Field notes for financial advisors
What a referred
prospect should find.
Make your public presence support the reason someone introduced you.
A referral gives someone a reason to consider a conversation. Your website and profile can help them understand that reason in more detail. They should be able to tell whom you work with, how you approach the relevant problem, and what a first conversation involves.
Keep the introduction consistent.
Read the first line of your website and profile side by side. They can use different wording while communicating the same focus. If one describes business-owner planning and the other gives only a generic investment message, the visitor has more to reconcile.
Write one clear explanation of your role. Keep required firm and affiliation language accurate and understandable alongside it. Do not remove necessary disclosures to create a tidier design.
Explain the work.
Many firms use similar adjectives: personal, comprehensive, trusted. A concrete description of what happens in the relationship can be more informative. Explain the early steps, the questions you ask, and how you coordinate the work you actually provide.
Use a fictional example when a simple illustration helps. Label it as fictional. Do not turn an illustrative situation into a claimed case study or imply a result you have not measured.
Give claims a foundation.
Check every credential, experience statement, award, or result for accuracy and appropriate presentation. Your firm’s review process should determine what evidence can be used and how. A self-review tool cannot make that determination for you.
A useful educational explanation is itself a way for someone to see how you think. It gives them more to evaluate than a list of services alone.
Make the next step understandable.
“Let’s talk” is friendlier when a visitor knows what the conversation is for. Explain what they can expect, how long it typically takes if you know, and whether preparation is required. Check that the contact route actually works.
Do not create more steps than the relationship needs. A short description of the first conversation and one clear route to it may be enough.
Check the journey, then ask.
Review your name, role, contact details, and links across the public places you maintain. Look for stale information and confusing transitions.
When someone does inquire, ask what they looked at before reaching out and what helped them understand your work. Treat that as useful feedback, not proof that a particular website change caused the inquiry.
Find one thing to improve
The Sniff Test helps you review eight parts of your presence and choose a short list of priorities.
Run the self-reviewThis guide concerns brand communication. It does not determine regulatory requirements or guarantee that a prospect will book a meeting.