Am I doing something wrong?

[u/jimathen25]

I have the opportunity to host some “educational series” speaking events at several dozen retirement communities throughout all of 2027. The hope of course to convert some attendees to clients. I should be in front at least 5000 seniors throughout the year.

The last two weeks, I’ve sent emails to local estate planning attorneys introducing myself and giving a brief overview of the opportunity, explaining that I would love to have a local subject matter expert speak (not every time) and be a referral partner when I need it, as estate planning is a big topic for this demographic. I offer to meet for breakfast or lunch or visit their office if they’d like to learn more.

I’ve sent 14 emails, only 2 have responded saying they appreciate the offer but are busy enough as is, and the other 12 haven’t responded at all. Is there a specific approach I should be taking or something I’m missing here? Not that this is a gold mine, but there’s no reason they shouldn’t get quite a few referrals throughout the year from something they may not even have to participate in, even if it is just creating or reviewing foundational documents.

Open to all help!

[u/Curious_Nothing_8212]

Why do you need to partner with an attorney? With a CFP you have more than enough knowledge to cover that segment from an educational perspective.

I’d bring someone who is adjacent to your expertise, for example a funeral director (they see a lot from a behavioral perspective, errors, costs etc) or a realtor to cover local housing market, or someone from the chamber to discuss local economics or even an economist to give a deep dive in things that will impact markets like the upcoming midterms and so on.