Handle the Human Element of Every First Meeting — Without Having to Change Your Nature
A clear, structured, repeatable methodology that ensures more potential clients become clients—the First Meeting Framework
The Invisible Barrier:
Why First Meetings Often Feel Harder Than They Should
Financial planners, accountants, and specialists are highly trained technically, but how to connect with a human being and structure the first meeting is rarely a deep part of the professional curriculum.
Instead, you are left to "figure it out" on the job, or through sessions that focus on tactics rather than nature, leading to a sense of confusion, uncertainty, discomfort, and pressure.
This “first meeting” discomfort usually stems from one or more of four reasons:
it does not feel natural.
a reluctance to appear pushy or “salesy”.
the pressure of corporate expectations.
Long-term corporate conditioning
The result is internal conflict, performance pressure, and a self-focus that makes connecting with your potential client more difficult than it needs to be.
Whatever the reason(s), the discomfort can be overcome with the right meeting structure—and a relaxed rather than forced connection process—regardless of whether you’re more naturally inclined to connect with others or not.
A Simple Truth:
The small shift in thinking that changes everything, for your potential client, and for you.
“It’s not about me”
There is so much more to this simple truth than we see at first glance.
Below the surface lie the different ways we (quite naturally) make it all about ourselves - what we think and feel, what we believe about ourselves, how we define our role, the weight of corporate expectations, and much more.
Everyone gets “it’s not about me” in principle.
Putting it into practice is way harder than it sounds.
Who is this for?
This is for financial advisers, accountants, and other financial services specialists who:
do not see themselves as salespeople
find the idea of being pushy or “salesy” uncomfortable
want a clear, reliable method and structure for conversations with potential clients
want to help more people with their expertise
The Choice…
Selling Path or Serving Path?
Corporate conditioning imprints “the selling path” to some degree on us all from day one.
Rarely do we stop and think about it.
Mostly, we accept it as a fact of business life and do the best we can with it.
We attend conferences and PD days where “soft skills” sessions sometimes feel like sales tactics, or manipulative by nature. Even the good ones are quickly forgotten as we “get back to work”.
The Serving Path brings into question all we think we know.
That’s what the Mindset, Intentions and Language of
The Serving Path makes possible.
The Selling Path
(ME-Focused)
The Serving Path
(YOU-Focused)
The First Meeting Framework
A practical, repeatable methodology for redesigning the first meeting.
Built on The Three Foundations of The Serving Path
Consciousness
Mindset: It’s not about me
Connection
Intentions: understanding our true role
Co-Creation
Language: from business speak to human speak
When first meetings follow The Serving Path:
trust develops (or not) by the clarity of our example
conversations are easy-to-have
commercial success is an expected outcome not a conscious focus
What Clients Say
Noel’s exceptional capabilities have helped me redesign our initial meeting with potential clients and review meetings with existing clients. After 20 years of evolving my meeting and presentation content, the process Noel took me through was different to anything I had done before, and I am extremely pleased with the result. Noel’s contribution to my business has been most valuable.
Mark Lewin, Director
“Noel changed the game of “sales” for me. He taught me a better way to approach client conversations through better questions, deeper listening and clearer language. Once you truly get it, increased success and personal satisfaction follow.
Matt Congiusta | Principal - Private Wealth Adviser | Financial Keys
How I work with people
I guide teams, groups and individuals.
The real work happens 1:1 deconstructing and reconstructing current conversations and the beliefs that shape them to determine if any changes are required.
For some it’s just a band-aid, for others major surgery
The only pre-requisite is a desire to help others with what you know and have
If this resonates
Book a 1:1 conversation
or
Contact me via email