Ideal Client Events in Action: Transition, Reframing, Celebration

In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady is joined by USA Financial Practice Management Consultant, Allan Oehrlein, to explore three powerful types of ideal client events every advisor should be leveraging: transition, reframing, and celebration. More than just appreciation gatherings, these tailored events help you retain top relationships, build advocacy, and elevate your practice. From handling major firm changes with confidence to showcasing new processes and creating memorable client experiences, Aaron and Allan break down practical strategies to turn client events into long-term growth opportunities. This episode takes the strategy from Client Retention Strategies through Rare Experiences and provides actionable ways ideal client events can serve different purposes.
SUMMARY
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady sits down with USA Financial Practice Management Consultant Allan Oehrlein to continue a conversation about the concept of ideal client events. In a prior discussion with Steve Phillips, Aaron introduced the idea that these events are not just about appreciation dinners or celebratory gatherings; they are strategic tools that advisors can leverage to build retention, deepen relationships, and cultivate advocacy among their top clients. This episode is intended to go deeper into that subject by outlining three distinct types of ideal client events and providing a framework for how advisors can implement them effectively.
Aaron begins by highlighting that the traditional view of client events is often too narrow. Advisors tend to think of them as appreciation-style celebrations, but in reality, these events can serve multiple purposes depending on timing, audience, and intent. Allan agrees and shares that through years of working with advisors, the coaching team has identified three primary categories of ideal client events: transition events, reframing events, and celebration events. Each has a unique purpose, format, and outcome, and together they provide a comprehensive toolkit for strengthening client relationships.
The first type discussed is the transition event. Allan explains that these are best used when a firm is going through a significant change, such as moving from one broker-dealer to another, joining a new RIA, merging with another practice, or even executing a succession plan. In these scenarios, change can create uncertainty and anxiety among clients, so the primary objective is to create excitement, reinforce trust, and communicate the change as a positive step forward. Aaron stresses that too often advisors try to handle these situations with mass letters or emails, which can create confusion and panic. By hosting a live event, advisors can personally deliver the message, answer questions in real time, and celebrate the firm’s evolution with their top-tier clients.
When it comes to execution, Allan and Aaron recommend inviting a larger group than one might for other event types—perhaps 50 to 75 of the firm’s AA and AAA clients—because the message needs to be communicated broadly and quickly. The format should lean toward reception style rather than a formal sit-down dinner, creating a more relaxed environment that emphasizes celebration rather than formality. Venues such as upscale eateries, wineries, or breweries work well, offering a setting that feels special without being intimidating. Advisors are encouraged to deliver a short, impactful message—no more than 20 minutes—focusing on honoring the clients, explaining the positive reasons behind the change, and framing the future optimistically. Afterward, the event transitions into a social experience where clients can interact and advisors can continue the conversation informally. Collateral should be kept light, limited to invitations, save-the-dates, and possibly a short positioning piece or video about the firm’s proprietary process. The emphasis should always be on live interaction and dialogue rather than handing out paperwork.
The second category is the reframing event, which typically follows a retooling of the firm’s client experience or the completion of coaching work with USA Financial’s consulting team. In this scenario, the advisor has made substantial changes to their client engagement model, service matrix, onboarding process, or proprietary planning framework, and now wants to showcase these enhancements to their best clients. Allan explains that many clients may have been with the advisor for 10 or 15 years, and the firm looks very different today than it did when those clients first joined. A reframing event is an opportunity to bring clients into the new experience, give them a sneak peek at what future clients will see, and allow them to live through elements of the updated onboarding process.
Aaron emphasizes the importance of exclusivity here. Reframing events should be smaller and more intimate than transition events—perhaps 10 to 12 households, or about 20 to 25 people total. Invitations should have a formal, almost “black-tie” feel, signaling to clients that they are being invited into something special and exclusive. The atmosphere should be upscale, often hosted in private rooms at fine restaurants, with invitations designed to look and feel like wedding announcements or Oscar-night invitations. The exclusivity reinforces the message that these clients are among the most valued relationships at the firm. At the event, advisors should share the changes they have made, explain why the enhancements matter, and preview the new client experience. This sets the stage for follow-up one-on-one reframing meetings, where clients can see firsthand how the updates apply to their own planning. The ultimate goal is to create excitement and advocacy, equipping clients to describe the firm’s new approach to others with clarity and enthusiasm.
