How one firm puts client reviews to work at every stage.
United Financial Planning Group built testimonial marketing into how they attract, nurture, and win new clients. Here is their playbook, in their words.
How UFPG puts reviews to work at every stage
The same client reviews do different jobs, from first impression to signed client.
- A dedicated, firmwide reviews page on the UFPG website, with Wealthtender reviews embedded
- Five-star ratings surfacing in Google search, strengthening the firm’s SEO
- Reviews regularly posted to LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook
- A link to the firm’s reviews sent after nearly every introductory call, alongside next steps
- Reviews reused as follow-up value, rather than chasing a reply, to stay top of mind
- When a prospect asks “why you over the other firms?”, the reviews answer at the decision point
- Some prospects find the reviews on their own through search and arrive already trusting the firm
UFPG’s approach, as described by Mike Barrasso, Director of Business Development. Individual results vary.
The shift, in one view
Where UFPG started, and where they are now.
- No compliant way to collect and showcase client testimonials
- Social proof scattered, and largely invisible in search
- Prospects comparing firms with little to go on
- Reviews not yet part of the sales process
- Dozens of verified five-star reviews across the firm
- Five-star ratings showing up in Google search results
- Reviews working at every stage of the funnel
- Prospects arriving already trusting the firm
Reflects UFPG’s experience. Individual results vary.
Since founding United Financial Planning Group in 2007, Gerry Barrasso has grown the firm into three offices across the New York City metro, serving clients nationwide. Today his team partners with Wealthtender to compliantly collect client reviews and build testimonials into nearly every part of their marketing.
It started with one advisor. After the SEC Marketing Rule took effect, UFPG advisor Amir Noor joined Wealthtender in November 2022, and on the very first day he invited clients to review him, five glowing reviews came in. As those five-star reviews kept arriving and began showing up in Google, his colleagues took notice. In November 2023, Gerry and Mike Barrasso expanded the whole firm onto Wealthtender and built a testimonial marketing strategy around it.
“Wealthtender is one of the best decisions we have made as a firm. I wish we had done it sooner.”
Gerry Barrasso, CPA, CFP®, PFS – President & Founder, United Financial Planning GroupWe asked Mike Barrasso, the firm’s Director of Business Development, how they turned reviews into growth. Here is the conversation, in his words.
In Mike’s words
Director of Business Development, United Financial Planning Group
Edited for length and clarity.
Our Wealthtender reviews have been utilized in a variety of ways, some that even surprised us.
We dedicated a page on our website to our firmwide reviews, and Wealthtender made it simple to embed them all. That page gets a solid amount of traffic before and after prospects book calls with us. We also post reviews to LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook every week, which has given us a lot of content and lifted our social presence.
After nearly every introductory call, we send a link to our reviews along with the next steps. If it didn’t go out in that first email, I use it as a reason to follow up. I’ve found that following up with value, rather than just asking for a response, works much better.
One prospect told us it was down to us and two other firms and asked what made us different. Along with being fee-only and having CPAs on staff, I asked whether either of the other firms had this many positive reviews. They signed on as wealth management clients the next day and moved over $1.5 million in assets. Another prospect had been placed in high-fee, illiquid products that didn’t fit their situation and wasn’t sure who to trust. They came across our reviews on their own while researching us, and that social proof helped them feel confident choosing us.
Two that stand out. Asking clients for reviews prompts them to reflect on their experience with us, and I think that strengthens the relationship and helps them tell friends and family about the firm. And the effect on our own team has been real. We were a little nervous sending that first request, but the reviews that came back were heartwarming. Gerry smiled at every one, and seeing staff named in them had the same effect. It’s a reminder that we’re making a difference.
Want client reviews working this hard for your firm?
What worked for United Financial Planning Group can work across your team, too.
Advisor authority compounds into firm authority
Each advisor’s client reviews and niche expertise strengthen how the whole firm is found and cited by AI. Brand-level and advisor-level visibility are complementary, not competing.
Off-site is the new front page
Prospects look you up regardless of how they hear about you. A credible, third-party profile on Wealthtender builds trust with AI tools and prospects before the first conversation in a way advisor websites cannot.
Built for compliance
Reviews and testimonials are collected and displayed in a manner designed for SEC Marketing Rule compliance, with required disclosures accompanying every review.
Scales across a network
What works for one specialized advisor can be deployed firm-wide, turning every advisor’s clients and niche into discoverable, AI-citable trust signals.