An introduction request is a message a prospect wrote to you, and only you, after reading your record in the public graph or seeing you among their quiz matches. It arrives in your email with the prospect as the reply-to address, and it waits in your portal inbox. Reply the same day, answer what they asked, say plainly how you charge, and offer one next step. Most of what makes a first reply work is in those four things.
What you receive
Each request comes as an email with the subject “New introduction request from [Name] via Wellspent”. It contains:
- Their name and email, always.
- Their phone and where they live, if they gave them. Both are optional on the form.
- Their message, in their own words.
- Where it came from: your record, or the advisor quiz that matched them with you.
Requests from your record come from a form on your page that asks “What would you like help with?” Requests from the quiz include the prospect’s answers, which they saw before sending. A quiz request looks like this (a made-up example):
[Optional note from the prospect]
From my Wellspent quiz answers:
What’s prompting the search: A big life event Looking for help with: Equity compensation, RSUs, IPO Investable assets: $250k to $1M Location: [State] (open to working virtually) In their words: [anything they typed]
The same request appears in your portal Inbox, marked New. From there you can reply (which opens an email to them and marks the request Replied), call them if they left a number, or archive it. Your dashboard shows your latest three requests and how many came in over the last 30 days.
A few other things to know:
- Spam is held back. Messages that look like link spam are held for review and don’t reach your inbox.
- Requests can arrive before you join. If a prospect wrote to you before you were a member, the request waits. When you join, it moves into your inbox, you get an email saying it’s there, and the prospect is told you now have their message and will reply directly. They’re expecting to hear from you.
- If your membership lapses, new requests are kept in your inbox for when you’re back, rather than delivered.
Why replying fast matters here
The quiz shows a prospect up to three matches, each with its own button to send their answers. Someone who used it may have written to you and one or two others in the same minute. A prospect who wrote from your record chose you specifically, but they may still be comparing.
There’s no need to invent urgency: the first reply that’s clear about fit, price and next step sets the terms for every other one. A short, specific reply the same day beats a polished one on Friday.
Read it before you write
Spend two minutes on the request first. Decide three things:
- Is this someone you serve? Check their situation against your specialties and the clients you work with.
- Does your fee model fit their assets? An asset bracket of under $250,000 and a 1% asset fee with a $1 million minimum don’t fit. A one-time plan might.
- Can you work where they are? A prospect in another state who’s open to virtual work is fine if you’re set up for it.
If the answer to all three is yes, write the reply below. If not, skip to “When they aren’t a fit”.
What a good first reply does
- Uses their name and restates their situation in one line. It shows you read the message, which is the first thing they’re checking.
- Answers one thing they asked, or says how you’d approach it. Not the whole plan, just enough to show you know the territory.
- Says how you charge, with a number. Your fee, your model and your minimum, or that you have none. Your fees are on your record, and many prospects read it before writing, so this should match it exactly.
- Offers one next step. A link to book a call, or two specific times. Not “let me know if you’d like to chat.”
- Signs off with what they need to check you. Full name, credential, firm, phone and your CRD number. Many prospects look an advisor up with the SEC before a first meeting; 40% of the AI answers in our study told readers to.
An example reply
A template, not a real exchange. Replace everything in brackets.
Hi [Name],
Thanks for writing. It sounds like you have [RSUs vesting over the next two years] and want to [decide what to sell and plan for the tax bill before you change jobs].
That’s most of what I do. The first thing I’d look at is [how much of your net worth is in company stock and what your tax bracket looks like in each vesting year], since that usually decides [how much to sell at each vest].
I charge a flat [$X] a year for ongoing planning, with no asset minimum, and I work with clients virtually in [states]. [There’s no cost for a first call.]
If you’d like to talk, you can book 30 minutes here: [link]. Or I’m free [Tuesday at 10] or [Thursday at 2], [time zone].
[Full name], CFP® [Firm], fee-only, [City, State] [Phone] · CRD [number]
It’s under 150 words and answers the three things a prospect wants to know: do you understand my situation, what will it cost, and what happens next.
If you’re setting or checking that fee, the median ongoing planning fee among fee-only firms that publish prices is $4,500 a year, with the middle half between $2,400 and $7,200 (fee report).
When they aren’t a fit
Reply anyway, the same day, in three or four sentences. Thank them, say plainly why you’re not the right advisor (your minimum, your focus, where you’re registered), and point them somewhere useful: a type of advisor who fits, or the public graph at find.wellspent.co, where they can compare fee-only advisors by specialty and city. Then archive the request.
A clear no is a good experience for the prospect, and people remember it. Some of them come back when their situation changes, and some send a friend.
If they don’t write back
Send one follow-up three to five business days later, two lines long: you’re still happy to help, here’s the link. If there’s still no reply, archive it. Repeated follow-ups rarely help and can undo a good first impression.
One housekeeping note: replying straight from the notification email doesn’t change the request’s status in your portal. Use the Reply button in your inbox, or mark it yourself, so your inbox shows what’s still open.
Mistakes that lose the meeting
- Only an auto-reply. “Thanks for reaching out, someone will be in touch” reads as a queue.
- Hiding the price. Your fees are already on your record. Making a prospect wait for a call to hear them again adds friction for nothing.
- A long intake form first. Ask for it after the first conversation, not before.
- A brochure instead of an answer. Attachments don’t answer the question they asked.
- Answering a different question. If they asked about a pension decision, don’t lead with investment philosophy.
For close rates advisors report by source, see Shared leads vs exclusive leads vs referrals: close rates advisors report. For what prospects check about you before they book, see What prospects check before they book a call.
Where Wellspent fits
If you aren’t a member yet: Wellspent introductions come from prospects who found your record in the public graph or matched with you in the quiz, and they come to you alone. There are no lead fees and no share of any client’s fees. Membership is $89 a month and includes a verified record that AI assistants and search read, a monthly report on who AI assistants recommend, and quarterly press placement with media partners. See How it works.