What if the true value of financial advice wasn’t in the numbers, the spreadsheets, or the perfect retirement portfolio… but in the way your client feels about their life right now? When you focus on the person, not just the plan, everything changes.

Alongside John Dashfield - coach, author, and a leading voice in client-centred financial advice - we explore what happens when advisers stop being product-pushers and start being life-changers. The biggest shift in advice begins with how you see yourself.

In our deep dive into the real role of the modern adviser, we explore practical strategies and deeper human truths. We unpack how to ask better questions, how to build trust, and why technical skills aren’t enough in a world where advice is increasingly about connection, communication, and changing lives.

Top 10 Takeaways

1. The True Value of Advice Is Experiential: Financial advice isn’t just about numbers or future plans — it’s about helping clients experience a better life now through clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.
2. The Adviser’s Role Is Evolving: As AI automates technical tasks, the real differentiator will be the human side of advice: communication, emotional intelligence, and presence.
3. Technical Skills Are Table Stakes - Human Skills Are the Advantage: Exams focus on the technical, but true impact comes from mastering human skills: listening, curiosity, empathy, and asking powerful questions.
4. State of Mind Drives Client Relationships: The adviser’s mindset and level of self-orientation dramatically impact trust. Clients can sense when you’re in “sales mode” vs. being fully present.
5. Advice That Sticks Requires Emotional Connection: Most advice isn’t implemented. To change that, advisers must engage the emotional drivers behind a client’s goals - the “why” behind the numbers.
6. Ask Better Questions, Listen Longer: Questions like “Tell me what’s on your mind?” or “What would that do for you?” open the door to meaningful conversations. Don’t rush to fix - stay curious.
7. The Goal Behind the Goal Is What Matters: Surface goals (e.g. “put my kids through university”) point to deeper values (e.g. legacy, love, security). That’s where lasting motivation and action come from.
8. Trust Is About Being, Not Just Doing: It’s not just about being competent - it’s about being present, grounded, and trustworthy in how you show up.
9. Start Small to Build Momentum: Asking too much too soon leads to inaction. Start with doable steps and co-create wins with your clients.
10. You Can’t Coach Others Until You Coach Yourself: Advisers need to be their own best client. Know your value. Invest in your own growth. The deeper your understanding of self, the greater your impact on others.

Great phrases:

• “Create a transformational rather than a transactional experience for your clients.”
• “The goal is to understand the person, not just the plan.”
• “Great advisers don’t listen to respond. They listen to understand.”
• “Silence is not awkward. It’s powerful.”
• “The biggest shift is how you see yourself as an adviser.”
• The big 4: “Why are you here? Where are you now? Where are you going? What could stop you?”

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