The #1 client acquisition strategy financial advisors haven't tried

Many fiduciary advisors trust in direct, personal marketing tactics — referrals, dinner presentations and good old-fashioned cold calls — to drum up new prospects. These methods have a place in your client acquisition strategy, no doubt, but you know their limitations well. One-on-one conversions are slow-moving and low-yield. A growing business needs a reliable and predictable way to generate quality leads at steady volume. 

Can it be done? Yes, and believe it or not, the secret to finding new clients is no secret at all. The best client acquisition strategy is something you already provide for existing clients: financial education.

High-performing financial advisors are natural teachers. Leverage this talent and your deep well of subject matter expertise to quickly and naturally cultivate new client relationships in classrooms full of qualified prospects, all paying to attend your financial education workshop or course.

A financial education platform drives clients to you

You can meet your growth goals with an accessible educational program that helps potential clients help themselves. It may seem counterintuitive, but every bit of quality advice you give away could come back tenfold in future assets under management.

We’ve seen it happen time and again. On average, a financial literacy or retirement planning course on the FMT platform brings in 17 attendees, 10 appointments, $2.5M (from 4 new clients), and $4M in projected AUM in the pipeline. Even a single course can provide the spark that launches a handful of new client relationships. Your demonstration of expertise in the classroom nurtures the whole audience at once — an audience that’s already interested in financial advice.

There are many potential educational formats for this proven client acquisition strategy:

• Local “feeder” workshops: Looking for prospects in your area? An in-person community event, lunch-and-learn, or one-time workshop presentation can produce impressive returns for your time. Rather than 1-on-1, you’re able to engage 10, 20 or even 50 prospects all at once. Establish credibility and inspire deeper interest while promoting your services directly.
• One-time webinar: Are you hard-pressed for time? Do you hope to reach a wider audience beyond your local region? Go virtual and have attendees sign up for a webinar that promises to answer burning questions and offer actionable tips. In exchange for contact information (for further outreach and nurturing), they gain access to your live online webinar event. Some impressed attendees may even follow up before you do.
• A comprehensive course: Keep your funnel perpetually full with a turnkey program that makes it simple to deploy a collection of ready-made course materials across a wide variety of financial topics. Offer courses for wealth management, investment strategy, retirement planning, tax-smart strategies and more.

FMT has delivered results for more than 20 years

Ramp up your client acquisition and AUM with compliance-ready content on a platform that works. Our team provides proactive 1:1 coaching and support, market exclusivity, full-service course marketing and RSVP management, and FINRA-reviewed class materials that are proven to convert. We handle the heavy lifting so that you can focus on what matters most — engaging curious attendees and booking appointments with new clients.

Get in touch with FMT to learn more about our platform and how you can build trust with appointment-ready prospects.

This article was originally published in September, 2021. Updated January, 2023.