A successful financial planner I work with once told me that no one ever comes to him asking for financial planning.
Instead, there’s usually a trigger event — something that gets them thinking they need a financial product, investment advice, or help solving a money problem.
Sound familiar?
The question then becomes: how do you naturally shift the conversation from a product enquiry to a genuine financial planning engagement?
Nobody wants financial planning — until they experience what it really is
When I began my coaching career, I quickly discovered that no one wants coaching.
What people do want are the outcomes that really matter to them — clarity, peace of mind, confidence, progress, and achieving their goals.
Isn’t financial planning just the same?
No one actually wants financial planning. Yet, when done well, it can genuinely change a client’s life. And for most practitioners, it’s far more meaningful, rewarding, and profitable than simply giving transactional advice.
From products to financial planning: making the shift seamless
The planner I mentioned earlier is brilliant at making this transition. Clients come looking for a product or investment advice — and leave as financial planning clients.
Yet not all financial professionals find this shift easy. Some struggle to move beyond the transaction.
So, what makes all the difference?
Be like Brighton rock
If you think of a stick of Brighton rock — wherever you break it, it says the same thing all the way through.
That’s what congruence looks like in a person. Your values, beliefs, and behaviour are aligned. You’re the same person all the way through.
And it’s when you naturally are at your most trustworthy, compelling, and influential.
When you see the true value of financial planning for your client (and it genuinely is in their best interest), that congruence shines through.
It’s not about pushing your agenda. It’s about listening deeply, respecting why they came, and confidently exploring why financial planning will serve them better than a quick product fix.
Do you need to script this conversation?
I recently read a trainer’s article insisting that all client meetings should be scripted.
By all means, learn scripts if they help you get started. But there’s something far more powerful than memorising lines.
It’s knowing that you can manage whatever comes your way without the crutch of a script.
That’s what allows you to be fully present with your client. And when you’re present and congruent — why would you need a script?
Words spoken from the heart carry weight. Words spoken from memory often fall flat.
The power of being fully present
One of my financial planner clients told me about a first meeting with a very wealthy prospect.
The woman arrived expecting to talk about how to invest her money. By the end, she’d decided to engage him for full financial planning.
She said:
“Nobody in 15 years has asked the questions you asked or listened to me the way you did.”
She was already using a private bank and a big-name accountancy firm. But as she put it, it was obvious they were interested in my money — not in me.
Many professionals carry a hidden agenda — they see the person in front of them as a means to an end. This undermines trust instead of building it.
Being fully present means you’re not thinking about the outcome, what to say next, or how to impress. You’re simply here, listening. Very few people do that.
What makes clients want to engage?
When you understand how Thought works, a lot of unnecessary mental noise drops away from your mind.
And in that quieter state, you become naturally more present, curious, and attuned to your client.
There’s nothing more reassuring or convincing than that.
That’s what makes a client want to engage — not because you’ve sold them something, but because they’ve felt something: trust, connection, and the sense that you’re genuinely there for them.
PS. Read about the 8 keys to inspiring financial planning meetings every time.
