Referrals from existing clients - Having a proactive approach to referrals should always be part of an advisor’s plan. Group your top clients in social or professional circles where your best prospects reside and focus there. Follow up with them and track the results.
Develop new CPA relationships - Continuing education credits are a great way to get accountants in the door, and it’s not that difficult to get a presentation approved through the AICPA or a local accounting association.
Create client advisory board - Pick five to 10 clients and bring them together in a real-world meeting; one agenda item should be the growth of your firm. Don’t fear if it appears self-serving—clients like to be engaged. And because they’re local, they may have new ideas.
Build social networking presence - It doesn’t require much work to manage your social network; it just needs to become part of your process. If you publish a newsletter for clients, make sure you are sending the content out on social media as well.
Client Events/Communication - It’s nice to have client appreciation events, and you may as well ask your clients to bring somebody with them. Even if only five of your clients bring somebody with them, that’s five people that you may not have met before.
Abby Salameh is a senior vice president of NFP Advisor Services Group managing the Fusion Advisor Network.
