The Meeting System Myth: Why Structure Beats Style Every Time
A well-run financial planning business doesn’t just deliver advice – it delivers it predictably. Inconsistency across key meetings – the Initial Appointment, the Statement of Advice Presentation, or the Annual Review – is the hidden weakness in many firms. While owners focus on revenue, it’s often the quiet chaos in how meetings are run and documented that chips away at trust, compliance, and efficiency. If you want to scale with confidence, every high-impact client meeting must become a system. And that system starts with standardisation – not of the advice, but of the structure. Systemise the Conversation – Not Just the Paperwork The core of a great meeting system is a pre-designed checklist or script that aligns with your service model. This doesn’t mean a robotic pitch. It means your practice has decided the key messages, disclosures, and touchpoints every client should hear, and every planner should cover. This script links directly to a tailored presentation deck. Together, they guide the conversation in a way that feels natural but ensures compliance, consistency, and quality across your entire team. Whether it’s super contributions, estate planning, or explaining fees, the same message is heard – regardless of which adviser is in the room. Now the magic happens downstream. Because the file note template has been written with the script and deck in mind, documentation becomes fast, thorough, and audit-proof. No more gaps. No more ambiguity. Instead, you have a meeting system that not only educates clients but protects your business. From Chaos to Coordination – One Meeting at a Time When you treat meetings as repeatable experiences rather than one-off conversations, you unlock operational clarity. Let’s take the Annual Review. If every adviser starts with a discovery script, shares a visual roadmap tailored to the client’s stage, and wraps up with a checklist-driven file note, you’ve created an advice experience that is consistent, scalable, and delegation-friendly. A paraplanner reading the note doesn’t have to guess – they know what happened. An offshore team can pre-fill the review deck or prep documents with confidence. And compliance knows where to look to verify outcomes. Best of all, clients feel the professionalism. They feel seen, heard, and remembered – because the system was built to deliver that. The Real Payoff – Margin, Morale, and Market Value When your meetings are systemised: Capacity scales. Planners spend less time documenting and more time advising. Morale lifts. Admin and support teams stop chasing details and start managing workflow. Compliance risk drops. Your audit trail becomes robust by default. Business value grows. You’re no longer a collection of individual styles. You’re a business with a playbook. Ultimately, your client meetings become an asset – not a risk. Conclusion High-value client interactions are too important to leave to chance or memory. Building a meeting system – anchored in a script, deck, and templated file note - ensures that every adviser delivers a consistent, high-quality experience, every time. This isn’t about removing personality. It’s about removing doubt. And the practicality? Don’t pretend you’ll build this in two weeks. Start small. Test. Tinker. Then each year, when your office shuts down for three days to improve procedures, you’ll make real progress. Within three years, you’ll have busted the myth that this is too hard to start. It’s not. You just did it – one process at a time. Mark Lewin
Form type Checklist in Notes for ongoing use?
Hi All, Has anyone set up or created a form type document in Xplan notes. I have used Note Templates before and am aware I can use a table. Or a merge output however we don't want to re-tick options each time, just review and make any changes. We have a checklist that we want advisors to use in meetings. This covers all advice areas and there are boxes to be ticked. We are thinking that this could be saved and edited in notes. I.e. saved last answers and then just updated again at a meeting. Does anyone use something like this and can offer ideas for a solution The answers being o Yes o No o N/A o Not Interested o Already in place Thanks in Advance!The Offshoring Blind Spot: How Poor Systems Cripple Profitability
