion device, not a liability.** State the risks of joining us / moving money to a new firm FIRST and plainly, before the audience discovers them. Trust research: perceived candor outperforms claimed competence. Critical for a no-track-record new firm. (Morningstar trust research)
6. **Re-hook every 10 minutes.** Question, surprise number, or story pivot at least every third slide. (Medina)
7. **Teach, don't pitch (Challenger core).** Every meeting delivers an insight the audience didn't know about THEIR OWN situation. For RMs: what actually happens to books that move (the 40% fact). For clients: what their current setup actually costs them all-in, or what hidden concentration/risk their current manager carries. (Challenger Sale skill; client brief M1/M2)
8. **No incumbent-bashing.** Teach the system's flaw; let the audience indict their incumbent themselves. Bashing triggers defensiveness and reads as insecurity. (client brief; Challenger)
9. **Process and philosophy over the 3 P's** (people, philosophy, process as bullet claims). Show the machinery instead: live demo of the alignment engine, the report pipeline, the letter that the client actually receives. A brandless firm's proof is operational, not reputational. (client brief top-5; our demo strategy)
10. **Assertive structure, zero pushiness in content.** We control the process (next steps, dates, homework) firmly; the content never pushes the product. (client brief; Challenger "take control")

## 2. The two tracks are different conversations (same skin)

| Dimension | Track 1: Clients | Track 2: RMs |
|---|---|---|
| What they're really deciding | "Who protects and grows my money?" | "Do I bet my career, income, and client book on this platform?" |
| Their reference fear | Losing money; being sold products | The 40% rule: most stated AUM never moves; transition-year income dip; firm dies |
| The teaching insight | What their current all-in cost/risk actually is (fee-led, taught via system) | What actually happens when an RM moves — and what separates the movers who kept 90%+ from the rest |
| Our credibility substitute | Live demo + candor about being new + custodian choice | Written firm identity, comp transparency with real P&L mechanics, equity track, peer proof |
| What NOT to do | Generic deck, fee opacity, product push, overclaiming | Generic "FINMA/umbrella/IT" selling points (competitors discount them), opaque comp, guarantees shorter than legal+ramp reality |
| Dominant number | All-in cost of their current vs. our setup | Chalem 40% stat + concrete first-year income math |

## 3. Narrative arc (five beats — from storytelling brief template)

**RM track skeleton:**
1. *Homeland* — "You're a successful RM at [bank]. Here's what your economics actually look like once you strip out the bank's margin on your book." (warmer + reframe)
2. *Tension* — the 40% rule: most movers overestimate what moves. Plus what the first 12 months of income actually looks like at a typical EAM. (rational drowning)
3. *The Turn* — the difference isn't courage, it's the platform: movers on an operational-ready platform keep substantially more of the book. (insight)
4. *The Path* — live demo: what your first month with us looks like, day by day; comp mechanics in one clean table; candor slide: what could go wrong. (emotional impact + resolution)
5. *New Normal / Call* — a concrete, dated, small first step. (call to action)

**Client track skeleton:**
1. Your portfolio's real cost/risk picture (taught via our reporting lens) → 2. the tension (what drift, opacity, or unpriced risk costs at your size) → 3. the turn (how a fundamentals+price-action discipline with hard risk management behaves differently in stress) → 4. the path (what you receive monthly, the letter, the reporting; candor about the new firm) → 5. small step (pilot mandate / second opinion offer).

## 4. Conflicts to resolve during track design (open items)

- **Fee-led positioning vs. retro-free transparency with RM track:** our client pitch leads with fee honesty; our RM pitch offers 60% fee share. Sequence the conversation so the RM hears the client-value logic first — it's also what makes their book durable.
- **The 40% stat is double-edged for RMs** (it's our reframe AND our biggest objection to answer): our answer must be operational readiness evidence (demo) + ramp support (founder-RM step-up, fee floor waiver) + the honest framing "plan for 40%, we've structured for it."
- **"Conservative reliability" branding vs. being a 2-person new firm:** identity content must be named-people and philosophy-forward (SEAMIx finding: generic identity scores 1.57/5), not fake-scale logos and stock photos (client brief M-fake-scale).

## 5. Where this feeds

- C1/C2 decks: structure per §3 arcs, caps per rule 1–2, candor slide mandatory both tracks.
- F1 demo script: the "Path" beat IS the demo.
- A4 investment process narrative: written to serve client-track beat 3 (the turn) — stress behavior of the process is the story, not asset-class claims.
- Fee schedule: founding-RM step-up and fee-floor waiver are the "Path" beat's concrete levers (already in `fee-schedule-draft.md`).