Most advisors don’t have a high-touch, repeatable onboarding process for new prospects. Building a robust initial experience for prospective clients can significantly improve your conversion rate.

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a multipart series focused on building a successful, sustainable financial advisory firm. The series explores foundational practice management strategies, client service models, and business development approaches, offering insights designed to give your firm an “adrenaline boost” for growth. Please check out the first article in the series: “The future of your firm starts with a clearly defined foundation.”

Most advisors don’t have a systematic, repeatable process for onboarding new prospects. Some hold a few meetings, others try to collect data in advance, and many rely on instinct to move someone from “maybe interested” to “potential client.” But few have a true, well-defined system.

In fact, I’ve met plenty of advisors who have no process at all. Some grab a legal pad and just talk. That might suit their personal style, but it’s rarely a rich and memorable discovery experience. And to a prospective client, it can easily come across as unprepared or lacking structure.

For years, I followed the same process I’d learned early in my career as a registered rep at a national brokerage firm: discovery, then proposal. That was it.

I knew I was good with people and genuinely cared for them. And I loved the planning part of this business (creating holistic solutions to financial problems). But if I’m being honest, my process was more sales than experience. I’d meet someone, have a couple of great conversations, gather their statements and financial data, come back a couple of weeks later with a proposal outlining what I’d do with their money, and then cross my fingers hoping they’d decide to work with us.

Today, our onboarding process consistently converts more than 85% of prospects—and it’s not because we’ve built a better sales pitch. Quite the opposite.

I’ve always been averse to being perceived as a salesperson. Even the phrase “closing the sale” makes me cringe. What drives our results isn’t pushiness or persuasion. It’s the experience itself—a process that’s structured, warm, and human from start to finish.

Here’s what that looks like in our firm.

Step 1: The intro call

The first step is a short, 30-minute phone call—exactly what it sounds like: a “get to know you” conversation, not a sales pitch. We don’t view this as a discovery session.

The goal is simple: build rapport, get a sense of who they are, and help them understand what to expect if we keep going.

We talk about how we work, who we serve, and what it looks like to go through our process, all in a casual, friendly way. There’s no pressure, no commitment, and certainly no hard close.

At the end, one of three things happens:

1. We realize we’re not a good fit and part ways on good terms.
2. We decide it’s not the right time and agree to revisit the conversation later.
3. We feel it makes sense to move forward to the next step—the discovery meeting.

That’s it.

The intro call sets the tone for everything that follows. It’s approachable, professional, and pressure-free—anything but sales.

Step 2: The discovery meeting

I’ll be upfront—this is where we get the most pushback from other financial advisors.

It’s a two-and-a-half-hour meeting (sometimes longer with business owners) that goes deeper than any piece of software ever could. While some advisors might flinch at that length, I’ve never had a single prospective client take issue with it. The only people I’ve ever heard object are other advisors—but let’s face it, we can be a stubborn, confident bunch, right?

I get it. A meeting that long can sound excessive. But this isn’t about efficiency—it’s about connection. That’s why we don’t send questions ahead of time. Sure, it might make things move faster, but it also limits where the conversation can go. We’d rather take the time to let the discussion unfold naturally and get to know people on a deeper level so we can provide the best fiduciary-driven advice possible.

We do send a detailed checklist in advance of documents to bring—account statements, estate-planning documents, payroll and benefits information, insurance policies, etc. Most people have a bit of “homework” afterward to make sure the data-gathering side of discovery is complete.

You don’t build trust by cutting corners or saving time.

The discovery meeting is all about understanding who clients are, not just what’s in their pockets. We explore their values, goals, and the experiences that have shaped who they are. We talk about everything from their childhood and career to their family, future, and fears.

By the time we’re done, we often hear, “No one’s ever asked us questions like that before.”

And it’s no surprise. Most advisors are taught to get the data, plug it into software, and produce a proposal that “beats” whatever a client is doing now. But this isn’t a competition. If you “win” at this early stage, no one truly wins—and good luck establishing a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship built on trust. Instead, we’re getting deep, building a foundation for something that will last for decades.

When we wrap up the discovery meeting, before scheduling the next visit, we take just two to three minutes to share the equivalent of Simon Sinek’s “why”—our firm’s core purpose—so prospects can learn a little bit about who we are and why we do what we do.

But that’s where we stop. Because, as I’ll continue to emphasize throughout this entire series, this process isn’t about us. It’s about our clients.

Step 3: The education meeting

If the discovery meeting is where clients feel understood, the education meeting is where they start to feel confident.

This appointment lasts about 60 minutes and is designed to demystify what we do and how we do it. We explain how our firm is structured, where client assets are held, and how we provide solutions-based advice.

Then we shift gears into some “Investments 101,” breaking important concepts down to a basic level. For example, we broadly explain why stocks and equity ETFs are positioned as growth investments and how bond ETFs and annuities serve as income investments. From there, we may touch on the differences among ETFs, SMAs, and mutual funds; discuss different types of portfolio models; and review the relative strengths and weaknesses of active and passive strategies. We wrap up with a conversation about risk, volatility, and their money personality—how they feel about risk when it comes to their life savings.

This meeting isn’t about dazzling people with complex charts, tables, or fact sheets filled with jargon. It’s about taking the complexity of our industry, filtering out the noise that frustrates investors, and providing transparency and clarity in a financial world that often feels confusing.

When people understand the “why” behind your approach, and you’re on the same page together, that’s when a real, trust-driven relationship starts to take shape.

Step 4: The financial-planning meeting

This is the fun one because by now, we know them. And just as important, they know us.