The third category is the celebration event, which is closest to the traditional appreciation event but with an important twist. Unlike generic barbecues or large appreciation dinners that broadcast broadly to a wide group, celebration events are narrow casted to only the firm’s most valued AA and AAA clients. These events are ongoing, ideally hosted one or two times per year, and are designed to build community, foster advocacy, and reinforce the exclusivity of being part of the firm’s inner circle. Allan notes that celebration events are often experiential, involving unique activities that clients might not normally do on their own. Examples include glassblowing workshops, chocolate-making events, painting classes, pedicure nights, pickleball tournaments, or private concerts. The key is to create a memorable experience that clients will talk about long after the event, strengthening their bond with the advisor and increasing the likelihood they will share stories about the firm with friends and colleagues.
Aaron and Allan stress that while reframing and transition events are generally one-time occurrences tied to specific changes, celebration events should become recurring traditions. Over time, advisors can build a calendar of events that clients look forward to year after year, even sending out an annual save-the-date card that highlights the upcoming experiences. This transforms client events from isolated touchpoints into an integral part of the firm’s client experience, deepening relationships and creating a sense of community that sets the advisor apart.
Throughout the conversation, Aaron and Allan return to several key themes. First, the purpose of ideal client events goes beyond appreciation; they are strategic opportunities to strengthen relationships, generate advocacy, and position the advisor as a central figure in the client’s life and community. Second, execution matters. The right audience size, the right venue, the right tone, and the right invitations all contribute to creating the sense of exclusivity and importance that these events demand. Third, advisors must always tie the event back to their “why.” Whether it is to reassure clients during a transition, showcase enhancements in a reframing, or build community through celebration, the clarity of purpose ensures that the event delivers lasting impact.
The episode closes with Aaron reminding advisors that ideal client events are more than dinner parties. They are tools for growth, retention, and advocacy. By understanding the three categories and implementing them intentionally, advisors can elevate their practices and build stronger, more loyal client relationships. Allan reinforces the message, highlighting the resources USA Financial offers to help advisors plan and execute these events effectively, from best practices guides to checklists and coaching support. Aaron encourages advisors to reach out for these tools, subscribe for future episodes, and remember the guiding principle he often repeats: when the “why” is clear, the “how” becomes easy.
TRANSCRIPT
Aaron Grady, Advisor Consulting Director at USA Financial - Welcome back to another edition of the Rare Advisor. I'm your host, Aaron Grady, and with me again today is my friend, my coworker, the practice management consultant at USA Financial, Alan Oehrlein. Thanks, Alan, for joining me again.
Allan Oehrlein, Practice Management Consultant - Absolutely, Aaron, always happy to join. Thanks again for having me.
Aaron Grady - The other day, I was having a conversation with Steve about ideal client events. And as part of that conversation, as we were talking about the value of these events, it dawned on me during the conversation that that conversation was only part of the message and part of the story. That these ideal client events, which are a tool that we have developed over time with our advisory clients to help them build a sense of community to elevate their top client relationships, to share a message of appreciation, to dig a moat and to insulate their top clients around their best clients to help continue to retain those top relationships that these ideal client events, these exclusive events for them aren't just about celebrating those relationships. That over time, you and I have worked with many clients, many advisory clients to develop these same events to be used to accomplish other tasks. And over the last couple of years, you and I have spent a lot of time kind of really narrowing the approach and really refining how those are to be used. And so I wanted to get you on this. I mentioned at the back end of that other call that this was going to be part two, is that there was going be an opportunity for us to talk about what are the three other, so what are the three primary ways or three types of events that you can leverage ideal client events to really make an impact on your clients. And so with that, I'll let you kind of pick up the ball and let you share with our audience what the, kind of give us an overview of what those three types of events are.
Allan Oehrlein - Sure. So as we were kind of working through this over the last year, the three main types of I do client events that we really landed on were for a transition, for reframing, and then also the I do client celebration event that I think is the one that you referred to in your last discussion with Steve. So just to give you a real quick breakdown on what really each one entails for the transition event, that usually follows kind of a major change within the firm. So you're changing broker dealers, you're joining a new RIA, you're celebrating an upcoming succession, things like that. When it comes to the reframing, I do client events, that typically follows completing the total client engagement coaching that both you and I work with, but also it's the retooling process. It's showcasing new enhancements. Maybe you've created a new proprietary process and you've got a new client onboarding experience that you want to showcase as well. So that's the typical event type that would follow that type of change. And then lastly is the ideal client celebration event. Now the main purpose of this is it's kind of like an appreciation event, but it's also built around, you know, community building, building advocacy without requiring a lot of the traditional follow ups that cover the previous two types of ideal client events.