Australia is experiencing a unique mismatch: adviser head-count has fallen by roughly 40 % since 2019, yet the pool of advice-seeking households keeps growing as 3.6 million baby-boomers move deeper into retirement. For practice owners this means clients are not merely available; they are queuing. The opportunity, however, is only profitable if new business is screened and processed efficiently. Chasing every enquiry dilutes margin and culture, so the first discipline is a strict Ideal Client definition. A prospect must fit your revenue model, complexity sweet spot and advice philosophy before you invest expensive planner hours. Done well, qualification guards scarce resources and sets a high bar for future profitability. The Real Offshoring Problem: Process, Not People Many principals blame disappointing offshore results on “quality control”, yet the real culprit is almost always the firm’s internal machinery. When workflows partially live in someone’s head and data standards vary by adviser, exported tasks return riddled with rework. Offshoring magnifies the system already in place: strong SOPs, digital checklists and automated task queues thrive; verbal instructions collapse. The cost is steep - duplicated labour, owner time sunk into fixes and EBIT margins trapped below 20 %. Practices that invest six months documenting processes, training an overseas team leader and embedding secure tech may lift margins to 30 %-plus within the second year. Rather than abandon global talent, firms must treat the offshore partner as the execution arm of a clearly engineered assembly line. Once instructions are unambiguous and repeatable, offshore staff excel at time-critical admin such as data entry, product research and SoA implementation, freeing onshore advisers for strategy and client coaching. Marry Ideal Clients with a World-Class Onboarding Machine After you have filtered prospects, the true leverage appears during onboarding. A well-built procedure locks in client confidence, accelerates fee capture and frees adviser capacity. Offshoring slots perfectly here because the steps are data-heavy but rules-based. For example, document collection, fact-find validation and platform form preparation follow the same sequence every time. When these tasks move offshore, a local paraplanner can oversee multiple files concurrently instead of chasing signatures. Your onboarding blueprint should incorporate the five qualification checkpoints that signal a client worth serving: A clear problem they want solved. Authority (and willingness) for both decision-makers to engage. A genuine sense of urgency. Estimated annual advice fees above your minimum threshold. Openness to your recommendations. With those criteria met, hand the file to an offshore “implementation pod” that follows a digitised, automated playbook: e-sign engagement letter → trigger SharePoint workflow → schedule discovery meeting via Calendly → pre-populate fact-find and risk-profile forms → load data into your CRM. Each click is logged, timestamped and reported back to the adviser dashboard, giving local staff visibility without the drudgery. The payoff is two-fold. First, capacity scales: one adviser supported by a disciplined offshore cell can service 150 + households at consistent service levels. Second, culture improves: local staff shift from firefighting to high-value conversations, and offshore colleagues enjoy clear KPIs and career pathways instead of ad-hoc requests. Conclusion Client demand is surging, and the firms that will capture profitable growth are those that (1) know exactly whom they want to serve, (2) codify every repeatable step, and (3) deploy offshore talent as the engine room of a seamless onboarding experience. The bottleneck is no longer lead flow; it is the owner’s resolve to replace tribal knowledge with procedure. Get that right and offshoring stops being a quality-control headache and becomes the accelerator that turns plentiful prospects into ideal, high-margin clients - efficiently, consistently and at scale. Mark Lewin May 2025🤓Xplan Hint: When your file notes need a new home
Did you know that you can move file notes between entities? We still hear (to our collective horror) about users moving file notes between entities by copying and pasting. But there’s a much quicker way! In the file note’s ‘Related’ tab, just click on the Add button to add other entities, and use the chain link button to link/unlink the note from any entity.Want to know exactly what your client has updated in their digital fact find? Now you can!
Fact find comparison report is now available to all users Background Client Portal allows users to provide their clients with a digital fact find to complete for new and existing clients. The data is updated immediately in Xplan and allows advisers to capture data more efficiently. However, even though all changes are logged in the audit trail, getting a clear picture of what is updated wasn't always easy. What's new? Upon completion of a fact find in Client Portal, a comparison report is generated and saved as a file note against the client. All data from the fact find is displayed and any changes are clearly highlighted. How do I activate it? No extra steps are required to configure or activate the comparison report, it is already live in Client Portal and available now. Simply follow the existing fact find process by setting the fact find status to 'Unlocked' and when the client submits their fact find, a file note is created with the comparison report attached. Got questions or feedback? We always welcome feedback on our products and if you wish to let us know your thoughts, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post them below.
