Advisory Agendas Should Build Trust, Not Just Structure
Structure the conversation. Center the client.
Every advisory conversation is an opportunity for you to show your clients that you’re a trusted guide. It’s when you can prove you’re by their side, helping them navigate through financial chaos.
And like any great guide, you need a plan before you set out.
A strong agenda helps you steer the meeting with confidence, stay focused on what matters and create space for your client to show up fully. It provides structure and strategy so that you have brain space to stay flexible and focus entirely on your clients’ needs.
Creating a strong agenda is the first step, but where should you start?
1. Define the purpose of the meeting
Start with the “why!” What do you want this conversation to achieve? Maybe it’s about aligning on long-term goals, diagnosing current roadblocks or developing an actionable plan for next year’s taxes. Getting clear on the purpose sets the tone and direction for everything that follows.
Consider your client’s current situation, key challenges, goals and aspirations, learning style and time constraints.
If you can’t figure out exactly why you’re meeting, maybe that’s the purpose of the meeting. Don’t be afraid to show up anyway so you can really listen to your clients’ needs and use what you learn to drive future conversations.
2. Gather client information
You should know where your client is coming from before they even walk in the door. Do your research to understand their business stage, industry context and current challenges. Then, tailor the conversation to what really matters.
All of your advisory conversations should center your clients’ needs. They intimately understand their finances, but you understand the big picture. So, let them in on it! But study up ahead of time so that you’re ready to share that wealth of information in a way that’s relevant for them.
3. Structure the Agenda
Break the meeting into clear, logical parts. A typical flow might look like:
Vision Alignment — Connect on the client’s long-term vision and goals
Challenge Diagnosis — Pinpoint what’s standing in their way
Strategic Insight — Offer guidance based on your expertise
Action Planning — Turn insight into defined next steps
4. Allocate Time Wisely
Don’t let one part of the meeting dominate. Assign time blocks to each section to keep things on track. A 60-minute meeting might break down into 10-minute segments that can be adjusted as needed.
As you flow through the meeting, take time to support your client emotionally, not just financially. No matter what you say, they’re probably going to feel overloaded with information. So, make sure to give yourself plenty of time to pause for their questions and let them process what you’re saying.
Obviously, don’t waste your clients’ time. But also, don’t be discouraged if you have to meet again (and again, and again, and again.) That’s proof you’re getting somewhere! We could talk about this stuff forever, but normal people only repeatedly schedule meetings about their finances if you’re really adding value.
5. Share the agenda in advance
Transparency builds trust. Send the agenda to your client before the meeting so they know what to expect and can come prepared. It shows them you’re intentional and value their time.
It also gives them an opportunity to mention topics you may have overlooked, giving you a chance to prepare ahead of time. That way, you’re not caught off guard in the last five minutes of your meeting when they ask a six-part question about a random topic you had no idea they’d been ruminating on.
6. Be flexible in the moment
It’s worth repeating. ALL of your advisory conversations NEED to center your client. That means putting their needs first. To do that, you need to be flexible.
Your agenda is a roadmap, not a script. Stay open to detours. If the client brings up something urgent or unexpected, adjust as needed. You can circle back to the agenda when it makes sense or schedule another time to meet if there’s topics you still need to talk about.
If you can meet your client where they are, they’ll keep coming back.