Aaron Grady - I love it. So let's dig in. So let's take the very first one. Let's take the transition event, which quite frankly, right now with the environment that we find ourselves in in the industry, lots of &A, lots of succession conversations, lots of movement in the marketplace. We see what's been going on with a lot of the big players, one acquiring another or just, you know, sometimes it's time for a change of relationship. So let's talk about that. You know, actually quite frankly, before we talk about transition, let's really take a second and kind of take a step back and let's define a little closer the why around this. I did this with Steve on our last call. I know I mentioned it kind of in the open, some of the elements, but the idea around doing these events you know, it's really a tailored social gathering. So if you haven't watched the previous video, I encourage you to go back and watch it. understand that this is a tailored social gathering for your most valued client relationships. This is designed really, I mentioned retention, appreciation, but it's about driving advocacy. It's about replicating your best client relationships. Now understand some of the types we're going to talk about with the transition and such. Some of these the advocacy element, the retention elements are kind of secondary with a couple of these, but it's still part of the process because, you know, Alan, I know you would agree with this. If I'm one of your best clients, the idea of, hey, you're getting to hear something before everybody else does is important. And so I think using these events for a practical purpose, the transition or the reframing, outside of just doing it for celebration, I think is important. But we never can lose sight of the fact that regardless that these events are very special because they allow you to build community, build client retention, show appreciation, and ultimately drive client advocacy with your best clients. So anyway, I just want to take a second to mention that, but I won't belabor the point. So let's talk about the transition. So you mentioned that this typically happens when someone is transitioning from a firm. Maybe they're moving from one broker dealer to another. Maybe they're moving from an RA to another. Maybe it's an &A situation where they're acquiring another practice and they're engaging with those best clients of the other firm as they're making that move internally, which... honestly probably fits more into the reframing conversation. So we can talk more about that in a minute. So we can kind of draw that line there. But definitely succession. So if it's internal. for people that are listening to this, think about the transition. It's we're talking to our audience. They're already members of the firm. They're already clients. And there's a significant, and I think you said it earlier, significant change in the firm. I mean, is that, you know, there's a, going on.
Allan Oehrlein - Yeah, and that kind of hits the nail on the head. really the main outcome we're trying to achieve here is first and foremost, we want to generate some excitement. Anytime there's a change, could make your clients a bit leery, maybe even a bit worried or nervous about what's happening. So the first thing we're trying to promote is that excitement of, this is a positive change. This is going to be a benefit, not only for our firm, but most importantly for you, the client. So we want to reinforce that. want to push that notion, but also help reinforce that client trust that you've had, you know, as long as they've been a client with you at the same time.
Aaron Grady - I love that you said that, you know, it's so often we hear advisors and look, it's just human nature, change is difficult, right? And I've had this coaching conversation with so many advisors where a significant change is going on in the firm and they write a letter or an email and they just send it out to the masses and the wording is not well done and you create panic amongst your clients.
Allan Oehrlein - Right, and when it's something so informal and it's a one-way communication that's either an email or a letter, you're leaving a lot of stuff up for interpretation. Whereas if you have an event, you're live, you can have a conversation and a discussion with them, it just comes off a lot better and it's a great opportunity to, again, celebrate some of your very best clients.
Aaron Grady - I love it. So you talk about very best clients. So who's the audience for this event? The transition type.
Allan Oehrlein - So for this event, we want to focus in on the top tier of clients. So the AA and the AAA clients. Again, the two highest of the echelon that you have there. Usually, a typical ideal client event would usually cap out around 20, 25 people total. Since this is a transition event and we want to open it up to a larger audience, you could look at the top 50 if you have a very large book of business and quite a few clients, you could even push it to 75 or possibly 100 at the most. But really 50 to 75 is probably that sweet spot for this transition event.
