Training That Scales: How ShellBlack Helped a $29B RIA Train for Today — and Tomorrow
Training is one of the most critical — and often underestimated — factors in successful Salesforce adoption. This was especially true for a large registered investment advisor (RIA) firm based in New York with $29 billion in accounts under management (AUM). The firm needed a comprehensive training program tailored to multiple lines of business, tight timelines, and a growing organization fueled by mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
With the clock ticking on their legacy customer relationship management (CRM) platform, the firm engaged ShellBlack to develop and deliver a scalable Salesforce training program that would support their immediate go-live and serve as a foundation for future hires and acquisitions.
Building the Foundation Before Go-Live
With the firm’s Salesforce implementation already underway, it soon became clear that the internal team lacked the capacity to develop and execute training at the required level. ShellBlack stepped in to work alongside internal stakeholders as they documented processes, defined user procedures, and designed a custom curriculum — all before the firm’s legacy system was decommissioned.
ShellBlack’s day-in-the-life approach to training involved tailoring each 60-minute session to the unique workflows, terminology, and priorities of specific functional groups. From marketing and advisors to back-office teams and executives, we developed and delivered 30+ live Zoom sessions to almost 250 users across 10 lines of business.
Multilayered Training for Long-Term Success
To support a smooth go-live, ShellBlack hosted multiple days of virtual office hours, giving end users real-time access to live support as they began working in Salesforce.
We also developed a video content library that includes onboarding materials to support new hires, foundational topics for ongoing reference, and specialized topics for power users.
Knowing the firm is actively acquiring new entities, we designed a repeatable post-M&A enablement model. For each new acquisition, ShellBlack performs the data migration into Salesforce, then delivers targeted training sessions to help new users quickly understand the firm’s unique configuration, terminology, and business processes. We also conduct a gap analysis to identify any additional enablement needs and to ensure all users are brought up to speed efficiently.
From Initial Training to a Culture of Learning
The response from the client’s leadership team and staff was overwhelmingly positive. Impressed by the level of professionalism and customization, the firm is now working with ShellBlack to launch an ongoing educational series — a long-term investment in platform adoption and staff development. ShellBlack is codeveloping biweekly training sessions with an internal subject matter expert (SME). Each recorded session dives deep into a specific client process, and the recordings are added to the training library for future reference. So far, six sessions have been delivered, with 10 more planned for 2025. The SME also plays an active role in the Q&A portion of each session, reinforcing internal ownership and engagement.
By taking a thoughtful, layered approach to training, this RIA firm has ensured that its Salesforce investment is built to last, no matter how many new hires or new firms are brought into the fold.
To learn more, visit our User Training page or read our Case Study: Hundreds of Bank Employees Trained by Job Role, a blog post that covers a similar engagement for a nationwide bank.