Financial Advisor Marketing Ideas

James Price San Diego

PROVIDE EXCELLENT SERVICE

There’s nothing like providing a raving fan experience for your clients. When working with me, some advisors want to jump straight ahead and find new clients rather than paying attention to the ones they already have. In order to receive referrals from your existing clients, you must be WORTHY of referrals. so make sure your service is exemplary.

Master referral conversations

After you are providing excellent service to your existing clients, you can take the step to ask for referrals on a regular basis. Asking for referrals is not as simple as just asking. You need to incorporate finesse in the way you ask. One way to do this is to master referral conversations.

Send out a service survey

Sending a survey helps you determine what products and services your clients want you to provide. It shows that you WANT to be their “go to” financial person. Don’t be surprised if you find out you’ve made some missteps along the way. Take the opportunity to make it right for the client. In your survey, you can also glean some important information that will help you market to people you don’t know. See below.

Create a client call list

After you are providing excellent service to your existing clients, you can take the step to ask for referrals on a regular basis. Asking for referrals is not as simple as just asking. You need to incorporate finesse in the way you ask. One way to do this is to master referral conversations.

Send a three letter referral campaign

This is one of my favorites! Send three referral letters two months apart. You can focus on three different issues; you can focus on what’s going on in your practice; or you can tie in an event to coincide with the sending of one of your letters. No matter what you decide, each letter is subtle and positions you as the helpful advisor at the ready for your clients – the person they can count on.

Letter one – follow up letter after a Client Review meeting – review the action items from the meeting. End the letter with a well worded request for referrals.

Letter three – the third letter is always positioned as an educational piece meant to demonstrate the life changing situations that would warrant a referral to you. Births, deaths, divorces, job changes, business owners selling a business, and much more. This is where you show all the life altering events that signify a movement of money.

Conduct a Client Review Meeting – ask for a referral

In your quarterly review meetings you tend to cover wide ranging issues and concepts that demonstrate commitment to your clients. At the end of such a meeting, ask for a referral. Make sure you use an agenda that the client can follow along with. At the bottom of the agenda, include “Introductions” as a point to review. This tactic can be used in tandem with referral conversations and a three letter campaign.

Leverage Centers of influence

I’m not going to go into how to get referrals from other professional advisors except to say that you should be getting them. If you are not, have an earnest conversation with your COI’s and explain that referrals seem to be one way and not reciprocated. Explain your expectations. Create some accountability. If you are still not getting referrals, STOP referring and find someone else who is good at what they do and WILL reciprocate.

Affluence based mail lists

send a mailer based on affluence and level of investible assets. The key to success is to have a client attraction device or custom written report meant for this group. Your mailer should direct recipients to a specific page on your website where they can claim a free report that addresses their top concerns. There are many GREAT ways of doing this, but you’ll have to hire me to find out

Industry based mail lists

this is similar to a niche list except that industry lists are based on professions or occupations and can be a rich treasure field if you know how to leverage the opportunity. Once again, the message is crucial as is the call to action.

Business Networking

In my workshops speaking to groups of financial advisors I find they are not getting out of the office very much, sometimes not at all. Advisors need to have networking in their weekly activities. Sometimes success is 50% just showing up. Being in the right place at the right time can connect you with people you would otherwise never come into contact with. If you want to build your connections, you have to develop a plan to get out of the office at least weekly.

Leads groups

Business Networking

This new type of networking event has sprung up all over the United States and can be quite effective as you have the opportunity to connect with many people one-on-one. You will sit down with one person and have a short time period to each share your message. Then you will switch to a new person. It’s like musical chairs. To find an speed networking event in your city, type into a search engine “speed networking your