Aaron Grady - That's a great point to make. You're right. Traditionally, when we coach to ideal client events, you want it to be a more intimate setting. You want it to seem a more exclusive environment. so, you know, bless you. If you're an advisory team that has a lot of top tier clients, you're looking to replicate, you know, a lot of double A's and triple A's. know, those are the rightly aligned right attitude and even advocate clients. We typically would say, well, do multiple small group events to keep the sense of exclusivity in there. But when you're talking about a transition, you're wanting to get that message out as quick as possible to a large group. Because typically with these type of events, there are follow-up items that happen. A secondary meeting, let's say that maybe if it's a succession, maybe it's a negative consent letter that has to be signed or If you're changing broker dealers or RAs, maybe you got to get some other documents to change, you know, that have to be signed. And so there's things you're going to be setting up behind it. So the sooner you get this message out to all of them in a way that is upbeat and happy and positive towards the future, we're excited about where we're going, the better. What kind of venue would we do this in typically, Alan?
Allan Oehrlein - Yes. Yep. So for this one, the audience might be a bit larger than a traditional ideal client event, we've had advisors look at just upscale eateries, wineries, breweries, something that serves a reception style event very well. So I think that the biggest differential there, or the thing you want to consider rather, is a venue that can have that nice capacity, that meets your limit.
Aaron Grady - Yeah, I would agree with you. would say you want to have something that is still upscale because it's always about, you know, we're talking to your best clients here. And so it's you're putting your best foot forward. But yeah, it doesn't have to be as formal as a sit down dinner. And quite frankly, usually I would encourage an advisory team not necessarily to do a sit down to make it more of a reception style, more casual. I wouldn't say casual.
Allan Oehrlein - With your own, right.
Aaron Grady - More relaxed, I guess, is the word I'm looking for. Just because sometimes when it's, when we're talking about transition like this and we're going, well, let's all sit down. I need to talk to you about something. Again, everything we want to, we want to make this a celebration. We want to really lean into that there's an excitement and bring some energy into it. I've had advisors that have had, you know, bands play, it's like that, after the message is delivered. And what I would say is,
Allan Oehrlein - Yes. Mm-hmm.
Aaron Grady - There is always in these events, there's always a front end short message. Probably the very longest message I would encourage anybody to do is 20 minutes. It gives you a chance to once to honor the people in the room, to tell them how important they are to you, and then deliver any pertinent information. Hey, the reason why we're making this change is because it's gonna better position us for the future, for you. And like we mentioned, and you mentioned earlier,
Allan Oehrlein - Yes.
Aaron Grady - This is one of the events where there probably may be follow-up stuff, where maybe there's gonna be questions after. We're gonna have to get some documents signed. So this gives you a chance to share what that looks like, and then it's like, let's have a good time, and let's, know, it's time to work through them. Just real quick, what kind of collateral, if any, would you use in this type of event? Or for this type of event?
Allan Oehrlein - For this type of event, you'd have the typical, you know, save the date, the RSVP, the invitations that are going out. Obviously the agenda is something that we're big proponents of, really with any client interaction. And then there could be a positioning where you'd use what we call a shooter trailer that talks a little bit about your proprietary process, your pillars, into the Venn diagram of matters versus control. We won't get into too much detail on that in this in this segment But that we don't want to have this literature heavy or you know document heavy Most of it is going to be encouraged to be around the presentation itself and then the conversation afterward
Aaron Grady - I applaud that you actually took the time to share a little bit about the Shoot Your Trailer. In our last conversation, Steve just put it out there and then forgot to explain what it was. I bailed him out and helped him out a little bit. So let's move on. Let's talk about the second way to do this, the reframing event. So utilizing an ideal client event for the purposes of reframing.
Allan Oehrlein - yeah.
Aaron Grady - What you'd mentioned earlier was this is really about you've retooled your process. Now this is where when we're coaching with teams, this is usually where we will use this kind of at the backend of the new client process coaching when we've helped retool the client experience. Maybe we've helped put in new, maybe a service matrix or a service, like a stewardship framework that actually lays out. All the value add tools and resources, maybe we've added some, maybe we've added events like this, and we've packaged it in a way that now we wanna share it. We're ready to share these stories and messages. So the idea of doing this allows you to now bring your best client relationships and say, hey, we've done all these cool things, and now we wanna share it with you. We wanna share what it looks like to be a new client. We wanna share. What these new enhancements are for you, or at least tee up the idea of them, because the reframing is always... An ideal client event for the sake of reframing is always used to tee up the reframing process, which is typically one or two appointments with these clients to sit down one-on-one, answer questions, share with them personally what these enhancements mean to them. And if you've retooled your...
