21+ Best Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas & Strategies

What’s the key to growing your financial advisor business? Leads, appointments and clients!

So, logically, you might be wondering… How do you get more financial advisor leads, appointments and clients?

One way is with financial advisor prospecting strategies!

After helping hundreds of financial advisors get more clients with prospecting strategies, in this article, you’ll learn the top financial advisor prospecting ideas & strategies.

Let’s get started!

Tip: To grow your financial firm, you can’t expect clients to miraculously find you. You need to be proactive in your marketing to make sure clients find you. This free training will share the strategy we use with our advisor clients to get 10, 15, 30 or more high quality appointments each month.

Best Online Prospecting Ideas & Strategies

Let’s start with online prospecting ideas. With online digital marketing strategies, you can get leads, appointments, and clients for your financial firm.

1. Use an automated appointment funnel

Looking for a way to automatically convert strangers into leads, appointments and clients? Create an automated appointment funnel as part of your prospecting strategy!

Having an automated appointment funnel involves 5 main pages:

• An opt-in page (to generate leads)
• A video page (to build trust with leads)
• An application page (to automatically pre-qualify leads)
• A schedule page (so leads can book a call in your calendar)
• A call confirmation page (to give leads more reasons to show up for the call)

To get the best results, whenever you’re prospecting for more leads, if you send people to an automated appointment funnel first, you can nurture and convert them into clients automatically (while you sleep!).

If you’d like to learn how to create this type of funnel in your financial advisor firm, click here to watch my free training.

In this free training, you’ll learn how to create this type of funnel and (most importantly) how to promote it so that you can get high-quality leads and appointments each month in your business on autopilot.

This is the same strategy that has worked for many of my financial advisor clients. So be sure to watch the free training to see how you can do the same.

2. Using AI lead generation software

Another great financial advisor prospecting strategy is to use AI lead generation software to get leads for you on autopilot.

There are many different types of lead generation tools. So, the key to results is finding the right lead generation software for your needs.

For example, do you want to generate leads with SEO? Then, use software like Surfer to create SEO-friendly content at the click of a button. Or maybe you want to generate leads from email? Then use cold email tools like Saleshandy.

There are hundreds of tools you can use. Here are a few of my favorite AI lead generation tools.

Tip: The tool is only as good as the strategy you’re using. To learn the best strategy to get 10, 15, 30 or more high quality financial advisor appointments each month watch this free training.

3. LinkedIn Outreach

Is your firm very strict about which prospecting strategies you can use? If so, LinkedIn is probably one of the few social media channels you can use. So it’s a good idea to make the best use of this social media platform for prospecting.

LinkedIn is a powerful platform with over 620 million members, making it a goldmine for financial advisors looking for new clients in professional services.

The best part? You can use LinkedIn automation tools like Meet Alfred to make the process of prospecting on LinkedIn much easier.

To prospect on LinkedIn, I recommend you:

1. Connect to potential clients based on job title & industry (it’s best to connect with people you already have experience with helping as this will help you get faster results).
2. Ask prospects if they want to watch a short video about how you can help them. This will get much better results than just trying to get them to schedule an appointment straight away.
3. If prospects like that they hear on the video, they can schedule a call in your calendar to learn more about working with you.

Like most prospecting strategies, you’ll get better results if you follow-up with your leads often. In my experience, the longer you follow up with leads, the more conversions you’ll get. Most conversions typically happen after 3-6 months of weekly follow-ups.

Tip: To get LinkedIn leads, you need to proactively connect and reach out to new potential clients each day with the right messaging. See ‘Step 4’ of my free training video for more tips on how to do this effectively (without being spammy or annoying).

4. Set up a Google Business Profile

Another great way to get more leads is to set up a Google Business Profile. This is a great way to prospect for local clients.

Many of my financial advisor clients can get new local prospects each month simply from their Google Business Profile.

