Every year we see advisors packing their schedules with too much to do through the holidays. While everyone is busy shopping, decorating, wrapping, and cooking, advisors are frantically trying to hold end-of-year review meetings during everyone’s busiest season. Why try to pack another thing in during this stressful timeframe?
Next year, instead of adding another huge “to-do” during the frenetic holiday season, consider changing things up. Rather than planning events or gifts around Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, or New Year’s, try planning around Valentine’s Day.
Here are some ideas:
1) If you work with widows or widowers, invite them to a Valentine’s Day dinner.
Consider hosting a meaningful, intimate dinner experience at a nice restaurant. Designed specifically for clients whose spouses have passed, this type of event can create connection and a sense of community in a comfortable setting. The goal is to both carry wonderful memories forward from the past, and create brand new ones for the future.
2) If you work with a lot of couples, send a thoughtful Valentine’s gift.
For the ultimate in re-gifting, send flowers or a small gift—along with an unsigned Valentine card—to the husband, designed for him to give to his wife. Include another card from you to the husband that says something like, “In case you forgot, here’s a little something for Jane. Happy Valentine’s Day!” A simple gesture like this is very memorable for both husband and wife, whether he forgot or not.
3) For your clients that enjoy wine, hold a Valentine’s Day tasting.
Partner with a local wine vendor or sommelier to host a guided tasting experience featuring a selection of champagnes, sparkling wines, reds, whites, and/or rosés. We suggest you include at least one choice that pairs well with chocolate!
4) If you have a lot of female clients (or would like to connect better with wives), how about flower arranging?
For a unique way to make a fragrant, colorful impression, host a hands-on creative “how-to” Valentine’s Day event which teaches attendees the artistic principles of flower-arranging, with vases and flowers provided. This can resonate especially well with female clients, offering both new skills and a beautiful takeaway to bring home.
5) Rent out a whole theatre to hold a client Valentine’s Day “Movie Night.”
Valentine’s Day is the perfect holiday to show a rom-com, classic film, or family-friendly feature. Rent out a theatre and invite couples for a romantic night, or host a “bring the family” type of event, providing the appropriate popcorn and refreshments to match the mood of the movie.
6) For couples or female clients, host a “Spa Day” or “Wellness Afternoon.”
Coordinate with a local spa to provide massages, facials, chair massages, skin care demonstrations, manicures/pedicures, sound baths, mud baths, meditation sessions, or similar spa or wellness services. These are things that people often enjoy, but won’t do for themselves.
7) Organize a “Paint & Sip” Valentine’s Day edition.
Usually lasting a couple of hours, a paint and sip event is a social, instructor-led painting class where participants paint a still-life on their own canvas while enjoying wine or other beverages. Usually held in studios, bars, or cafes, these fun and low-pressure events allow beginners to create their own “masterpieces” with no prior art training or experience necessary. These are very popular, and client couples with artistic leanings – or your female clients – may have an absolutely wonderful time.
8) Host a Valentine’s Day cookie or treat exchange.
If your clients are foodies who love to bake or cook, this may be just the event that captures their hearts, tastebuds, and stomachs. Be sure to give out handwritten Valentine’s cards thanking each attendee in a personal way.
We have found that one of the best ways to get referrals (and meet your client-retention goals) is by throwing a memorable, exciting, and/or heartfelt event. Successful events allow your current clients to invite their friends and family members for a wonderful experience where financial advice is not discussed at all. Generously and sincerely creating a great atmosphere where your clients experience something unique and fun can go a long way toward cementing relationships for the long-term, and showing both clients and potential clients alike that you truly care about their personal wellbeing.
Call Quantum to discuss client appreciation ideas—and the marketing pieces needed to promote them—at 800.440.1088.
As Client Acquisition Manager, Mattie Gomez leverages her background in luxury event planning and sales to help advisors cultivate their audiences through dinner seminars, client events, and workshops, focusing on effective lead generation and client engagement.
