Centers of influence send you the business owners who become your best clients. For an exit planning advisor, a center of influence is usually an M&A attorney, a CPA, a wealth manager, a business broker, or a commercial banker who already sits at the table when an owner starts thinking about selling. The problem is that most of these partners cannot describe what you actually do, so your name does not come up at the moment a referral is possible.
A one-pager fixes that. It is a single sheet a referral partner can keep, scan in ten seconds, and act on. This article gives you a section-by-section template with sample wording and fill-in prompts, a short filled example, and the compliance guardrails that apply once you put your work in writing. This is general marketing guidance, not legal or investment advice.
What a centers-of-influence one-pager is, and is not
A COI one-pager is a positioning and referral-trigger document. Its job is narrow: tell a busy professional who you help, the exact moment to think of you, and how to hand off a client without friction. It is not a capabilities brochure, a pitch deck, or a marketing flyer for owners. Those documents try to say everything. A one-pager earns its place by saying one thing well and staying on a single page.
The best COI documents are built around triggers, not services. A partner does not remember your service list. They remember a signal they see in their own work, such as an owner who just turned 60 and has no successor, and they connect that signal to your name. Your one-pager exists to install those connections.
Who your centers of influence actually are
Before you write a word, name the five or six professional types who touch owners ahead of a sale. Common COIs for exit planning include transaction attorneys, tax CPAs, private wealth advisors, business brokers and investment bankers, commercial bankers, and insurance specialists. You may write one master one-pager and lightly tailor the trigger section for each type, because what a CPA notices differs from what a banker notices.
Rank that list by two things: how often the partner meets owners at the right moment, and how much they already trust you. A single attorney who sends two qualified owners a year is worth more than ten cold contacts. Start your rollout with the handful of partners at the top of that ranked list, then widen out once the document is proven.
The one-pager template, section by section
The template has seven short blocks. Keep the whole thing to one page. Use the table to see what each block does, then use the sample wording and fill-in prompts below it to draft your own.
| Section | What it does | Fill-in prompt |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Headline and who you help | States your focus in one line so the partner knows you are relevant | Name the owner type, revenue band, and situation you serve |
| 2. The problem you solve | Frames the owner pain in the partner’s language | Describe the gap owners face when they are unprepared to exit |
| 3. What you do | Lists three or four concrete services, no jargon | List the services a partner can describe out loud |
| 4. When to think of me | The trigger signals a partner can spot in their own work | List three to five observable owner situations |
| 5. What the owner can expect | Removes the partner’s fear that a referral reflects badly on them | Describe your first meeting and its tone, no outcome promises |
| 6. About you | Establishes credibility with facts, not adjectives | State credentials, years, focus, and any designations |
| 7. Contact and next step | Makes the handoff obvious | Give one contact method and one clear next action |
Sample wording and prompts
1. Headline and who you help. Sample: I help owners of [industry or revenue band] companies plan and prepare for a successful ownership transition. Prompt: replace the bracketed text with the specific owner you serve, so a partner can tell in one line whether their client fits.
2. The problem you solve. Sample: Most owners spend years building a company and only months preparing to leave it. Gaps in readiness, from a thin management team to messy financials, can shrink options and stall a deal. Prompt: describe the readiness gap in terms your partner already sees in their own files.
3. What you do. Sample: I work with owners on exit readiness assessments, value-driver planning, pre-sale financial and operational cleanup, and coordination with the owner’s attorney, CPA, and deal team. Prompt: list three or four services in plain words the partner can repeat.
4. When to think of me. Sample: Refer an owner when you hear any of these: they are five years or less from wanting out, they have no successor identified, they just received an unsolicited offer, their business is most of their net worth, or a life event is forcing a decision. Prompt: write three to five observable signals your specific partner type actually notices.
5. What the owner can expect. Sample: The first meeting is a no-cost conversation about the owner’s goals and timeline. I explain the readiness process and answer questions. There is no pressure and no obligation. Prompt: describe your intake honestly and keep it free of outcome or value claims.
