Ever had one of those months where referrals are flying in…
…followed by a month where it’s so quiet you start wondering if everyone suddenly forgot your name?
That’s the problem with relying on referrals.
They’re fantastic.
But they’re unpredictable.
Some months you get three great enquiries.
Other months?
Nothing.
That makes it hard to know whether to invest in systems or grow your team.
That’s why I don’t think advisers necessarily need more clients.
They need better-fit clients, and a more consistent strategy for reaching them – which is where workshops come in.
Why I love workshops
When referrals slow down, a lot of advisers jump straight to ads.
Sometimes they work.
But I’ve also seen advisers spend thousands on ads or SEO and end up with poor-quality enquiries or no enquiries at all.
Workshops are different.
They’re relationship-based.
They’re measurable.
And they let you borrow trust instead of building it from scratch.
Don’t build the audience yourself
One mistake I made early on was trying to fill workshops with my own audience.
Turns out… that’s hard.
You can have a great topic, a great presentation and a genuinely useful session, but if only three people and your mum register, it’s not exactly the growth strategy you had in mind.
The better approach is to partner with people who already have the audience you want.
You create something genuinely valuable for their audience, they look good for providing it, and you’re introduced as the trusted expert.
Everyone wins.
(It’s also much more enjoyable than posting on LinkedIn for the 47th time and wondering whether the algorithm has personally taken against you.)
These workshops don’t have to be in person, either. Many Scale Squad members have run online workshops with great results – reducing running costs and opening the door to a much larger audience.
Who should you run workshops for?
There are three audiences I love.
1. Centres of influence
Think mortgage brokers, accountants, buyers’ agents, real estate agents or business coaches.
The key is to create something that helps them look good – not just promote your business.
When you deliver genuine value to their clients, everyone wins.
2. Employers
Financial wellbeing workshops can be a fantastic employee benefit, and some advisers in the Scale Squad are even getting paid to deliver them.
Honestly, getting paid to market your business is a pretty good outcome.
3. Existing groups and communities
You don’t have to create your own event.
Look for associations, networking groups, industry events or community organisations where your ideal clients are already gathering.
And don’t get hung up on the numbers.
You don’t need 200 people in a hotel ballroom.
A room of 20 ideal clients – or even six people in the right workplace – can deliver fantastic results if they’re the right audience.
Trust changes everything
Financial advice isn’t like buying a new pair of shoes.
People are choosing someone to help them with their money, their family and their future.
Trust matters.
When you’re invited to speak by someone your audience already trusts, you’re not just another adviser trying to get attention.
You’re there because someone has already said, “This person is worth listening to.”
That changes the energy completely.
Keep it simple
Please don’t call your workshop Economic Update.
Or Superannuation Information Evening.
People aren’t looking for legislation – they’re looking for confidence.
Clarity. Less stress. Better decisions.
Your workshop title should reflect the outcome they actually want.
And don’t try to cram every piece of technical knowledge into one session.
The goal isn’t to turn people into financial advisers – it’s to help them understand what’s possible and feel confident taking the next step.
Stories and real client examples will always be more memorable than another slide full of contribution caps.
You only need one good workshop
This is my favourite part.
You don’t need ten different presentations.
You need one really good workshop that you can keep refining and delivering.
Use it with centres of influence. Use it with employers. Use it at community events. Deliver it online or in person.
Unlike social media, where you’re constantly creating something new, a workshop becomes an asset you can use again and again.
And because it’s measurable (you can see exactly who was invited, who clicked the registration page and who booked a call afterwards), you can find out what’s working and improve it over time.
Your challenge
If this is something you’ve been thinking about, don’t start by creating ten workshop ideas.
Create one.
Think about your ideal client.
What’s the biggest problem they’re trying to solve?
Then ask yourself:
Who already has the trust of the people I want to help?
That’s where the opportunity is.
Because growing your business isn’t about shouting louder online.
It’s about getting into the right rooms, with the right people, through the right relationships.
P.S. Inside the Financial Adviser Scale Squad, we help advisers build this properly and quickly.
You get the workshop structure, activities, workbook templates, presentation support and outreach scripts, so you are not trying to make it up from scratch.
The fastest we’ve had someone move on this was joining on a Wednesday and presenting that Saturday.
That is the power of having the tools, templates and support around you.
If you want help creating your workshop strategy, book a Scale Session and we can walk through what this could look like in your business.
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