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 | Jun 1, 2026 | Business Performance, Consultative Approach, Leadership, Pricing Advice, Value Proposition
Many senior advisers at advice firms cling to a quiet but often false assumption. They usually don’t say it out loud. It’s a very influential assumption. Particularly in client meetings, discussing workflows, and when making hiring decisions. The assumption is this:...
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 | Apr 20, 2026 | adviser fees, Business Performance, Career Management, Certainty Advice, Consultative Approach, Cultivating Advice workshops, Delivering Value, Fee For Service, Leadership, Pricing Advice, Pricing Committees, uplifts, valuable advice, Value of Advice, Value Proposition
Four partners. A well-regarded firm in Perth’s western suburbs. Two majority partners are quietly lifting their fees. Clients staying. Clients paying. Clients value the advice relationship at rates well above inflation. Two minority partners are watching. And refusing...
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...
by Jim Stackpool | Mar 2, 2026 | Access Price, Activity v Productivity, Advice Clients, advice skills, adviser fees, Business Performance, Business Planning, Certainty Advice, Client Care, Client Meetings, Consequences, Consultative Approach, Delivering Value, Meetings, Mindsets, Quality Advice, strategy, Success Stories, Successful On Purpose, Transformations, Trust Skilling, valuable advice, Valuable Lessons, value, Wealth Management
The principals at one of our comprehensive advice firms based in Redcliffe had a problem. They were charging $15,000 for new clients. Their four associate advisers were signing new clients closer to $6,000-$8,000 for their new clients. Clients would ask: “Will I...
