Journal of Financial Planning: August 2025
Molly Weiss, group president, wealth management platform at Envestnet (www.envestnet.com), is a wealthtech veteran with more than 20 years of experience. Today, Molly drives the continuous innovation of Envestnet’s end-to-end technology and solutions, ranging from portfolio management, financial planning, performance reporting, and digital account management tools. Molly works to deliver the technology platform capabilities that financial professionals need to serve their clients. She holds an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.
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In today’s hyper-connected world, it’s never been easier—or more challenging—for financial professionals to stand out. Advisers are no longer just competing with the firm down the street. They’re competing with algorithms, content creators, and tech-savvy disruptors. In this environment, marketing your own advisory practice is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s foundational to growth.
Adviser marketing today isn’t just about getting noticed; it’s about reaching prospects in a fragmented and often digitally driven environment, converting interest into trust and, ultimately, into long-term client relationships.
From independent RIAs to large enterprise firms, one of the most common challenges we hear is: “We’re generating interest through marketing and outreach, but we don’t have a clear, consistent process for turning prospects into clients.”
That’s where a more intentional, integrated approach to prospecting comes in. Here are some key steps advisers can take to transform outreach into opportunity and build a prospecting engine that drives real business growth:
1. Market Like a Modern Brand
The most effective advisers today think like modern brands. That means defining a clear value proposition, telling a compelling story, and showing up consistently (online and offline) for your target audience. Digital marketing tools now make it possible for even solo advisers to create high-quality, targeted content. Whether it’s blog posts, short videos, or email campaigns, you don’t need a Madison Avenue budget to demonstrate your expertise and connect with the right audience.
To understand what modern branding looks like in action, consider the companies capturing the most momentum with Gen Z, according to Harris Poll data.1 Brands like Nike, Google, PlayStation, and TikTok are all seen by Gen Z as “on the way up.” These companies aren’t just marketing products; they’re engaging their audience through values and experiences, while earning trust.
That’s a lesson financial advisers can take to heart. Are you speaking directly to the real-life challenges and life stages of your ideal client? Are you creating content that helps them make smarter decisions? And are you providing them with an experience they value and can’t find anywhere else? When you act like a modern brand, by being relevant, responsive, and relationship-driven, you position yourself not just as a provider, but as a guide your clients genuinely want to follow along their financial journey.
2. Rethink the Intake Process
The three-second rule suggests you have mere seconds to capture someone’s attention and keep their interest. While other rules add a second here or there, the moment someone expresses interest, whether through your website, a referral, or social media, is a critical inflection point for your business. Yet, many advisory practices struggle to capture and nurture these leads efficiently.
An effective intake process should be both personal and streamlined. This is where tech comes into play and integrated CRM tools, digital forms, and automated workflows can shine. Modern tools help do the work for you, offering interactive digital experiences that engage prospects with relevant questions about their financial goals and priorities. This approach not only helps advisers gather valuable insights but also provides prospects with a clearer understanding of how financial planning could address their needs.
By using technology to guide prospects through goal-based exercises and capture actionable information early, advisers can tailor follow-up conversations more effectively and increase the chances of converting interest into meaningful client relationships. It’s not just about being efficient. It’s about building trust from day one.
3. Speak to the Right Persona
To create meaningful connections, advisers need to go beyond general messaging and speak directly to the distinct needs, goals, and mindsets of their ideal clients. This is where client personas come in.
A persona-driven strategy helps you define and prioritize the key segments you want to serve, whether that’s pre-retirees looking to navigate Social Security and income planning, Gen X professionals juggling college savings and aging parents, business owners managing liquidity events, or newly wealthy individuals facing complex planning for the first time.
Effective advisers are using digital tools to identify patterns in client data, refine personas over time, and deliver personalized experiences at scale through sophisticated data and analytics. When prospects see themselves reflected in your messaging, or when you’re able to anticipate their next question before it’s even asked, a stronger sense of trust and belonging is established.
4. Move from Follow-Up to Follow-Through
Turning a prospect into a client takes more than a quick follow-up. It requires thoughtful, well-timed follow-through. Often, promising leads go quiet not because of a lack of interest, but because the next steps weren’t clear, relevant, or engaging enough to sustain momentum.
Modern advisory firms are bridging that gap by embedding follow-through into their client engagement workflows. Integrated technology platforms now make it possible to align marketing activity with planning tools, allowing advisers to automate key touchpoints, deliver personalized insights, and respond based on a prospect’s actual financial goals, and not just surface-level information.
Instead of sending generic check-ins, advisers can follow up with value-driven content that reflects what a prospect cares about most (whether it’s retirement income, education funding, or legacy planning). These tailored, timely interactions show that you’re listening and that you can help, which builds trust and drives progress.
Advisers who deliver smart, strategic follow-through are more likely to convert interest into engagement and engagement into long-term relationships.
5. Build a Prospecting Engine That Scales
Prospecting won’t succeed if it is merely a one-time campaign. Advisers need systems that make that motion repeatable, measurable, and ultimately scalable.
We’re seeing leading firms embrace integrated marketing and planning platforms that combine CRM, campaign automation, financial diagnostics, and business intelligence. This ecosystem approach helps advisers prioritize high-potential leads, tailor their engagement, and refine their approach based on real data.
The outcome? More consistent pipeline activity, higher conversion rates, and a better understanding of what actually drives growth in your practice.
The Human Touch Still Matters Most
Even with all the automation and insights available at an adviser’s fingertips today, the most effective prospecting strategies still rely on something timeless: empathy. Advisers who take the time to listen, understand, and respond to their prospects’ real concerns will always stand out in a crowded field. Technology can help scale that human touch, but it can’t replace it.
One of the most powerful ways to demonstrate empathy early in the relationship is by asking the right questions. Thoughtful, client-centered conversation starters can make all the difference. A few examples:
- “What’s one financial decision you’re really proud of, and one you wish you’d done differently?”
- “When you think about retirement, what’s most exciting and what’s most uncertain?”
- “Have any financial responsibilities recently changed for you—like a new job, caregiving role, or inheritance?”
- “What makes you anxious, or what uncertainty is top of mind as it relates to upcoming life events (e.g., a kid leaving for college or an aging parent needing care)?”
- “How do you define ‘financial success’ at this stage of your life?”
- “If we could fast-forward five years, what would you want your financial life to look like?”
These aren’t just icebreakers. They’re invitations to meaningful dialogue. And they can help advisers move from selling services to understanding stories.
Looking ahead, the industry is shifting toward more seamless client journeys that combine financial planning, data collection, account setup, and portfolio construction into one integrated process. This not only streamlines onboarding but also allows advisers to focus more on building genuine relationships. And by blending efficient workflows with empathy, advisers can in turn make client acquisition both smarter and more human.