The problem
First impressions in financial advice are everything. A prospect who comes in through a referral already has some trust — but they are still evaluating you. The difference between a good first meeting and a great one is often preparation. When you know something specific about their employer's pension scheme, or the sector they work in, or a recent change that affects their financial planning, you signal expertise immediately.
Most advisers do some preparation before a prospect meeting: a quick Google of the person's LinkedIn, maybe a check on their employer's website. But there is so much more available, and pulling it together quickly requires a system.
The risk of under-preparing is showing up to a meeting knowing less than the prospect expected. They came in having Googled "IFA near me" and reading your reviews. You should know more about their financial world than they do.
The system
Step 1: Research the prospect's employer and pension scheme (Perplexity)
Before the meeting, use Perplexity to research the specific context of your prospect. Most prospects provide their employer name when booking. Use it.
"Tell me about [Employer Name]'s pension scheme. Is it a defined benefit or defined contribution scheme? What are the employer contribution rates if known? Has the scheme had any recent changes or issues? What are the key features a financial adviser should know about when meeting an employee for the first time?"
Also run:
"What are the main financial planning considerations for someone working in [industry/sector] in the UK? What are typical benefits packages like? Are there any relevant tax or employment changes affecting this sector in 2024?"
This gives you sector context even when you cannot find specific employer details.
Step 2: Research any stated financial situation (Perplexity)
If the prospect mentioned a specific financial situation when booking (recently divorced, about to retire, received an inheritance), research the relevant rules and options:
"What are the key financial planning options for someone in the UK who has just received a defined benefit pension transfer value offer? What questions should an IFA ask in the first meeting? What are the regulatory requirements around this type of advice?"
Step 3: Create a personalised meeting agenda (Claude)
Take your Perplexity research notes and brief Claude:
"I am an IFA preparing for a first meeting with a prospect. Here is what I know about them and their situation:
[paste your notes]
Please create a tailored meeting agenda for a 60-minute discovery meeting. Include: suggested opening questions to understand their goals, specific questions related to their employer pension scheme, questions to assess their risk attitude and capacity for loss, and a suggested structure for presenting our services. The tone should be warm and advisory, not salesy."
Step 4: Prepare smart questions (Claude)
Ask Claude for a list of questions that will make you look well-prepared:
"Based on this prospect's situation, what are five questions I could ask that would demonstrate I have done my research and understand their sector? These should be genuinely useful discovery questions, not just impressive-sounding ones."
Print or save these for the meeting.
The results
Before: 20 to 30 minutes of preparation, mostly LinkedIn and a quick website visit, leaving knowledge gaps that sometimes showed in the meeting.
After: 45 minutes of structured preparation that produces a proper meeting agenda and a set of genuinely insightful questions.
The difference in prospect conversion rate is meaningful. When advisers walk in knowing specifics about a prospect's employer pension scheme, the prospect immediately feels they are with someone who understands their world. That trust is hard to build during the meeting itself but easy to establish before it.
One adviser using this system converted three of her next four prospect meetings — up from her previous rate of around one in three.