Build a referral network with small, targeted client appreciation events.

Smaller client events should be approached as a prospecting opportunity and not just a recognition event, says Laura Curtis Ferrera, head of marketing and communications with Macquarie Canada Bank and Financial Services Group in Toronto.

Impress your clients and their friends with red-carpet treatment at your next client appreciation event by following this advice:

> Tell them to bring a friend
Make clients comfortable by asking them to invite a friend.

When clients invite a guest themselves it ensures they have someone to talk at the event and eliminates any fear of the “wall-flower syndrome,” Curtis Ferrera says. They won’t feel left out if you can’t speak with them immediately.

As well, when clients bring a guest, it creates a “warm lead.” You can follow up and ask the guests how they enjoyed the evening.

> Watch your numbers
For targeted client appreciation events, keep the guest list short.

Curtis Ferrera suggests a ratio of 10 guests to one advisor. You should be able to have a meaningful conversation with each guest within the first hour.

Invite more people only if you have a strong associate or team member who can help with the host’s duties, she says.

> Get the venue size right
Make sure the venue you choose is the right fit for your guests.

The room shouldn’t look over-crowded or half-empty, says Curtis Ferrera. For example, if you have a room that’s meant to seat 20 people, there should be 20 people — not 25, and not 10.

If the room is too small, people will feel crowded. If it’s too big, they might think a number of people decided not to attend.

> Make it personal
Be thoughtful about the tickets you give out and the events you organize.

Appreciation events should be tailored to your client, says Curtis Ferrera. For example, make sure your client is a hockey fan before giving him or her tickets to a hockey game. Instead, take them to places that match their interests. For example, if you they have an interest in gardening invite them to something like the Canada Blooms festival in Toronto.

As well, make sure the event doesn’t seem generic. Almost everyone gives out hockey tickets and everyone knows how much they cost.

“The sell is too obvious,” she says. Send the client to something that shows you know them as a client or that highlights something about you as an advisor and how you run your business.

For example, consider boat-show tickets for a client who enjoys sailing, and tickets for a piano recital to a classical-music buff.

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