How to turn marketing leads into clients before you spend more on ads
Most of the firms I work with grew on referrals. Then growth slows, and they decide the fix is more leads. So they turn on content, ads and Google search, and the leads come in cold and don't sign. The marketing is usually fine. The leak is the step between the lead and the client, and I rarely see a firm that has built it. This guide is that step.
Get the guide, it's freeWhat lands in your inbox.
- Why a referral and a marketing lead are not the same person, and what that does to your close rate
- Ten example steps that take a stranger from download to signed client, with much of it automated
- The seven conversion numbers to track, by channel and by who ran each step
Build the middle before you turn on the tap
Who this is for
Yes This is for you if…
- Your firm turns over $2M to $5M a year, and you built it on referrals.
- You're about to spend real money on marketing, or you already are.
- You're getting leads from content or ads, but very few of them become clients.
- Your advisers follow up a first meeting with a proposal, two emails, then close the file.
No Skip it if…
- You want someone to run your ads for you. This is about what happens after the lead comes in.
- You're after compliance advice on what you can send to leads. This is business guidance, and I'd run anything that touches advice past your licensee.
Why this works
I wrote this after two calls with advice firm owners in the same week, both sharp operators, both stuck on the same problem. The sales steps lean on Alex Hormozi's work on lead nurture and closing, changed to fit advice firms.
FAQ
Is it free?
Yes. Fill in the form and it lands in your inbox.
What is the forgotten child of financial advice?
It's the step between a marketing lead and a signed client. Firms built on referrals never needed it, because a referral already trusts you. A cold lead doesn't, so I'd build that step before the marketing goes on.
What share of marketing leads become clients?
Even in firms with really solid nurture and sales in place, I see 10% to 20% of leads become clients, counted from the first click. Referrals in the firms I've worked with sit at 50% to 75%.
Which comes first, the middle or the marketing?
If what you're doing now works and marketing is an upgrade, fix the middle first. If you need cash quickly, I'd run both at once.
Do I need special software?
Nothing special. I'd want a calendar leads can book themselves into, like HubSpot or Calendly, and a way to send emails and texts automatically. The CRMs I see in advice firms can usually do both.