Throughout this process, I’ve emphasized that it’s about the client, not us. Still, between each meeting, we send a series of automated emails that help prospective clients get to know us a little better. Each message shares something new—our background, credentials, articles we’ve written, or insights into who we are as people. It’s all part of continuing the conversation and reinforcing the trust that’s already forming.

By this point, we’ve spent hours learning about their story, goals, dreams, and priorities. This meeting is where everything comes together.

We walk them through their financial plan from start to finish, covering cash flow before and after retirement, along with recommendations on retirement planning, tax strategies, risk management, insurance planning, estate planning—everything. We stress-test the plan for a variety of scenarios—market crashes, inflation spikes, and unexpected life events, just to name a few.

And we don’t just show the rosy scenarios. In fact, we focus on the tough ones. Again, clients don’t want to see theoretical charts and projections. They want two things:

1. To know they can retire on time and stay retired.
2. To know that when the markets turn volatile and may take a steep dive, we’re paying attention, analyzing the trends, and taking action when appropriate.

When clients see their plan hold up even in worst-case situations, that’s when the trust we’ve built hardens into belief—belief that we’ll take care of them, guide them through life’s changes, and help them be the hero for their families even long after they’re gone.

At the end of this meeting, we explain what it means to become a client and what they can expect moving forward. We outline our review process, revisit our fee schedule, and explain our “family discount,” which waives our minimum for clients’ family members, covering different generations or households. Each household is included in a combined calculation for our fee schedule, so the entire family benefits from a lower overall rate.

By this point, we rarely have to “ask for the business.” Most people tell us they’re ready to move forward before we even bring up next steps.

For those who need time to think, we make it easy. The last thing we want to do is sound like nagging salespeople. If someone isn’t ready to decide that day, we’re the first to tell them that it’s OK to take their time, talk it over, and let us know when they’re ready.

No pressure—ever. We’re only in as much of a hurry as they are.

And more than 85% of the time (over 90% this past year), they either ask us about next steps before we do or get back to us within a week or two, ready to join our extended family of clients.

Step 5: The six-week follow-up

After our operations team has completed the paperwork, the accounts are opened, and the transfers are finished, we schedule a 30-minute follow-up roughly six weeks later.

This meeting is all about maintaining momentum. Once the financial plan is in place and clients feel a sense of peace about their retirement, it’s easy for them to put off the next steps—like getting a second opinion on their tax planning or, the biggest one of all, updating their estate plan.

We use what we call an “action-items sheet,” a checklist that helps keep both us and our clients accountable for making progress in every area of their financial lives.

It covers everything from tax and estate planning to outside retirement plans held at work, insurance information, and introductions to trusted professionals.

This follow-up is crucial because, after the retirement plan and investment management are implemented, clients often feel that they are “finished.” But that’s exactly when the real work begins. This meeting keeps the momentum going and helps ensure every aspect of their financial lives stays on track.

The new-client welcome kit

Right around this time, we send a physical welcome package that includes a personal letter from me; an overview of what to expect from us (and what we expect from them); a team sheet showing who to contact for what; and a “keep, shred, or toss” guide to help them sort through the inevitable pile of paperwork that comes with our industry.

We also include a small token of appreciation—a pair of silver, branded Yeti tumblers. It’s a simple gesture, but clients love them. Some have even asked for extras after giving one away to friends—which isn’t terrible for marketing.

The safe-haven kit

This one’s close to my heart.

After my brother passed away unexpectedly, I realized that even though I had all the traditional estate-planning documents in place (trust, powers of attorney, health-care directives, and so on), I still wasn’t truly prepared.

If something happened to me suddenly, my wife wouldn’t know where to find half of what she’d need: access to my office server, final instructions, bill-payment spreadsheets, insurance policies and contacts, passwords—the list goes on.

So we created what we now call the “safe-haven kit”—a tangible, comprehensive system to make sure our clients’ loved ones never go through what I did.

Each kit includes a fireproof safe, organized emergency files, digital vault access, and a keychain USB drive clients can use to store copies of non-identifiable medical records and directives, so they’re protected no matter where they are.

But we don’t stop there. We provide limited access to each client’s executor or trustee, so if that dreaded phone call ever comes, we can immediately activate full access to the online safe-haven kit at a time when the last thing anyone wants to worry about is money.

When we deliver these kits, it changes things. It deepens the relationship to a level most professionals in our industry have never experienced. It’s no longer just about money—it’s about family, love, and peace of mind.

LifeBio: Turning stories into legacy

For our retired clients, we offer one more step—something truly special called LifeBio.

It’s a project that helps clients capture their life stories by answering a list of questions or participating in guided interviews and providing photos. The result is a hardcover book that preserves their story for future generations.

We cover the cost of this third-party service completely, because too many life stories fade within a single generation—and we’re not OK with that.

LifeBio gives families something priceless to hold on to. It reminds our clients that what they’ve built isn’t just wealth—it’s legacy.

A final thought

This process didn’t come together overnight. It’s been built, refined, and stress-tested over the years through plenty of trial and error. I spent six years in this business before I even added the education meeting described above.

The result is a client experience that’s predictable, intentional, and deeply personal.

When you have a system designed to build trust instead of chase sales, everything changes. Conversion rates rise, referrals increase, and relationships grow deeper than you ever thought possible—all because you created a solutions-driven, repeatable experience that truly takes care of people.

In the next article in this series, we’ll talk about another critical process: building and executing prospecting systems that actually work—without ever feeling like a salesperson.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and the sources cited and do not necessarily represent the views of Proactive Advisor Magazine. This material is presented for educational purposes only.