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You have a unique opportunity at this time of year. Here’s how to maximize it.
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Chances are you’re going to be speaking with clients early in the year. They may be calling you about questions from last year or upcoming tax matters, wanting to get a jump on that. You’re going to be reaching out to connect with a number of your clients, and it’s a perfect opportunity to convey to them you had a phenomenal year last year.

This is going to come up when they ask you, “So, how are things going? How are you doing? I bet you had a great year after last year, seeing what happened with the markets!”

Here are some ways you want to be responding to that. If they comment about the markets ending up last year, you simply want to say,

“That’s one of the reasons it was a great year. But, more important, we ended up meeting so many new clients, wonderful people like you and Sue, who came on board with us, and we are loving them! In fact, we met so many new people that were ideal for us, and for us to be working with them, that we’re now specifically slowing down our growth rate. We’re in the enviable position of not needing to look for new clients. We’re happy to meet people like yourselves, but we’re really slowing down. In fact, we’re anticipating possibly being full by June or July. We’ll see what happens, but the way things are going, it very well could be. So we’re just mentioning that.

If you have friends or family who do have questions or concerns or are not getting the answers they’re wanting from the person they’re working with, please reach out to them and have them connect with us. They can send me an email mentioning your name in the subject line and a couple of questions they have, and I will give them a call. I’m more than happy to spend five or ten minutes answering any questions they’ve got.

Now, we don’t promise to bring them on as a client because it’s got to be a great fit, but I’m more than happy to help allay any fears, and we’ll see where we go from there.”

That way you create urgency with existing clients. You’ve mentioned a date—”by July or August, we’re anticipating things being full.” You’re not tying yourself down. You’re not saying you’re not going to meet anybody new just by chance and bring them on as a client. It’s a great way to provide some urgency while also showcasing that your company is flying: “We’re doing phenomenally well, and so space is getting limited.” Use this respones with the opportunities you are going to encounter early this year, in January and February.

So, to do this most effectively,

1. Learn the language. Understand how to segue from whatever they say. If they mention market returns from last year, you can reply, “That’s one of the reasons it was a great year, but it was mostly due to the people we met.” And then proceed down that track in your conversation.


2. Connect with clients. Make a point of calling them. It’s just a five- or ten-minute call, whether you’re looking to set an appointment with them, wish them Happy New Year, or communicate about tax-related matters.


3. Say the language. Put it out there and create urgency for your clients: “Come June or July, the way we’re going, we’re anticipating potentially being full.” By using those dates, you have hemmed in their thinking—they need to get onto it if they have friends or family who need to talk with you.

Learn the language, use the language, and grow your business in 2024 with ideal clients, just like your existing clients who already love you.

I look forward to bringing you another Distraction-Proof Advisor Idea next week.