You can also send out client reminders or even regular newsletters with the right software. Besides relieving staff of such duties, your software will ensure a degree of consistency and quality control. "A McDonald's french fry tastes pretty much the same in California or New York or Europe or anywhere else," Cooper says. "We want our clients' experience to be similarly consistent. We have a system in place to provide the same quality of french fry day in and day out."

Promotion And Marketing
If you're consistently providing quality service, your reputation will spread. Word of mouth is said to be the best promoter. "Make your existing clients your marketing partner," says Hubbard. "Make them want to brag about you or at least speak highly of you. That's how most people find professionals-through their friends who have had positive experiences."

Many advisors send their clients birthday cards or small gifts throughout the year to further endear themselves. Some invite them to free movie screenings or social events. "Host a party for a top client at a local restaurant," says Cooper. "Don't make any financial presentations there. Just be a host. By going through this process, you develop a reputation as a caring advisor who is not a threat, isn't going to force something on unsuspecting potential clients."

If necessary, it's a good idea to divide your client base into categories. Court favor with the A list first, then ratchet down your generosity according to the value the client brings to your business. That doesn't mean your poorest clients get the worst service. Not at all! But they might not be the ones you send a case of wine at Christmas.

While word of mouth may be the best marketing method, it probably shouldn't be the only one. Most advisors-including the ones quoted here (full disclosure)-hire PR agencies to help spread their names. Getting your name in the media can lend a degree of credibility, but it's not for everyone.

A more common practice is to get to know other professionals in the community. "Attorneys, CPAs, real estate professionals-anybody who interacts with your ideal client is someone you want to develop a relationship with," says Cooper.

Offer yourself as a specialist to these other professionals. Try to make their lives easier, which will make it likely they refer clients to you. Of course, don't push too hard. "If the CPA tells a client, 'Go talk to Arthur,' and then I try to sell the client a bunch of stuff, it'll leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth," says Cooper. "So just be a resource that supports the CPA. That often creates a reciprocal relationship."

You can also connect with the local chamber of commerce and provide pro bono services to local charities to burnish your reputation as a knowledgeable, active participant in the community.

These days, the Internet is a cost-effective promotional tool, too. Using social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn, you can promote your expertise and share information with potential clients. "You can give opinions about news events or tax strategies in short blasts on Twitter," says Brackett.

Don't forget to get your staff involved in promoting the business as well. Gary Goldberg, the CEO of Suffern, N.Y.-based Gary Goldberg Financial Services, said that in his early days, "I paid my assistant a $100 bonus for any speaking engagement she arranged [for me] at a synagogue, church, Rotary Club or other organization and $50 for any accountant or lawyer with whom she could get me a face-to-face appointment."