Too often events in the industry are male dominated.  One that is wonderful for women is to conduct a multi-generational Mother’s Day brunch where mothers are joined by their daughters and even granddaughters.

The event should not be on the Sunday of Mother’s Day, but instead a day surrounding the holiday.  It is a chance to recognize the important contributions mothers make and bring them even closer with their daughters.  It is also a great time to build relationships with clients and get to know prospects.

One financial advisor that does just such an event is Karen Goodwin at Esco, Hanan and Associates, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.  I first heard Goodwin speak on a panel at the SIFMA Social Media Seminar and set up a follow-up interview to learn more details.

Planning A Mother’s Day Event
Goodwin schedules a nice location at a country club to have a brunch.  Last year she did the event the day before Mother’s Day, but this year she is doing it after.  She also flew her own mom up so she can be in attendance.

“My Facebook business page is a non-threatening way to let them know what I do,” said Goodwin.  She also uses the social network to create awareness for the event.

Once she posts the invite on her website, she uses Facebook to get the word out weeks before the event.  It is there that the conversation starts, which is different than printing an invite.  As the activity level increases online, she gets more inquiries about the event.  “Other people see they are going, so that adds to it,” mentioned Goodwin.

Although she gets many of the RSVPs online, she does still mail some invites to those clients not using social media. 

Facebook worked better than LinkedIn.  Plus, another nice thing about a Facebook event is that it sent out a reminder.  There were some people that had forgot about the event, so the reminder was helpful.

The Day Of The Mother’s Day Event And Follow-Up
Goodwin’s event has a Bellini bar and a breakfast brunch area. The event starts with networking and has a great atmosphere.

The males in the office invite women attendees too.  Those men show up at the beginning and leave after the opening remarks.

Goodwin asks the attendees to use notecards to share something about their mom or something about their daughter.  For the daughters, what did they learn from their mom?  For the moms, what did they want to teach their daughter?

Attendees where given the chance to talk and it brought about some tears and laughs.  “At the end of the afternoon people were crying and sharing.  It was super emotional and positive” said Goodwin.  One attendee told her, ‘I never knew my mom felt that way.’

Each attendee was given an orchid and a little favor bag.

Goodwin has the attendees sign a photo-release form when they arrive and then has a professional photographer take candid pictures and formal photos of the pairs. 

When the photographer later sends the files, she uploaded them to Facebook a couple at a time, tagging those that she could.  It kept the conversations and energy of the gathering going for six weeks after the event.  Additionally, the week after the brunch her firm sent everyone a copy of the photos with a ‘thank you’ note.

The Benefits Of The Mother’s Day Event
The purpose of the event is to bring the mother-daughter pairs closer together.  It does also have nice benefits for the organizer.

“I met some of my clients’ daughters for the first time,” mentioned Goodwin.  She referred to this as “multi-generational client building.”  In some cases there were even three generations of families in attendance.

Of the forty people that attended last year, some were friends of the clients, so it can work as a prospecting tactic too.  “We had some new people that weren’t clients yet, but have become clients,” said Goodwin.

Overall, it is a good way to make stronger client connections with multiple generations within the families and it can possibly bring in new business.

Mike Byrnes is a national speaker and owner of Byrnes Consulting, LLC. His firm provides consulting services to help advisors become even more successful. Need help with business planning, marketing strategy, business development, client service and management effectiveness? Read more at ByrnesConsulting.com and follow @ByrnesConsultin.