After you sign up for an account, Google will send a postcard to your address to verify your business location. Once Google has verified your Google Business Profile address, you can appear in local Google search results.

Creating a Google Business Profile is a great way to get more exposure for your business and attract new leads.

Here’s how to set up a Google Business Profile:

• Go to google.com/business and click “Manage now”
• Enter your business name, address and phone number
• Select the category that best describes your business
• Choose whether you want customers to be able to book appointments through your listing
• Click “Finish”

Once you’ve created your Google Business Profile, be sure to add photos, write a detailed description of your business and encourage customers to leave reviews.

I’ve found the more positive reviews you get, the higher Google ranks your listing in the search results. So be sure to ask clients for reviews.

The more information you can provide, the better your chance of attracting new leads.

5. Use search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website and content for Google’s search engine. This is a great way to get prospects to find you online.

Unlike a Google Business Profile, when you do SEO, you can appear at the top of Google for thousands of different keywords outside of your local area.

Many of my financial advisor clients get better results when they work with people across multiple states or even nationwide.

There are many different aspects of SEO for financial advisors, but some of the most important things you can do are:

• Keyword research: Keyword research is the process of finding the right keywords to target on your website. When you choose the right keywords, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
• On-page optimization: Once you’ve selected the right keywords, you need to optimize your website and content for those keywords. This includes adding the keywords to your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, and headings.
• Link building: Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to your website. Google uses links as a way to measure the quality and relevancy of your website. So, the more high-quality links you have pointing to your site, the better your chance of ranking higher in Google’s search results.

SEO is a complex topic, but if you take the time to learn the basics, you can use it to get more traffic and leads for your financial advisor business.

If you need help with SEO, be sure to watch ‘Step 4’ of my free Masterclass training here.

6. Start a blog

One of the best ways to attract new leads with SEO is to start a blog for your financial advisor website.

When you blog about topics that are relevant to your target market, you can attract new visitors to your website and generate leads.

Think about it. How did you find this article?

Most likely, a Google search directed you to one of my blog posts. As a result of this blog, you may end up hiring our lead generation services. You can do something similar with your blog.

Creating a blog is a very cost-effective way to get new prospects to find you online. You can use a blog to start getting leads for free each month from people who are actively searching for your services.

7. Offer a lead magnet

Another way to get prospects is to use a lead magnet on your sales funnel. A lead magnet is a piece of content (like an ebook, free video presentation or report) that you give away for free in exchange for someone’s contact information.

You can use lead magnets to capture leads from your website or social media channels. You can even use lead magnets with leads you get from both digital financial advisor marketing strategies and traditional prospecting strategies.

For example, if you met someone at a networking event and exchanged business cards, you could follow up with them by sending them a link to a video sales letter about financial planning.

See also: The best financial planning software for financial advisors

Most people are hesitant to work with a new financial advisor, so by sending them an educational video, you can build trust and rapport before you even meet them in person.

To learn how to do this in more detail, watch ‘Step 2’ of my Free Masterclass training.

8. Paid advertising

Paid advertising is one of the fastest ways to reach new prospects in your target market.

With paid advertising, you can create an ad campaign, set your budget and start generating leads within days.

Here are the best paid advertising channels for financial advisors (best to worst):

• Facebook Ads
• TikTok ads
• Google ads
• YouTube ads

Sadly, most financial advisors fail to see results with paid advertising because they use the wrong strategy, audience, or messaging. Figuring out the right combination can take a lot of time and money.

Fortunately, because we run ads for many financial advisors, we already know what works and what doesn’t. That’s why when we help our financial advisor clients run ads, our success rate (for leads and appointments) within the first few months is over 90%.

If you don’t want to guess what works, you can learn more about working with us by watching this free training video. This training goes through how our strategy works in more detail. If you like what you hear in the video, at the end, we’ll explain how we can help you get it all done.

9. Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the best ways to get prospects to convert into appointments and clients.

Most sales cycles for financial advisors are very long, so email marketing is essential for achieving the most sales as an advisor.