Allan Oehrlein - Mm-hmm.
Aaron Grady - New client experience, you get to allow them to live through an abbreviated version of what that new client experience looks like. Because I can tell someone about an experience, hey, I went to Barbados and this is what it was like and the concierge, all that stuff. But if I send them to Barbados and they get to live through it themselves, now it's a whole different experience. So are there any other thoughts you would add to kind of the highlighting, you know, what the outcomes are for what we're seeking for this?
Allan Oehrlein - Absolutely. For sure. So like I mentioned before, the purpose here, you want to share the new things that you've been working on with the consulting team or through the coaching program that you've developed as part of your firm. A lot of these clients that are at this event might've been your clients for the last five, 10, 15 years. And really the purpose is, our firm looks very different than it did when you first came on board. We've gone through a lot of great changes. In fact, we've been working with the consulting team for the last year or so, and we really want to showcase the new look and feel and experience that we've curated for you going forward. Before we roll this out to the new clients, we want to take this process and share it with our most valued relationships first. And that's part of the reason that you're here tonight. So in a sense, you're kind of giving them that look behind the curtain that, we value you in the relationship so much that we want to give you the sneak peek first before we roll it out to the new clients. Plus we want you to kind of step in their shoes at the same time and know what it's like to be a brand new client. So this is something you'll allude to at the end of the meeting and then in the subsequent reframing meetings from there. But
Aaron Grady - I love it.
Allan Oehrlein - We're going to put you through the entire new client process so you know exactly what it feels like to be a brand new client. And then in the back of their mind, we want them to be able to verbalize this and say, when they go to describe who you are and what you do, and when they have that opportunity to share you, they can accurately describe that new experience without actually kind of going through it as a brand new client, but just being introduced to it in this moment.
Aaron Grady - I love it, Alan. And as we talked about a moment ago, the audience for this is double A's and triple A's, right?
Allan Oehrlein - Correct, yep, the double A's and the triple A's.
Aaron Grady - And in this setting, this is where we would typically say, make it the smaller settings. If you've got a bunch, let's say you've got 50 that fit into that, you you want to limit the number of households. you know, if, you know, if you want to keep the number in the room to about 25 is what we typically suggest. Would you agree with that?
Allan Oehrlein - I agree, yep. So it's 10 to 12 households, you 25 people total. We want this to be a smaller, private, exclusive feel. And that'll be conveyed as well in the invitations that are created by our fantastic marketing team. We wanted to kind of have that wedding invite, black tie event type of atmosphere. So that's really the goal that we're trying to achieve.
Aaron Grady - So you mentioned black tie. The venue for this type of, we're getting ready to reframe the relationship. We've made all these new enhancements. Venue, what are we looking at?
Allan Oehrlein - Mm-hmm. So typically for this, we'll suggest a more upscale restaurant, a bit more formal. The one that comes to mind now is there's a fantastic new restaurant here in Kansas City called 1587. It's very exclusive to the point where we can't even get reservations to get in unless you know someone. So Aaron, you've probably got a better chance of getting in than I do, but I've got about four pending reservations I'm waiting to hear back on, but I've got nothing yet, so.
Aaron Grady - I looked at the menu last night and I'm going to take out a second mortgage. it's very exclusive. So you're right. A very formal, a very exclusive black. We say black tie look. You know your audience, you know your clients. Would you make your clients wear black tie? Probably not. But the sense of the feel of it, and I think what you're conveying is absolutely right and I do the same thing, is.
Allan Oehrlein - Yep. Right.
Aaron Grady - If you were going to invite someone to the Oscars, know, the invitation, it's, you know, foil lined envelope. You know, there's a save the date that goes out ahead ahead of time. There's a, you know, a beautiful, well put together linen invitation that talks about exclusive event for our most ideal client relationships. This is, this is something, this is where you really kind of, you want to make an impression that, Hey, look, you're important. And everything that's coming after this is because we want to show. We're building a sense of excitement, right? So.
Allan Oehrlein - Right. And then quickly on top of that with the upscale restaurants, something maybe in a private room where you're separated from the rest of the population of the restaurant. So again, it continues that intimate feel.
