First meeting with a financial planner: how to structure it

Keep the first meeting for discovery, not advice: understand the client's goals and situation, explain how you work and how you're paid, and agree on what happens next. Offer it as a separate service, in person or by video, on slots that suit people who work during the day, and tell clients in the description what to prepare. They book online, you receive their note in your inbox, and both sides arrive ready to talk about the right things.

A new client arrives with a mix of goals and worries: buying a home, children's education, retirement, a business sale, an inheritance to manage. They also arrive not knowing what a planner does, what it costs, or whether they can trust you. The first meeting is for both sides to decide whether to work together.

Trying to give recommendations at this stage rarely works: you don't have the full picture yet, and advice given without it can be wrong. Discovery first, advice later.

Take notes during the meeting and send a short summary afterwards: it shows the client you listened, and it's the basis of your next conversation.

Tell clients in the service description what to have to hand: a rough idea of household income, a list of savings, pensions and investments with approximate values, loans and their monthly cost, insurance policies, and any statements they don't understand. They don't need everything; a rough picture lets the meeting go further than introductions. On your side, read their note beforehand and have ready the documents that explain your process and your fees, so the client can take them home.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. You open slots for each service at the length it takes, one place per slot. Clients pick a service, then a free slot, and book without creating an account.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own, and follow the rules that apply to your profession on how fees are presented. In the description, say what the meeting covers, whether it commits the client to anything, and where it takes place.

The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note you read in your new-booking email. Ask what brings them to you, in a sentence, and whether a partner will join. Don't ask for account numbers or amounts in the note: those belong in the meeting or in documents exchanged securely. The note can't be edited after booking, so put the instruction in the description.

People who work office hours may prefer early mornings, lunchtime video calls or evenings. One option is to open two evening slots a week and a lunchtime video slot, repeated each week until a date. Couples can then find a time together without taking a day off. If a client calls, create a slot and book them in yourself from your calendar: first and last name are required, email and phone optional.

If both sides want to continue, book the next meeting before the client leaves: create the slot and book them into it. Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, you reschedule or cancel from your bookings list and confirm yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book doesn't store client files, produce reports or take payments; it handles appointments. It costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.