KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
“Anyone who needs financial advice” is often an advisor's answer when asked this question.
What is your target audience?
You attend a networking event, collect 15 business cards and never contact anyone afterward. What's missing?
Follow-up
A client says: “You've been incredibly helpful. My brother could probably use your help too.” What do you do next?
Explore the opportunity for an introduction naturally
In marketing, what does CTA stand for?
Call to Action.
You have ZERO marketing budget and need to generate three new prospect conversations this month. Name TWO things you could do.
Examples: introductions, COI outreach, reconnecting with prospects, LinkedIn engagement, networking, personal outreach, community involvement, etc.
Two prospects are both 45 and earn $200K. One owns a business and one is a corporate executive. This is why demographics alone aren't enough when developing this.
What is a target client profile/persona?
An advisor posts on LinkedIn five times in one week, gets little engagement and then doesn't post for three months. What's the mistake?
Lack of consistency and unrealistic expectations.
At an event, a prospect tells you: “I'd definitely like to talk sometime.” What should happen next?
Establish a specific next step and follow up promptly.
TRUE OR FALSE: The primary purpose of every marketing activity should be to immediately generate a sale.
False-Marketing can drive awareness, engagement, relationships, leads, retention, introductions and more.
You have $500 to market to local business owners. You can choose ONE:
A: Social ads
B: Local event
C: Direct mail
D: Educational event
E: Something else
What do you choose?
There is no single correct answer. The team must explain WHO they're targeting, WHY they chose the tactic and HOW it will generate conversations.
I specialize in helping people prepare for retirement.” What's the biggest marketing problem with this statement?
It's too broad/generic.
An advisor sponsors the same golf outing every year. When asked why, the response is: “We've always done it.” What's missing?
A defined marketing objective/strategy.
You've had coffee with a CPA three times. They like you, but you've received ZERO referrals. What's your next move?
Clarify who you help, understand the CPA's business, provide value and make your referral triggers clearer.
Which is most valuable?
A: 10,000 impressions
B: 50 clicks
C: 5 qualified prospect conversations
Usually C — but it depends on the campaign objective.
You can use only THREE marketing activities for the next six months. Which three do you choose?
No single correct answer. The three activities should support the same audience/objective and work together as a strategy.
Which message is stronger for business owners?
A: “I provide comprehensive financial strategies to help you pursue your financial goals.”
B: “You spent years building your business. Have you spent enough time planning what happens when you're ready to leave it?”
B — It speaks directly to a concern of the target audience.
An advisor receives a referral, emails the person once, gets no response and marks the prospect “not interested.” What's the mistake?
Confusing no response with no interest / insufficient follow-up.
You're offered a $1,500 sponsorship for a community event with 300 people in your target market. Do you say YES or NO?
Not enough information.
Put these in the most logical order:
CLIENT
ENGAGEMENT
AWARENESS
CONVERSATION
PROSPECT
Awareness → Engagement → Prospect → Conversation → Client
Your marketing generates plenty of leads—but very few become appointments. Where should you focus your attention?
Conversion.
Examine lead quality, messaging, response time, follow-up, CTA and appointment process.
You have 100 prospects but can personally contact only 20 this month. How do you decide which 20 get your attention?
Prioritize based on fit, need, relationship, timing, engagement, referral source and opportunity.
You're networking, posting on LinkedIn, sponsoring events, emailing, holding client events and meeting COIs—but generating little business. What's your NEXT marketing tactic?
TRICK QUESTION: Don't add another tactic. Diagnose what's happening with the activities you're already doing.
You inherit 150 people who previously expressed interest in the firm but never became clients. You have 30 days. What do you do?
Answer box:
Create a re-engagement strategy: segment → prioritize → create a reason to reconnect → outreach → follow-up → measure results.
Your LinkedIn post gets:
8,000 impressions
150 likes
27 comments
0 prospect conversations
Was the post successful?
You don't know without knowing the objective.
90-DAY CHALLENGE:
You have:
$1,000
250 LinkedIn connections
75 clients/prospects/contacts
2 COI relationships
Your goal: 10 qualified conversations.
Build your strategy.
A strong answer identifies:
WHO → WHAT → HOW → FOLLOW-UP → MEASUREMENT