Somebody with a sum from a house sale sits on it in a low interest account for two years. She has never contacted an adviser because she is certain the amount is too small to be taken seriously and she does not want to be told so.
It is comfortably above the minimum at three firms within five miles. None of them publish one.
Myth 1: minimums would put people off
Reality: the absence of one puts far more people off. Somebody who assumes they do not qualify never enquires, and firms never learn they existed.
Myth 2: it is better handled in conversation
Reality: it is handled at the end of a meeting that wasted an afternoon for both parties. Publishing it filters kindly and in advance.
Myth 3: minimums are about snobbery
Reality: they are arithmetic. An ongoing percentage service has fixed costs, and below a certain portfolio it cannot be delivered properly at that price. Explaining this is disarming rather than off putting.
Myth 4: there is one minimum
Reality: firms frequently have different thresholds for different services. Initial advice, ongoing management and a one off review may all differ, and publishing the range serves far more people.
Myth 5: people below the threshold are worthless
Reality: they are frequently the best future clients a firm could have. A younger professional, somebody mid career or a person about to inherit becomes a substantial client, and how they are treated now decides where they go later.
Myth 6: nothing can be offered below the minimum
Reality: a fixed fee piece of advice, a single planning session or a signposting conversation can all be offered. It costs little and it builds the relationship.
Myth 7: the question is really about money
Reality: it is about worth. People are asking whether they will be taken seriously, and the tone of the answer matters as much as the figure.
Myth 8: a minimum is a fixed rule
Reality: firms make exceptions constantly for circumstances, referrals and future potential. Saying that the figure is a guide rather than a barrier keeps the door open.
Publish it plainly and kindly
The figure, the reason, and what is available to people below it. Three sentences that convert enquiries a firm currently never receives.
Offer a route for everybody
Fixed fee advice, a single session or an honest referral elsewhere. Nobody should leave a website having concluded that advice is for other people.
Explain how it relates to the fee structure
Because the two are the same question, which is the ground in fee structure questions clients should ask and minimum investment questions and honest answers.
Say what happens to somebody you cannot help
A firm that turns somebody away with nothing has made a permanent impression. Naming the services that suit smaller portfolios, pointing to where independent guidance can be found and inviting them back when circumstances change costs a paragraph and returns clients years later, frequently with considerably more to invest.
Answer it before anybody has to ask
People research at night and give up quietly. A published answer reaches exactly the person who would never have telephoned, which is the same hesitation described in therapist specialism questions people ask before booking.
Getting started
Publish your minimum, the reason and what is available below it, building the page with the AI FAQ generator, then answer at any hour, asking suppliers the questions in AI chatbot security questions to ask a vendor. SpideyChat for financial advisers answers from your published pages, plans are on the pricing page, and the chatbot ROI calculator works through the numbers.