By Sarah Falcon. Updated 2026-10-08.
A growth goal is the single result the marketing is built to produce. Choosing one lets a firm decide what to do and what to stop, because each activity either serves the goal or comes off the list.
| Goal | What it changes | Number to watch |
|---|---|---|
| More first meetings with the clients you want, such as $1M households | The website, the calls to action, the events, and the ads | First meetings by source, then new clients by source |
| A stronger pipeline of advisors to hire | The firm's story, the careers page, and the posts partners write | Qualified candidates and how they found the firm |
| A clearer growth record for a buyer or successor | What the firm records and how it reports it | New clients by source, year over year |
Each goal calls for a different website, different calls to action, and different numbers in the monthly report.
Put these questions to the partners, and have each answer on paper before the group talks:
If the answers differ, the difference is the first thing to discuss. A goal that two partners read differently will produce two sets of marketing.
For each marketing activity the firm runs, ask one question: which goal does this serve? An activity with no answer is a candidate to stop.
This fits what Kitces found in 2026. The typical practice used five of 26 tactics, and expanding beyond about four before existing tactics work efficiently left a strategy unfocused and less successful.
A goal stays in place for the length of the plan. Review it when you review the plan, and change it only when the firm's situation has changed. How to build the plan
Can a firm have two growth goals? A firm can, and each one splits the effort. We choose one at a time and move to the next when the first is met.
What if the partners disagree about the goal? Put the three goals on one page and ask each partner to rank them on their own. The rankings show where the partners differ.
Choosing the goal is the second step in how we work. See how it works
A 30-minute call with Sarah Falcon. We talk through where your clients come from today and where you want growth to come from.