Email marketing allows financial advisors to build relationships with their prospects and provide valuable information relevant to their potential clients’ needs. This can include financial tips, market updates, or insights into financial planning.

This not only positions you as an expert but also helps potential clients understand the value of your services.

10. Buy financial advisor leads online

You can also buy leads to reach prospective clients quickly. Buying financial advisor leads has pros and cons.

You can usually buy financial advisor leads for around $150-$500 each (depending on the quality). It’s a great way to get new prospects for your firm very quickly.

The downside of buying online leads is that they’re not always high quality, the conversion rates can be low and they are expensive.

But if you’re starting out and need to build up your clientele quickly, buying online leads can be a good option. Just be sure to do your research and only work with reputable companies.

Or, work with a company that helps you get your own exclusive leads for free without needing to pay a lead generation company. This is what we do for our clients. You can learn more by watching this video.

11. Use social media marketing 

When used correctly, social media can be a powerful tool to generate prospects, build trust and close more clients.

Most advisors only use social media to post about their services or share articles they’ve written. But if you want to generate leads from social media, you need to take a different approach.

You need to use social media to build relationships with prospective clients. This means engaging with them regularly, providing value, and being genuine.

You can’t just post about your services all the time or talk about how great you are. That doesn’t work. You must show prospects that you’re an expert they can trust.

We use social media to generate leads for our financial advisor clients by posting helpful content, engaging with prospects, and building relationships.

If you want to learn more about using social media marketing to generate leads for your financial advisory firm, watch this video. It will give you a good overview of what you need to do.

12. Host webinars or virtual events

Hosting webinars or events is another great way to reach out to prospects and build relationships.

Financial advisor webinars are great because they allow you to share your knowledge with many people at once. And, if people like what they see, they’ll be more likely to work with you.

Virtual events are also a great option because they’re more personal than webinars. You can host a virtual event on Zoom or another platform and invite prospective clients to attend.

At the event, you can share your knowledge, answer questions, and build relationships. These events are great because they allow you to build deeper relationships with prospects.

And, if you do a good job, you’ll be top of mind when they’re ready to work with a financial services firm.

13. Retarget existing website visitors

If you have a website, you can use retargeting to reach out to prospects who have visited your site.

Retargeting is a form of online advertising where you can show ads to people who have already visited your website.

For example, if someone visits your website but doesn’t contact you, you can show them ads for your services as they browse the web.

Retargeting is a great way to stay top of mind with prospective clients and increase the chances of them contacting you.

14. Send personalized cold emails

Cold emailing can be a great way to reach out to prospects who have never heard about you before.

However, most financial advisors make the mistake of sending generic emails to everyone on their list. This is a big mistake.

Your cold emails need to be personalized if you want to get results.

For example, don’t just say, “I’m a financial advisor, and I can help you.” Say something like, “I noticed that you’re self-employed, and I wanted to offer my help.”

Or, “I saw that you recently retired and thought you might need some help with your finances.”

Personalized cold emails are more likely to get a response than generic ones.

And if you can get a response, you’re one step closer to generating a lead.

Bonus tip: If you’re sending cold emails, be sure to use cold email software to automate most of the hard work.

Now that we’ve covered the top online prospecting ideas for advisors let’s move on to the top traditional prospecting strategies next.

Best Traditional Financial Advisor Prospecting Ideas

Here are the top traditional financial advisor prospecting strategies. They are not as effective as online prospecting strategies, but they can still work in some cases.

15. Local business networking events (e.g. BNI)

One of the most effective prospecting strategies for financial advisors is networking.

When I used to go to networking events (see picture below), I noticed that financial advisors would always get a lot of referrals.

This is most likely because financial advisors can be helpful to many people and are fairly easy to refer prospects to.

