by Jim Stackpool | Jun 15, 2026 | Advice Clients, Advice Conversations, Advice is not a Product, best practice, Case Studies, Client Care, client conversations, Client Offerings, Consultative Approach, Mindsets, Pricing Advice
It was a well-meaning and not uncommon introduction. A very good long-standing client, a couple who had successfully built a number of businesses, asked if their daughter, Jess, could come in for “a one-on-one chat.” They said that at 34, Jess was thinking about a...
by Jim Stackpool | May 25, 2026 | Best Interests, best practice, Business Performance, Capacity-To-Serve, Growth Stress, Hiring Team Members
Nathan’s spreadsheet looked perfect. His cost-to-serve model showed a team of six costing $520,000, generating $1.4 million in revenue, with a margin on every client segment. On paper, the firm was thriving. Day-to-day, however, Nathan was drowning. His two...
by Jim Stackpool | May 11, 2026 | Advice Clients, Advice Conversations, advice skills, best practice, Certainty Advice, client conversations, Client Meetings, Complexity, Consultative Approach, Delivering Value, Meetings, Quality Advice, skills, valuable advice, Valuable Lessons, value, Value of Advice
“We just want flexibility.” “We’d like some options.” “We haven’t really thought about the details yet.” Advice teams have heard versions of these responses from hundreds of clients, probably hundreds of times. And if you’re like most advice teams, you’ve accepted...
by Jim Stackpool | May 4, 2026 | Advice Clients, Advice Conversations, Advice Products, adviser fees, Best Interests, best practice, client conversations, Client Meetings, Client Offerings, Consultative Approach, Profitability, Quality Advice, Separation of advice from product, Serve the Greater Good, value, Value Proposition
“WHAT DO I GET FOR THAT?” Five words. Every adviser has heard them. A prospect sits across from you. You’ve had a good conversation. You’ve built rapport. You’ve quoted your fee. And then it comes. “Sounds OK. But what do I actually...
by Jim Stackpool | Apr 27, 2026 | Best Interests, best practice, Brand Development, Business Performance, Client Offerings, Complexity, Consequences, Consultative Approach, Delivering Value, dependency, Engagements, Financial Complexity, Productivity, Profitability, Retention, Separation of advice from product, valuable advice, value, Value Proposition, Wealth Management
Here’s a question that will tell you a lot about your firm’s positioning and pricing approach. When a qualified prospect meets your team for the first time, where do those vital initial conversations focus? If the answer is the prospect’s specific...
by Jim Stackpool | Apr 13, 2026 | Advice Conversations, advice skills, AI, best practice, Certainty Advice, Consultative Approach, Cultivating Advice workshops, Delivering Value, future of advice, Greater Good, LIfe Choices, Public Good, skills, Transformative Advice, valuable advice, value, Value of Advice, Value Proposition, Wealth Management
With the Middle East conflict pushing fuel prices to $3.50 a litre, cost-of-living decisions are changing daily lives. They have to. The headlines are constant. Their narrative tightens the pressure on short and long-term hopes. They also hide alternative ways to get...
