How to Find and Connect with Top Executives in the Financial Services Industry

In the United States alone, the financial services industry contributes approximately 7.4% to the nation’s GDP, making it one of the most significant sectors. With over 6.5 million people employed, the stakes are high in this industry. But, finding the senior leaders who make decisions on purchasing products and services can be a tough game, with many organizations keeping their contact details close to their chest.  

Whether you’re looking to sell a product, propose a partnership, or pitch an investment idea, identifying and connecting with top executives in the financial services industry can be a challenge. But how do you find these decision-makers? How do you cut through the noise and build meaningful relationships that lead to successful business engagements? 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of identifying, understanding, and connecting with top executives in the financial services industry.

In a rush? Skip ahead: 

• Understanding Your Target Audience: Who Are the Top Executives in Financial Services?
• Finding Them the Slow Way
• Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Find Decision-Makers

Understanding Your Target Audience: Who Are the Top Executives in Financial Services?

Before diving into the strategies to find these top executives, it’s essential to understand who they actually are and what makes them stand out. In the financial services industry, “top executives” typically refer to high-ranking individuals such as Founders, CEOs, CFOs, VPs, and other C-suite members. These professionals hold the reins of their organizations, making critical decisions that influence not only their companies but also the broader market.

Typical executive roles in Financial Services

Founders and CEOs: These individuals are often the visionaries behind the company, responsible for setting the strategic direction, building company culture, and driving growth.

CFOs (Chief Financial Officers): CFOs manage the financial health of the organization, overseeing budgets, financial planning, and risk management. They are key decision-makers when it comes to investments and financial strategy.

VPs (Vice Presidents): VPs typically oversee specific departments or regions. They play a crucial role in executing the company’s strategy at a more granular level, making them influential in purchasing decisions and partnerships.

Common Characteristics of Top Executives in Financial Services

Decision-Making Authority

These individuals have the power to make final decisions on major investments, partnerships, and strategic initiatives. They are often the primary budget holders for their respective divisions and hold the final sign-off on new contracts.

Risk Management Focus

Given the nature of the financial services industry, top executives often have a keen focus on managing and mitigating risks, and weighing up the viability of new investments.

Strategic Vision

Executives in financial services possess a long-term perspective, focusing on growth, sustainability, and market positioning.

Understanding these roles and characteristics is crucial because it helps you tailor your approach when reaching out. The more aligned your message is with their priorities and pain points, the more likely you are to capture their attention.

Finding Them the Slow Way

If you’ve ever tried to find a specific executive at a financial services company by manually searching through websites, you know it can be a tedious process. Perhaps you targeted a company, navigated to their website, and scoured the “team” or “leadership” page, only to find no contact information. Even when you do find names, getting in touch with them is another challenge entirely.

And if you don’t have a specific company in mind, the task becomes even more daunting. Searching for “top financial services companies” might lead you to giants like Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley, but imagine how many people are attempting to connect with decision-makers at these firms daily. The sheer volume of outreach makes it incredibly difficult to stand out.

This method, while cost-effective, is slow, unreliable, and often leads to frustration. However, if you’re working with limited resources, it might be a starting point. Just be prepared for a lot of legwork and limited success.

Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

For a more efficient and accurate approach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a tool that sales professionals swear by. Yes, it comes with a subscription cost, but it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re serious about connecting with top executives in the financial services industry.

Advanced Search Features: Fine-Tuning Your Search

The core feature of LinkedIn Sales Navigator is its Advanced Search function, which allows you to narrow down your search with various filters. To identify top executives in financial services, start by setting the industry filter to “Financial Services.” Then, include the target positions—CEO, CFO, VP, etc.—to focus your search on high-level executives.

But don’t stop there. To get more accurate results, incorporate additional criteria that align with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). For example:

• Geography: If you’re targeting executives in a specific region, use the location filter.
• Company Size: Depending on whether you’re targeting small firms or large corporations, adjust the company size filter accordingly.
• Seniority Level: Ensure you’re focusing on the highest-ranking individuals by setting the seniority level to C-suite or VP.