There are many different ways you can network, including:

• Attending industry events
• Joining trade associations and professional groups
• Going to Chamber of Commerce meetings
• Participating in business Referral Groups (e.g. BNI)

In the early days of my business, I did a lot of networking. From all the networking events I attended, I found BNI was the best for generating leads and clients. However, not all BNI groups were the same. Some performed better than others. So if you do decide to go to networking groups, make sure you visit multiple times first before joining permanently.

Another good point to remember is that when it comes to networking events, it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. A small group of 10 great potential prospects is better than a larger group of 100 people who are unlikely to convert or refer clients to you.

16. Educational seminars and workshops

Financial advisor seminars and workshops can be a great way to generate prospects who are interested in your financial services.

Not only that, but seminars and workshops are also a great way to build your brand and position yourself as an expert in your field.

If you decide to use seminars and workshops as part of your financial advisor marketing plan, make sure you promote them properly.

The last thing you want is to spend all that time and money organizing a seminar or workshop only to have no one show up!

17. Referrals

Another great strategy for financial advisor prospecting is referrals.

After all, referrals are one of the best sources of new business.

So, how can you get more referrals?

There are a few ways, such as:

• Asking your current clients for referrals
• Asking other professionals for referrals (e.g., CPAs, attorneys, etc.)
• Offering referral fees

Regarding referrals, always remember the golden rule: Treat others how you want to be treated.

If you’re generous with your referral fees and give Referral Partners quality leads, they’ll be more likely to give you quality leads in return. It’s a win-win!

18. Give free financial consultations

Another great way to generate interest from prospects is to offer free financial consultations.

When you offer a free consultation, you’re effectively giving prospective clients a taste of what it would be like to work with you.

And if they like what they see, there’s a good chance they’ll become paying clients.

To make the most of this strategy, be sure to promote your free consultations correctly.

For example, you could:

• Advertise them on your website or blog
• Post about them on social media
• Include them in your email signature

By promoting your free consultations in the right way, you’ll be able to generate a steady stream of leads.

19. Use direct mail

Prospecting letters (also called direct mail) can be a great way to reach many prospects who may not be very active on social media.

There are many different types of prospecting letters you can send, such as:

• Postcards
• Newsletters
• Brochures

If you decide to use letters as part of your prospecting efforts, make sure you test different versions to see what gets the best results.

When sending direct mail, you can even target people who live in affluent areas. This can be a great way to target high-net-worth investors.

One thing that can also work well is combining direct mail financial advisor strategies with other lead generation ideas, such as retargeting ads or sending people an educational video.

20. Cold calling

Cold calling may not be the most popular prospecting strategy with insurance agents looking for leads and advisors prospecting for clients, but it can work for some people.

The key to successful cold calling is to focus on quality over quantity.

Don’t try to make 100 calls daily and hope that one or two people will bite. Instead, make 20-30 calls and take the time to build relationships with a potential client.

21. Contact existing clients for referrals

If you have existing clients, they can be a great source of referrals.

Your existing clients know you and they trust you. So, if they refer someone to you, that person is more likely to work with you.

There are a few different ways to get referrals from your clients.

You can ask them directly for referrals or offer them a referral fee if they refer someone to you. In my experience, offering a referral fee typically works better.

Another option I’ve seen work well is to host client appreciation events or invite existing clients to networking events.

22. Partner with other financial advisors in an area you don’t service

Believe it or not, you can actually get new prospects by partnering with other advisors who don’t work or service clients in your local area or state.

Some financial advisors are not licensed in every state.

So, one way to get more clients is to partner with other advisors in another state who can refer you to new clients that they can’t help themselves.

In conclusion: Be proactive in finding prospective clients

These are just a few of the many different financial advisor prospecting strategies you can use to find new clients.

The key is experimenting and seeing what works best for you and your business. Don’t be afraid to try new things. And, most importantly, don’t give up!

However, you don’t need to do every strategy you see on this page. You only need one (or a few). If you’d like to learn more about the strategies we use for our financial planning clients, then click here to watch this free training.