Client Appreciation Dinners for Advisor Marketing Success
Feeling neglected is the #1 reason people leave one company for another. Not price. Not service quality No Product features. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and remembered. Hosting an annual client appreciation dinner makes your clients feel appreciated and reminds people why they do business with you.
Client appreciation dinners help you build your practice as well.
FINRA prohibits financial advisors from advertising a list of clients or using client testimonials. You lose a powerful tool for promoting your practice and proving your expertise. Imagine adding these quotes to your website:
“Bob answers my questions patiently so I always understand what I’m investing in and why.”
“Bob got me out of the stock market 3 weeks before the crash!”
“Bob showed my why working for 2 more years would add 10 more years of retirement income!”
“Bob invests my money for my best benefit and not to maximize his commissions.”
“Since moving my money to Bob, I’ve averaged 17% per year and never had a losing year regardless of the stock market.”
What does this have to do with a client appreciation dinner? Your invitation to your clients should encourage them to bring another couple with them to enjoy the evening. Generally speaking, Someone’s social circle usually include people in a similar economic situation. People who live in expensive neighborhoods have neighbors who need a qualified financial advisor. Like you.
During the event you allow a time for people to say nice things about you. You tell a few close clients about this ahead of time so they come prepared to wax eloquent about you. Others will get the idea and you’ll be praised and (perhaps a bit roasted) by people who appreciate what you’ve done for them.
All the prospects will learn about you in a fun, relaxing environment. You leverage your time by building chemistry with lots of folks at the same time.
When should you hold this event? This depends on where you live and who your targeted clientele is. However, there are 2 main times. You can hold a BBQ for families in the Summer or a dinner in December.
You want to make the event nice and worth the time of your clients and their friends. Don’t go cheap on the food or the place because you only have one chance to make a good first impression with your prospective clients.
Consider having a well-know guest speaker for the event. Limit their talk to about 20 minutes maximum because it is a party after all. And encourage your guests to speak with him during the event.
Your event could follow a program like this:
- Welcome and words of appreciation. (You)
- Dinner served
- Guest speaker talk during dessert
- Words of appreciation by your clients
- Your look ahead to the upcoming year.
- Informal social time to meet one another and speak to the guest speaker.
When you hold your client appreciation dinner in December, you thank your clients for their business, make them feel appreciated and connect with their friends and relatives. Do it right and you’ll have a very busy January and February!