Aaron Grady - Absolutely, yeah. And that's part of, think the element of that that you're talking about too kind of comes back to some of our best practices. And we can talk more about those best practices here in just a moment too. So let's talk about the last one. Now this kind of piggybacks on the conversation I had with Steve the other day when we talking about the ideal client event used as a celebration. Now, the idea in an ideal situation, these would be done after you've done the work and you've done the reframing. And now this is something you do ongoing. But we have some advisors who maybe want to start building a sense of community with their clients ahead of time. And so they say, hey, look, I want to, you know, I've been doing client appreciation events. I've been doing the summer barbecues, but that's, that's broadcasting. That's sending the wide net. Now I want to get more narrow focused. And I want to narrow cast and I really want to focus on building advocacy with those clients that I you know, I really value, my ideal client. And so this is, this would be another way of adding, even if you hadn't done the reframing, this is another way where you could add another type of client event into your repertoire to really focus on those special relationships. You have thoughts on that as well, Alan?
Allan Oehrlein - Yep, no, you say you nailed it right there. The purpose here is just continued appreciation for the top tier of clients, again, AAAs and AAs, promoting community building, reminding them about advocacy, continuing to jumpstart that and foster that idea around being an advocacy worthy firm, again, without requiring a lot of that follow-up in the reframing meetings and so on. Most of these are going to be experiential based events as well. Not necessarily the formal dinner. Certainly that's not completely out of the question, but when we've had advisors host these types of events, they're going to be kind of cool, unique experiences that they might not ordinarily do on their own.
Aaron Grady - I love it and again this is your double A and triple A's probably keep these as the smaller groups right.
Allan Oehrlein - Yes. Correct, yep, smaller groups, very similar to the reframing, know, 20, 25, you know, 10 to 12 households itself, but still to maintain that small intimate feeling.
Aaron Grady - And I would still probably say we would encourage people that if, let's say you haven't done the reframing and this is your first ideal client event to do the first one as a more formal event. And then after that, this becomes the, hey, and I would encourage advisors that once you get this up and running to do one or two of these every year. Steve made a great point on our last call. He said, you wouldn't tell your family you love them once.
Allan Oehrlein - Mm-hmm.
Aaron Grady - and then just hope that they get the sense for all the years later that you still love them, but you never yet say it or show it. This is another chance to continue to imprint a message. Advocacy is earned, right? So top of mind awareness, creating a special community. And again, you would use all the same stuff. The special save the date, you have a formal invite. Now, Some of the stuff that you could potentially do on some of these later ones, you could even incorporate some client education into these, right, as well.
Allan Oehrlein - Yeah, absolutely. We've had a few advisors take this opportunity to share access to new services within the firm, but also access to new investment options, product lines, things like that.
Aaron Grady - And I like how you talked, you know, the idea around, you know, these events as they continue to evolve, now you can create more experiential type things. I know you pointed this out before we got on the call. I had an advisor up in the Northwest who did an ideal client event for his, some of his clients and invited me to be a part of that so I could see what it was all about. And they did an experiential. They did something that was memorable, that had something tangible. They did the glass blowing event. So they went to a glass blowing studio and every client got to make one of these beautiful bowls. And in those type of events, now you have an opportunity to take pictures. And maybe you create a picture and you frame it of them actually making that and you give it to them with it. So these become lasting memories, these monuments to this special event, the special relationship. I had advice to do a chocolate event. So the list goes on and on. There's all kinds of different unique special ways that you can do these things. But ultimately, what we're trying to... I'm sorry, go ahead.
Allan Oehrlein - Yes. That's a fantastic example. I love sharing that example of the glass blowing event. We've had other advisors do just fun, unique things like they'll organize a pickleball tournament where they'll bring in some food vendors, maybe a food truck. Some of them have even brought in a band as well, but things like painting events, pedicure events that we've had for some clients.
Aaron Grady - out.
Allan Oehrlein - The list goes on and on and you can be as creative as you want with these types of events and the beauty of it is the kind of the more creative that the event is, the more memorable it'll be, the more they'll want to talk about it to friends, family, colleagues, whatever it happens to be, but you can really make an impact with these types of events.
