New Study Finds Colorado Financial and Wealth Advisory Buyers Fall Into 3 Distinct Types, Not One

DENVER, Jun 24, 2026 — B2BSalesMagic, a strategic mastermind community for B2B experts and thought leaders, today released the 2026 Colorado Financial and Wealth Advisory Buyer Preferences Report based on a study of 100+ Colorado affluent and high net-worth buyers.

The study uncovered 3 distinct buyer mindsets: First-Timers (43%), Searchers (30%), and Switchers (27%).

Top 3 Takeaways

1) The advisor shortlist is already set before the search even begins, even for First-Timers.

The study found that 43% of First-Timers and 100% of Searchers had 1-2+ advisors already in mind when they started. And surprisingly, 80% of switchers had at least 1-2+ replacement advisors in mind when they started. 

As Katie Lantukh, co-author and messaging strategist, says, “Most buyers looking for advisors today already have a list of names in mind before they start. Even a referral will get stack-ranked against what’s already on the list.”

2) If buyers can't find answers on the advisor's website, they don't contact the advisor — they leave.

The data shows that First-Timers (44%) and Switchers (56%) overwhelmingly just moved on to another advisor. For Searchers, 27% move on and 30% turn to AI. Only 9-15% will contact the advisor across the three buyer types.

“The traditional strategy of gatekeeping critical info to incentivize buyers to talk to the advisor is not working anymore,” says Hillary Gale Meehan, co-author and Denver-based marketing specialist. “If compliance is the reason you can't publish certain data, make sure you monitor what 3rd-party sites or AI are saying about you, because they're providing answers whether it's accurate or not.”

3) Almost half of buyers choose an advisor they already knew before the search started.

The study shows that 45% of First-Timers and 47% of Switchers ultimately chose an advisor from their initial shortlist. Searchers were the outliers: 8% chose an advisor from their initial shortlist, and 59% did not choose anyone. Across the three buyer types, they chose an advisor they found during the search only 15-24% of the time.

“The timing of the referral is important,” says John Way, co-author and leader at B2BSalesMagic. “A referral that can linger in the buyer’s mind before they even think about looking is more effective than a referral after the search begins.”

---

View the Full Study

The study surveyed 100+ Colorado buyers with household income of $100k - $200k+ and total investable assets of $250k - $5M+ who actively researched financial and wealth advisors from January to early June 2026.

Authors: John Way, leader at B2BSalesMagic and founder of Pipelineapp.io, Katie Lantukh, founder of Murphy Marketing, and Hillary Gale Meehan, founder of Moneta Advisor Marketing and host of The Finance Marketing Podcast.

View full study: https://go.b2bsalesmagic.club/den-study

Media Contact: John Way, media@pipelineapp.io