The Latent Potential Within Your Planning Business
It was a crisp January morning when Alan, the owner of Horizon Financial Planning, sat in his office, pondering the future of his practice. The past year had been gruelling. Growth had stalled, staff were stretched thin, and compliance errors were creeping into their processes. His team seemed caught in an endless cycle of firefighting, and Alan couldn’t shake the feeling that his business was precariously balanced on a house of cards. One fateful afternoon, Alan attended a professional development workshop. The speaker - a seasoned consultant - posed a compelling question: “If you stepped away from your business for three months, would it survive?” Alan’s stomach sank. He knew the answer. Without his constant involvement, Horizon Financial Planning would falter. That moment ignited a spark. Alan realised his business needed a system - not just patchwork processes - but a comprehensive, scalable framework to future-proof his practice. Determined to make a change, Alan committed to a 12-month journey to build a business system. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the potential gains outweighed the daunting task ahead. He started by gathering his team. They all looked sceptical as he explained his vision: a fully systemised practice where tasks were streamlined, data drove decisions, and success didn’t hinge on any one person. “Imagine finding a $100 note in your jacket pocket,” Alan said, hoping to inspire his team. “That’s what this system will be for us - hidden value we didn’t know we had. But it’ll take time and effort to get there.” The first quarter was rough. Alan and his team conducted a thorough audit of their current operations, mapping out every client interaction, compliance task, and back-office process. The exercise was revealing. They discovered glaring inefficiencies: duplicate data entry, unclear responsibilities, and bottlenecks that delayed client service. The team often felt overwhelmed, but Alan kept reminding them, “This isn’t about perfection today. It’s about building a foundation for the future.” By April, they had started documenting workflows. Alan worked closely with a consultant to create detailed checklists and procedures. Initially, staff resisted the change. “This feels robotic,” one planner complained. “We’re supposed to be building relationships, not ticking boxes.” Alan listened and adjusted. He showed how these systems would free up time, enabling them to focus on meaningful client interactions rather than repetitive admin tasks. Midway through the year, the effort began to pay off. The client onboarding process, once chaotic and prone to delays, became smooth and predictable. A new client portal, integrated with their CRM, allowed clients to upload documents directly, eliminating back-and-forth emails. Compliance reviews, previously a dreaded task, were streamlined with automated reminders and pre-filled templates. For the first time in years, the team felt a sense of control. But the real turning point came in September. Alan had to take an unexpected two-week leave to care for a sick family member. Normally, his absence would have thrown the practice into disarray. This time, however, the business hummed along. The systems they had built over the past nine months held firm. Tasks were completed on time, clients were served without issue, and the team realised they could function independently of Alan. When Alan returned, he was greeted with a newfound confidence among his staff. They had seen the power of the system and were fully bought into the process. This momentum carried them through the final months of the year. They began leveraging data insights from their now-organised systems to identify trends, such as which client segments were most profitable and which services needed refining. With this information, Alan developed a targeted growth plan for the next year. By December, the transformation was undeniable. The practice was no longer reactive; it was proactive. Client satisfaction scores had soared, staff turnover was at an all-time low, and revenue had increased by 15%. Perhaps most importantly, Alan felt a sense of freedom he hadn’t experienced in years. For the first time, he could envision stepping away from the day-to-day operations to focus on strategic growth or even take a holiday without guilt or fear. Reflecting on the year, Alan compared the experience to planting a garden. “At first, it felt like all we were doing was digging and planting, with no visible results. But now, the garden is blooming. The effort was worth it.” He also realised the true value of latent potential. The systems they had built weren’t just about efficiency, they unlocked opportunities he hadn’t even considered. Horizon Financial Planning was now positioned as a thriving, scalable business. Alan knew that if he ever chose to sell, the systems would significantly boost the enterprise value. But more than that, he had built something that gave him pride and peace of mind. Alan’s story became an inspiration to other financial planners in his network. When asked for advice, he always said, “Don’t wait until things are breaking down to build a system. The effort you put in today will reward you tenfold in the future. It’s like finding that $100 note in your jacket pocket, except this time, you know exactly where you put it.” Mark LewinWhat's your focus for 2025?
In my latest blog here, I share from experience that the most successful advice businesses have a clear vision—one that isn’t just understood by leadership, but by the whole team. When everyone knows where the business is headed and how their role contributes, momentum builds. 👉 What’s one key focus for your advice practice this year? 👉 How are you getting your team on board with your vision? Keen to hear everyone's perspective!How do you nurture a PY adviser's growth?
I recently shared in a blog here the importance of developing a strong Professional Year (PY) adviser program—from setting clear expectations to encouraging a true sense of ownership over their work. I’d love to hear how everyone is putting these ideas into practice. What’s been your biggest success in mentoring a PY adviser? How do you handle challenges like balancing oversight with giving the freedom to learn? What advice would you give to someone just beginning to work with a new PY adviser? What's been a barrier for you in taking on a PY adviser? I would also love to hear from PY advisers too and your first-hand experience of going through the program! It would be great to swap strategies, share stories, and help each other shape the next generation of our profession. It was a learning curve for us, especially as we are a virtual office, I'd love to see more growth in PY's, so happy to help if I can.Human behaviours in the digital world should reflect what we do physically in the analog world.
What I mean by that is in a physical sense, we would all bend over backwards to help our clients and keep them safe, but so often, those behaviours are not reflected in the digital world of protecting clients' data. It's fair to say it's not intentional; we don't know what we don't know. But what we do know, is it is a recognised unknown, so we should take the time to find out what you and your team can do. Episode 6 of the CPD Masterclass covers a few of these unknowns, but the list is long and requires a bit more time to change habits, behaviours, and culture. What are your analogies for helping your team understand the seriousness of protecting your client's data? Don't forget to check out Episode Six and get your CPD! Episode 6: Sizing up cyber risk | Advisely
