Advisor Marketing Made Simple: Episode Summary
Episode Title: Advice Line: Your Niche Is Clear — So Why Aren’t The Right Clients Finding You? (Neil Chacko)
Release Date: May 28, 2025
Hosts: Taylor Schulte and Kendra Wright
Guest: Neil Choco, Arc Alliance Financial
1. Introduction and Guest Background
In this insightful episode of Advisor Marketing Made Simple, hosts Taylor Schulte and Kendra Wright welcome Neil Choco from Arc Alliance Financial. With 23 years of experience, Neil and his business partner have been operating their firm in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, for four years. Their firm currently manages $66 million in Assets Under Management (AUM) and has reached a revenue milestone of $440,000. Neil shares his ambition to scale the business to $1 million in revenue and expand to three advisors within the next five years.
Neil Choco [00:38]:
"The firm is Arc Alliance Financial. We have actually a couple of locations but just the suburbs of Houston, Texas."
2. Defining the Niche and Current Clientele
Neil discusses the evolution of his client base. Initially, the firm catered to a broad audience, primarily due to the combined books of business from him and his partner, who brought in clients from their previous roles as employee advisors. Now profitable, Neil is keen on focusing on a specific niche: Christian retirees and pre-retirees who wish to manage their finances according to biblical principles. This focus led him to become a certified Kingdom Advisor in 2022.
Neil Choco [00:50]:
"Personally myself I felt God kind of calling me to focus on Christians and helping them to, you know, kind of manage their finances and steward their resources using biblical principles."
Currently, about half of Neil’s clientele fits this niche, encompassing around 36 investment management clients and eight financial planning-only clients, all primarily based in Texas.
3. Current Marketing Strategies and Challenges
Neil outlines his existing marketing efforts, which largely rely on client referrals and directories such as Fee-Only Network, NAPFA, and CKA Directory. Additionally, he speaks at local churches, a practice that began two years ago. However, these strategies haven’t yielded the desired growth, prompting Neil to seek more effective methods to reach his target audience.
Neil Choco [05:03]:
"The new clients right now primarily has been just client referrals. And then I did, because I have a CFP, my partner does not. So I've been on some of the directories like Fee-Only Network, NAPA, CKA Directory."
Despite these efforts, Neil has only garnered a modest response from church seminars, receiving around six or seven responses from four seminars.
4. Analysis of Website Messaging
Kendra and Taylor examine the alignment between Neil's website messaging and his targeted niche. They observe that while the homepage header "Navigating Retirement Together" indicates a focus on retirees, it lacks specificity regarding his Christian niche. The hosts suggest refining the website to clearly target Christian pre-retirees by incorporating niche-specific language and addressing their unique pain points.
Kendra [09:06]:
"What smells your name out there... nothing really screams I work with people just like you."
To bridge this gap, Kendra proposes adjusting the website header to something more explicit, such as:
"Retirement planning that puts your faith first."
Subheader:
"We help Christians nearing or entering retirement build thoughtful withdrawal strategies, minimize unnecessary taxes, and align every dollar with what matters most—your faith, your family, and your legacy."
5. Enhancing the Marketing Funnel with Speaking Engagements
Taylor emphasizes the importance of consistency between Neil’s speaking engagements and his website messaging. He suggests that presentations should directly reflect the niche-focused messaging to create a seamless journey for potential clients.
Taylor [10:34]:
"If you're out there speaking to the right, you're getting in front of the right people... you'd love to come here and at least read like a case study or two about how you've helped somebody just like me."
This alignment ensures that attendees who resonate with Neil’s message during seminars find relevant and compelling information on his website, encouraging them to take further action.
6. Lead Capture and Conversion Strategies
Neil currently uses postcards during seminars offering free books as a lead magnet, but the response rate has been low. Taylor and Kendra explore alternative strategies to enhance lead capture and conversion:
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Free Book Giveaways: Offering books relevant to the seminar topic to capture contact information.
Taylor [17:08]:
"People love free books. So free books is a great way to get people to take action." -
Evaluation Sheets with Calls to Action: Incorporating evaluation sheets that include options for a free tax analysis or retirement consultation.
Kendra [19:51]:
"Would you like a free analysis of your taxes? They can put their info in there." -
Customized Landing Pages or Separate Websites: Creating a dedicated website or landing page tailored to the Christian retiree niche to provide a more personalized experience.
Taylor [12:34]:
"Imagine a financial advisor had that front and center on their website... it’s going to feel pretty good to them."
7. Pain Points of the Target Niche
Understanding the specific pain points of Christian pre-retirees is crucial for effective marketing. Kendra highlights insights from Andrew Zoll, another advisor targeting a similar demographic, emphasizing:
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Charitable Giving and Legacy Planning: A strong desire to align financial resources with faith-based causes and legacy intentions.
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Sense of Purpose: Viewing finances as a means to honor God and make a meaningful impact, rather than solely for personal wealth accumulation.
Kendra [21:27]:
"Christians really view their financial resources as a way to honor God and make an impact, not just a vehicle for personal wealth."
By addressing these unique motivations and concerns, Neil can tailor his presentations and content to resonate deeply with his audience.
8. Recommendations and Next Steps
To achieve his growth objectives, Neil is encouraged to implement the following strategies:
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Revamp Website Messaging: Update the website header and content to explicitly target Christian pre-retirees, incorporating their specific pain points and values.
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Develop a Separate Marketing Website: Consider creating a dedicated website (e.g., neilchoco.com) to better serve the niche without altering the main firm’s structure.
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Enhance Speaking Engagements: Increase the frequency of speaking events and refine calls to action to improve lead capture.
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Leverage Lead Magnets: Utilize tailored lead magnets such as free books, checklists, or detailed guides that address the niche’s unique needs.
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Network with Kingdom Advisors: Engage more with the Kingdom Advisors network to learn successful strategies and incorporate best practices.
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Create Consistent Content: Produce niche-specific blogs and resources that improve SEO and attract the target audience through search engines.
Neil Choco [33:50]:
"The first thing I have to look at is changing the website, getting that clarity around that, changing the header and just doing either...neilchaco.com or doing a landing page specifically for Arc Alliance."
By systematically addressing these areas, Neil can build a more effective and predictable marketing funnel, ultimately attracting the right clients to his specialized financial advisory services.
Conclusion
This episode provides a comprehensive exploration of how financial advisors like Neil Choco can refine their marketing strategies to effectively reach and serve a well-defined niche. By aligning website messaging, enhancing lead capture mechanisms, and deeply understanding the target audience’s motivations, advisors can overcome common marketing challenges and achieve sustained business growth.
For more detailed strategies on building marketing funnels and targeting specific niches, listeners are encouraged to explore additional episodes and resources provided by Taylor and Kendra.