A financial planner once told me about a meeting he had with a prospective client.
The conversation was going brilliantly. They had been talking for nearly an hour. The client had opened up about their financial situation, their worries about retirement, and hopes for their children.
There was genuine rapport. At one point the client even said:
“I’ve never really talked about this with anyone before.”
The adviser could clearly see how he could help.
And yet something strange happened.
As the conversation moved towards the end of the meeting, he hesitated. A thought crept into his mind:
“How do I move this towards working together without sounding salesy?”
So instead of moving forward, he wrapped the meeting up politely.
“Well, it was really good meeting you. Let me know if you’d like to take things further.”
The client nodded, thanked him for the conversation, and left.
They never became a client.
From good conversation to working together: the step advisers can over-think
Have you ever felt awkward about moving a conversation with a prospect towards the proposal stage?
If so, you are far from alone.
In fact, in my experience this is one of the hidden reasons financial planners can dislike selling.
Quite rightly, they don’t want to come across as pushy or salesy.
Yet unless you move the conversation forward the danger is that nothing happens, which serves no one.
The proposal stage is not a sales moment
Many advisers unknowingly see the proposal stage as the moment where they must sell their services.
But that subtle belief changes everything.
Until this point the conversation has been relaxed and entirely about the client. But if the adviser suddenly feels they now need to persuade, convince, or close, their state of mind changes.
They tighten up and it affects their thinking. A client can sense this too.
The irony is that nothing awkward has actually happened in the conversation.
The awkwardness only exists in the adviser’s thinking.
The service mindset
A far more useful way to see the proposal stage is this:
You are simply continuing to help.
If someone has shared their situation, their hopes for the future, and the challenges they are facing, the natural next step is to show them how you would approach helping them.
So, you are not selling, you are explaining. You are not persuading, you are offering clarity.
When advisers genuinely see the proposal stage this way, something important happens.
The tension disappears.
How do you know when to move forward?
A proposal should never feel premature or forced.
In my experience, there are two simple indicators that the time is right.
1. You understand the client’s situation well enough to know you can help.
2. The conversation has been engaging and valuable for them.
Sometimes a client will even say something like:
“So, what happens next?”
But even when they do not ask directly, there is still a very natural way to move forward.
A simple question that works beautifully is:
“Would it be helpful if I showed you exactly how we would approach this for you?”
When you ask this question, the response is almost always the same:
“Yes, that would be great.”
This question does not pressure the client, it does not assume anything, it just feels natural and conversational.
The real skill is not a technique
Advisers can look for better scripts or closing techniques.
But the real key lies in the adviser’s state of mind.
When you genuinely care about helping the person in front of you, the proposal stage becomes a simple continuation of the conversation.
You are simply showing someone how you could help them move forward.
And when that is clear in your mind, something interesting happens.
The proposal stage stops feeling like selling.
It just feels like helping the right person take the next step.
PS. How to you get clients to open up and share important thoughts, feelings, and information? Click here to find out more.
