Recourses
Moden
‘Ace Your Annual Review’ - Downloadable guide
Humansing money - fortnightly newsletter
'Finesse your first meeting' - Mentoring programme
Communicate for Impact Course - Writing cohort for advisers
The Kinder Reminder fortnightly newsletter
What if the biggest factor in your success as a financial adviser isn’t your technical expertise, but how well you listen? In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Kidd, communications expert, coach, and founder of Motem, to explore the overlooked skill at the heart of powerful advice: meaningful conversation.
With a background in psychology, coaching, and NLP, Melissa shares practical tools to help advisers shift from presenting information to creating impact - by listening deeply, asking better questions, and understanding the emotional side of money. From finessing the first meeting to running better annual reviews, Melissa explains why emotions run high when talking about money, and how advisers can create safety, connection, and clarity by mastering the art of listening and asking the right questions. We explore how to dissolve jargon, build trust faster, and use proactive communication to turn avoiders into advocates.
Top 8 Takeaways
Open Strong: Begin every meeting by asking, “What would make this a valuable use of your time?” - a powerful question that invites co-creation and sets the tone for trust.
The First Meeting Is Critical: Emotions run high, and clients often feel a power imbalance. Your job isn’t to impress - it’s to settle minds, listen deeply, and humanise the conversation.
Clients Define Value: Advisers often default to showcasing technical skill. But real value is defined by the client - feeling understood, making smart decisions, and knowing what ‘enough’ looks like.
Silence Isn’t Awkward, It’s Powerful: Many advisers fear silence. But space invites deeper thinking and reflection. Listen to understand, not to respond.
Ask 'What' Not 'Why': “What led you to come and see an adviser like me today?” invites insight without defensiveness. ‘Why’ can feel intrusive.
Scale for Confidence: Use a simple 1–10 scale to ask, “How confident are you feeling about your financial situation?” Revisit over time to track emotional and financial progress.
Reframe Annual Reviews: Shift from “annual review” to “progress planning meeting” - clients are more likely to attend when it feels forward-focused and purposeful.
Don’t Sell, Start a Conversation: When networking, your goal isn’t to close. It’s to connect. Focus on being memorable, relatable, and curious. The real opportunities often come later, over coffee - not in the room.
Great Phrases
The first meeting is all about creating safety, not showcasing expertise
It’s not about the facts and figures. It’s about uncovering motivations and needs.
If they only come to you for performance, they’ll leave you for performance.
Money is emotional. If we ignore that, we miss the heart of the conversation.
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