Aaron Grady - And ultimately, if you create a, you know, we understand that these type events, the transition, the reframing, the celebration, the transition and the reframing are more one-offs. You should do those once, you know, hopefully in a, know, the reframing, as we mentioned earlier, you could use that to reframe once you've done stuff. You could use the reframing also that if you acquire another practice, you can use the reframing to reframe the relationship of the top clients from the other firm coming in yours, because they don't know your experience. They don't know what it looks like to be a client of yours. So there's elements of that as well. But the celebration one is one that can be used year over year to continue to deepen those relationships. And so really the idea is to understand and figure out how do you incorporate this into your practice and how do you leverage these type of things to really kind of build organic growth and retention because it's also about retaining your clients. And ultimately, here's kind of one of the last few things I'll say as well. Advisors eventually, if you start doing these events year over year, you can even create a save the date for the entire year. Here's what's to come, a calendar of events. You say, hey, look, and these become destination type events. These become things that people look forward to. They circle on the calendar, don't want to miss it. They will reschedule other things because they want to be part of what you've created. You want to chalk it up on the list of making a deep, meaningful contact or connection with your best clients. You you've exceeded their expectations. You've done the job of being an excellent and an amazing financial advisor. And now you've become kind of a center of influence and a center of the community. So final thoughts, transition, reframing, celebration, key thing is figure out which one is actually the one that is most suitable for what you're trying to do. Remember, ideal client events are more than just dinner parties. They are opportunities to elevate your practice and deepen relationships and create advocates who really want to tell your story. So, Alan, thank you again so much for being part of the call today. We do have a couple of tools and resources. We have kind of an overview of these three types of events. We have a best practices guide and checklist.
Aaron Grady - for the Ideal Client events. If you'd like to see copies of either or both of those, please reach out to us. And as always, if you like what you hear, like and subscribe. And as it's always been said, and as I always say, when the why is clear, the how becomes easy. So never lose sight of your why. Have a good one.
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The RARE Advisor is a business model supercharged by Recurring And Repeatable Events. With decades of experience coaching successful advisors, your host, along with other leaders in the industry, discusses what it takes to grow a successful practice. With the aim of helping financial professionals and financial advisors take their business to the next level, this podcast shares insights and success stories that will make a real impact. Regardless of the stage of your practice, The RARE Advisor will provide thoughtful guidance, suggestions for developing systems and processes that work, and ideas for creating an authentic experience for your clients.
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Author Info

Aaron Grady is the Advisor Consulting Director with USA Financial. He brings more than 18 years of Financial Services industry experience...
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Client Retention Strategies Through Rare Experiences
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, host Aaron Grady sits down with Steve Phillips, Chief Practice Management Officer at USA Financial, to unpack the concept of the Ideal Client Event. Unlike traditional appreciation events, these gatherings are designed exclusively for your very best clients—the advocates and relationships you most want to replicate. Aaron and Steve explore the “what,” “why,” and “how” behind these events, from honoring advocacy and building community to creating a consistent client experience that drives organic growth and long-term loyalty. If you’re a financial advisor looking for ways to deepen client relationships and inspire advocacy inside your practice, this conversation is packed with practical insights and best practices you can apply right away.

Financial Advisor PR Strategy with Michelle Lawless (Media Minefield)
In this episode of Financial Advisor Marketing Playbook, Mark sits down with Michelle Lawless, VP at Media Minefield, to unpack how PR powers growth for advisory firms—especially in a world where AI search favors credible, third-party sources. Michelle explains the difference between advertising and earned media, why local TV news and thought-leadership placements boost trust, and how to pair traditional media with strategic LinkedIn to win in no-click search. We also discuss ROI, and Media Minefield’s process—from messaging sessions and story development to market exclusivity and national opportunities. If you want to elevate credibility, increase inbound, and become the go-to expert in your market, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe for more advisor-focused marketing tactics!

The Power of FORM: Turning Conversations Into Advocacy
In this episode of The Rare Advisor, Aaron Grady dives into one of the simplest yet most powerful tools for building lasting client relationships: the acronym FORM—Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Money. More than just a data-gathering technique, FORM is a mindset that helps financial advisors connect on a deeper, more human level with their clients. Aaron shares how to gather, store, and use FORM data to create personalized client experiences, build trust, and trigger natural advocacy. From onboarding to ongoing relationship management, learn how intentional curiosity and genuine care can elevate your client service and create conversations that go far beyond the portfolio.