Leveraging Lead Lists for Better Organization

Another powerful feature of Sales Navigator is the ability to create lead lists. Once you’ve identified top executives that match your criteria, you can categorize them into different lists. This can be based on factors like company size, decision-making authority, or geographic location. This not only helps keep your prospects organized but also allows you to tailor your outreach strategy to each specific group.

Tips to supercharge Sales Navigator

• Look for Shared Connections: See if you have mutual connections with the executives you’re targeting. A warm introduction can significantly increase your chances of getting a response.
• Set Up Alerts: Sales Navigator allows you to set up alerts for changes in your saved leads’ profiles, such as job changes or company updates. This can give you timely insights to craft your outreach message.

How to Find the Email Addresses (and Phone Numbers) of Top Executives in Financial Services

Once you’ve identified the top executives you want to connect with, the next challenge is finding their contact information. Sounds like a challenge? With Surfe, it can be as simple as one click.

Visit the individual linkedIn profile of the executive

For those who have identified an executive manually or are still relying on the “slow but cheap” method, Surfe’s Chrome extension offers a seamless solution. Here’s how it works:

1. Identify the executive: Let’s say you found an executive’s name on a company’s website but couldn’t find their contact info. Head over to LinkedIn and locate their profile.
2. Use Surfe’s Chrome extension: With the Surfe Chrome extension installed, simply visit the executive’s LinkedIn profile. Click on ‘Add to CRM,’ and Surfe will automatically search for their email address and phone number.
3. Behind the scenes: Surfe’s intelligent waterfall enrichment technology kicks in, tapping into databases like Apollo, RocketReach, Dropcontact, Hunter, and People Data Labs. The email is then validated through ZeroBounce, ensuring it’s valid and active before adding it to your CRM.

Enrich your Sales Navigator lists

If you’ve been using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to build lists of potential leads, Surfe can make the next step even more efficient. Here’s how:

1. View Your Lead List: After creating your list of executives in Sales Navigator, view the list of identified contacts.
2. Select and Enrich: With Surfe’s Chrome extension, you can select specific executives or choose all contacts (up to 25 at once) and click ‘Export to CRM.’
3. Automated Enrichment: Surfe uses the same waterfall enrichment technology as mentioned above, finding and validating the email addresses and phone numbers, then automatically adding them to your CRM.

Using the Surfe App

Want to find executive contact details at scale? The Surfe App can do just that. 

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Upload Your .csv List: If you’ve identified a large list of top executives in the financial services industry, you can upload a .csv file with names and companies.
2. Enrichment at Scale: Surfe will process this list, using its advanced enrichment technology to find email addresses and phone numbers. The app boasts an average find rate of up to 93%, making it an incredibly powerful tool for large-scale outreach.

Let’s Wrap It Up!

Finding and connecting with top executives in the financial services industry is no small feat, but with the right tools and strategies, it’s entirely achievable. Start by understanding who these executives are and what drives them, then use tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Surfe to efficiently identify and reach out to them.

Remember, success in connecting with these decision-makers lies not just in finding them, but in understanding them. Tailor your approach, offer value, and build relationships that can lead to fruitful business engagements.

FAQs

Q: What’s the best way to identify top executives in the financial services industry?
A: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to leverage advanced search filters, focusing on financial services and top executive roles like CEOs, CFOs, and VPs.

Q: How can I find the email addresses of top executives?
A: With Surfe, you can find email addresses by visiting your prospects’ LinkedIn profiles. Or, you can enrich Sales Navigator lists, or use the Surfe App to process large .csv files.

Q: Is it worth investing in tools like Sales Navigator and Surfe?
A: Absolutely. While there’s a cost involved, the efficiency and accuracy they offer make them invaluable for anyone serious about connecting with top executives in the financial services industry. P.S. You can try Surfe completely free to see how it can help you firsthand.