A prospect requests a meeting with a financial adviser. The request says only "I'd like some advice." The adviser arrives at the meeting not knowing whether the prospect wants help with retirement, inheritance, investments or protection. Half the meeting is spent working out what the prospect needs.
A little context before the first meeting makes it far more useful.
Step 1: explain the first meeting
Before asking for anything, explain what the first meeting involves: how long it lasts, whether it is free, whether it is in person or remote and what happens afterwards. This answers the most common questions and reduces nerves. The long research phase that leads to this moment is described in prospects who research advisers for weeks before calling.
Step 2: ask what they want help with
A simple question such as "What would you like help with?" with a few examples, such as retirement planning, investments, protection or inheritance, gives the adviser the most useful context.
Step 3: ask about timing
Some prospects have a deadline, such as a retirement date or a lump sum to invest. Knowing the timeline helps the adviser prioritise.
Step 4: ask how they found you
This helps the firm understand which marketing works, and flags referrals, which deserve priority.
Step 5: capture preferred times and format
Two or three preferred times, and whether they want to meet in person, by video or by phone, avoid back-and-forth. The trade-offs between booking widgets and conversational requests are discussed in booking widget vs conversational requests.
Step 6: avoid sensitive details too early
Detailed financial information is best gathered at the meeting, with proper care. Early capture should stay at the level of goals and context.
Step 7: capture it in conversation
SpideyChat for financial advisers explains the first meeting from your own pages and captures these details in conversation at any hour. It does not give advice or ask for detailed financial information.
Prospect: I'd like to talk to someone about retirement. Assistant: The first meeting is free and usually takes about an hour, as the "how we work" page explains. So the adviser can prepare, could you share roughly when you're planning to retire, how you found the firm and a couple of times that suit you?
Law firms capture consultation requests in a similar way, described in consultation requests captured with the right details.
Couples and families
Financial planning often involves more than one person. Couples want to attend together, and some prospects want an adult child present. Asking who will attend lets the adviser plan the meeting and make sure everyone involved in the decision is there. It also avoids the common situation where one partner attends, likes the adviser and then has to explain everything again at home.
Business owners
Business owners often want help with both personal and business finances. Asking whether the enquiry is personal, business or both lets the firm assign the right adviser from the start.
Step 8: confirm and remind
Confirm the meeting with the time, format, what to bring and how long it lasts. A reminder the day before reduces no-shows. Fee questions often come up at this point, covered in fee questions financial advisers should answer openly.
Setting up meeting capture
Train the assistant on your first meeting and fees pages and set the questions above. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain the steps.