6. About you. Sample: [Name], [designations], [X] years advising [owner type]. [Firm] focuses on [niche]. Prompt: use verifiable facts. Designations and years read as credibility. Adjectives do not.
7. Contact and next step. Sample: The simplest next step is a warm introduction by email, or send the owner my direct line at [phone] and [email]. Prompt: pick one primary method and one action so the partner never has to decide how to help.
A short filled example
Here is one block filled in for a fictional advisor named Dana Reyes at Meridian Exit Advisors, shown to illustrate tone.
I help owners of manufacturing and distribution companies with roughly $5M to $50M in revenue plan and prepare for a successful sale or succession. Many have built strong companies but have never mapped what a buyer will scrutinize. Refer an owner when you hear that they want out within five years, have no successor in place, just fielded an unsolicited offer, or hold most of their wealth inside the business. The first meeting is a no-cost conversation about goals and timeline, with no pressure. Dana Reyes, CEPA, 14 years advising closely held business owners. The easiest next step is a quick email introduction to dana@example.com.
Compliance and the mistakes to avoid
A one-pager is a written promotion, so it can fall under rules that govern how you present your work. If you are a registered investment adviser, the SEC Marketing Rule may treat the document as an advertisement, which means testimonials, endorsements, and any performance-style claims carry specific disclosure requirements. If you facilitate the sale of businesses, the SEC M&A broker framework and state rules shape what you may say about deals and your role. When in doubt, run the sheet past your compliance counsel. None of this is legal advice.
The recurring mistakes:
- Promising a valuation multiple, a sale price, or a guaranteed outcome. Never imply you can deliver a specific number. Value and results depend on facts you do not control.
- Using client names, quotes, or success stories as testimonials without the disclosures the Marketing Rule requires. A casual quote can become a compliance problem.
- Cherry-picking past deals to imply typical results. Avoid selective statistics and any claim you cannot substantiate.
- Letting it grow to two pages. Length kills use. If a partner has to hunt for the trigger signals, the document fails.
- Writing a service list with no trigger section. Partners refer on signals, not on features, so section four does the real work.
Where the one-pager fits
A COI one-pager is one asset inside a referral engine that also needs a target partner list, a warm outreach sequence, and a simple follow-up rhythm so partners stay active. On its own the sheet is a prop. Paired with consistent contact it becomes a channel. To see how referral partner development sits alongside your other growth channels, start with the broader marketing plan for exit planning advisors and treat the one-pager as the first tool you put in a partner’s hands.
Frequently asked questions
Answers below cover the questions advisors ask most when building this document.
Close
Draft your one-pager this week, keep it to a single page, and route it past compliance before it leaves your desk. If you want a referral system around it rather than a lone document, book a call or review the hub above to map the full plan.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a centers-of-influence one-pager be?
One page. The value is in fast scanning and easy recall. If a partner has to search for the trigger signals or your contact details, the sheet has already failed its job.
Should I make a different one-pager for each type of partner?
Write one master version, then lightly tailor the trigger section for each partner type. A CPA notices different signals than a banker or an attorney, so section four is where small customization pays off.
Can I include a client success story to build credibility?
Be careful. If you are an RIA, client quotes and success stories can count as testimonials or endorsements under the SEC Marketing Rule and require specific disclosures. When unsure, leave them out and lead with credentials and process instead.
Can the one-pager mention typical valuations or sale outcomes?
No. Avoid promising a valuation multiple, a price, or any guaranteed result. Value depends on facts you do not control, and specific outcome claims can be misleading under the M&A broker framework and marketing rules.
What is the single most important section?
The trigger section, when to think of me. Partners refer based on signals they see in their own work, not on your service list. Give them three to five observable owner situations and you make referrals almost automatic.
How do I actually get partners to use it?
The sheet is a prop until you pair it with contact. Build a target partner list, hand off the one-pager in a real conversation, and keep a simple follow-up rhythm so partners remember you when a signal appears.