Want to Add AUM? Do This First

If you’re an advisor hell-bent on growing your pipeline and increasing AUM, there’s one strategic move that will outperform all others when done correctly:

👉 Build the right email list.

Not the biggest list. Not the fastest-growing list. The right list.

That means a list of contacts who match your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)—the people who are most likely to resonate with your message, benefit from your services, and ultimately become loyal clients.

So before you start collecting emails at random, answer this:

• Do you know who your ideal client is?

• Do you know the pain they experience?

• Do you clearly understand the value you provide that solves that pain?

When you can confidently say yes to those questions, you’re ready to build a list that can convert.

Here’s how I recommend doing it:

1. LinkedIn: Your Email Goldmine

LinkedIn is a treasure trove for list-building. Roughly 90% of your connections make their email addresses available to you—voluntarily.

Yet most advisors don’t take advantage of that.

After connecting, send a personal follow-up. Something short and authentic. Thank them for connecting, offer a helpful resource, or simply ask about their challenges. From there, you can add them into your nurturing sequence—ethically and with value.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t blast. Nurture. Start conversations, not campaigns.

2. Lead Magnets: Value in Exchange for Access

Lead magnets are downloadable resources that solve a specific problem for your audience.

Think:

• “The 5 Mistakes Pre-Retirees Make with Their 401(k)”

• “How Business Owners Can Prepare for a Tax-Efficient Exit”

• “Your 3-Step Checklist to Retire Confidently”

You promote the resource on your website, social media, and email signature. In exchange, visitors provide their contact information.

Done right, this is permission-based marketing at its finest.

3. OPN – Other People’s Networks

This one is my personal favorite.OPN (Other People’s Networks) can accelerate your reach and your trust factor overnight.

How?

Find professionals who serve the same audience you do—CPAs, attorneys, realtors, business consultants—and collaborate. Host webinars together. Share resources. Cross-promote. Co-create content.

When you do, you not only gain exposure to their audience—you also inherit trust from the relationships they’ve already built.

That’s powerful.

You’ve probably seen me use this strategy on LinkedIn. I rarely host a webinar solo. I partner with someone aligned, we both promote, and we both walk away with more exposure, more trust, and more emails.

Final Thought: Your Email List Is a Business Asset

Social media algorithms change. Ads get expensive. Organic reach is inconsistent.

But your email list?That’s yours.It’s direct, personal, and highly effective when you do it right.

If you want more leads, better clients, and increased AUM, start with intentional list-building—on LinkedIn, with lead magnets, and by leveraging OPN.

Ready to start growing the right way?

Let’s connect and map out your list-building strategy.