A new report from Institutional Real Estate, Inc. — 2025 Investment Management Best Practices — distills candid insights from interviews with leading real assets investment consultants and senior officers at major pension funds and insurance companies. The findings offer a rare, unvarnished look at what truly matters to institutional investors and their advisers — and what can quickly derail an investment manager’s chances of building long-term relationships and securing initial and ongoing capital commitments.

Key insights from the report include the following:

Authenticity and emotional intelligence win: The most effective fundraisers and client service professionals are described as genuine, empathetic and relationship focused. Investors and consultants repeatedly emphasized the importance of authenticity, patience and a sincere interest in the investor’s needs — not only the product being sold. High emotional intelligenc