AcquireUp hosted its Masterclass event Feb.25-27 at the Opal Sol Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida. The event featured multiple speakers and sessions over two days, with a focus on how financial advisors can use seminars to drive growth.
Growth ‘Isn’t Luck’
At the opening session, AcquireUp CEO Greg Bogich said, “Growth isn’t luck; it’s learned.”
Bogich emphasized that modest differences in annual growth rates compound dramatically over time. Two firms with similar profiles can diverge significantly in value if one grows at 10% and the other at 3%. “Growth is the ultimate multiplier,” he said, noting that successful firms “engineer results” rather than rely on hope or one-off tactics.
Filling seats is insufficient, according to Bogich, who emphasized precision targeting of who occupies the seats. The right households, aligned with a defined process and measurable performance standards, create durable leverage. Advisors who treat growth as a repeatable skill, not a gamble, position themselves for sustained advantage.
Scaling Through Consistency
In the session “Skip a Grade – Build Your Book with Seminars,” Financial Advisor Josh Ross, Founder of Energized Retirement Planners, focused on turning seminars into predictable growth.
Ross shared an anecdote to illustrate the benefits of disciplined follow-up: “Someone who didn’t attend responded to my email follow-up. Boom! $2 million client. It may not even be an attendee. Those no-shows could become your best clients.”
His framework centered on clarity and restraint. “If attendees don’t understand why they should meet with you, they won’t,” he said. Advisors seeing traction keep presentations focused and tightly structured. “One clear promise beats ten scattered ideas.”
Ross also stressed human connection — personally greeting guests, structuring intentional Q&A and remaining present before and after the event. Transparency around next steps reduces hesitation and increases follow-through.
Results, Ross noted, did not stem from a single high-performing seminar. They were driven by repetition of topics such as tax and estate planning, delivered to the same audience at a steady cadence. He said connection, clarity and consistency produce scalable growth.
Data Discipline
In her “ROI Report Card” presentation, Molly Pierce, CEO of TrackThatAdvisor, argued that most firms do not suffer from a data shortage but from inconsistent tracking.
“Shine the light on your data. It is so freeing,” Pierce said. “It’s important to not only know your data, but understand your data.”
She cautioned that dashboards alone do not create accountability. Without disciplined attribution, firms cannot replicate what works. “New business written” is an outcome, she said, not a strategy — unless advisors can trace the marketing drivers behind it.
Pierce highlighted segmentation insights as well. “There is only a 10% overlap between meal-based and educational events. That means they are two different clienteles. Do both.”
She also noted that conversion cycles are lengthening. “It is taking people longer to get through the funnel. You will close them. It just might not be within the parameter you’re looking at.” Abandoning campaigns prematurely, she warned, can mean forfeiting quietly productive channels.
The Industry’s Next Chapter: Old Tactics, Modern Tools
In a keynote conversation, Bob Oros, former Chairman and CEO of Hightower Advisors, joined Alex Hug, Chief Operating Officer and President of AcquireUp, to address wealth management’s evolving competitive landscape.
They acknowledged a persistent bias among advisors who consider seminars beneath them. Yet, as Oros noted, many of the industry’s top advisors grew by using seminars during their formative years.
According to Oros and Hug, the difference today lies in execution. Traditional in-person education, which emphasizes adding value, educating and in-person meetings, is now augmented by refined targeting, performance analytics and direct mail strategies that command attention.
“Anything that comes to my house, I open,” Oros remarked, explaining the continued relevance of physical outreach.
Brand Visibility In The AI Era
In “The Data Lab” presentation, AcquireUp Chief Marketing Officer Derek Janis spoke about digital presence.
“So many of us as advisors go out there and talk about what we do,” Janis said. “But what we don’t talk about is who we serve and who we are.”
He outlined four “digital signals” shaping prospect perception: discovery, visual credibility, reputation and social proof.
Search behavior has shifted toward zero-click results and AI-generated answers, according to Janis. “Ranking isn’t the win. Being the answer is,” he said, warning that if AI tools cannot source an advisor, that advisor effectively disappears from consideration.
Website clarity — audience, value proposition and next steps — must register within milliseconds. Reviews remain underleveraged despite their influence on investor decision-making. And LinkedIn, he argued, functions as modern due diligence because affluent prospects research advisors before initiating contact.
Humanization, rather than polish alone, breaks through digital invisibility. Advisors who clearly articulate whom they serve and why build trust before the first conversation.
Estate Planning As Growth Catalyst
Financial advisor Mike Bellody, who is the Founder, CEO and Chief Portfolio Strategist of Imperia Wealth Management, discussed how estate planning events helped his firm grow.
“2020 was actually a great time to start a wealth management practice,” Bellody said, citing net new asset growth above 50% that year and 10% growth already achieved this year.
Initially skeptical of meal-based seminars, he reconsidered. “I was violently opposed to steak dinner seminars,” he said. “I’m not running a feelings business. I’m running a business.”
Estate planning proved a natural entry point. Audiences are skeptical, he acknowledged, and quick to disengage if messaging feels generic. “Sameness is the enemy of trust.”
When presentations are differentiated and educational rather than sales-driven, the dynamic shifts, according to Bellody. “By the time we get to the end, they ask how to hire us,” he said, describing a process in which the close becomes implicit rather than forced.
Wealth Solutions Report can be reached at info@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
