After completing the Financial Road Map® Interview with friends to help me get more experience, they decided to get a financial plan done. I relayed the cost of completing the plan, but not the cost of an on-going relationship (as I was unsure that was the best time to have that discussion being fairly new to the process). I am meeting them Saturday morning to have a pre-planning meeting. What is the best practice for inviting them into my Ideal Client community at this point and discussing the annual fee (I am thinking $10K...this would be my first Ideal Client invite)?

Article ID: 371
Last updated: 20 Nov, 2019
Your answer to your question is perfect. When it's time to tell them how much the ongoing relationship costs, just tell them how much it costs. If they have any other questions, just answer them directly and transparently until you come to an agreement to do business... or not. Remember, every time you answer a question you finish with a question.

eg; Does that answer your question? Are you ready to proceed? How else can I help you feel good about your decision to hire me to help you get your entire financial house in perfect order and keep it that way forever?
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b A number of my clients do not involve their spouse in the financial decision making to the point where the husband (typically) wants to be the only one present. While I recognize that this process is more about values than it is about finances, the husband refuses to let the wife attend because she isn't involved in that type of decision making. Should I insist that both spouses be there knowing that the husband won't 'open up' if the wife is there?
b I have been following the script with Commitment to Hire Conversation ™ and detailing them exactly what they will get. We had a Follow-Up Meeting the other day with a client where we do a Risk Profile (legal requirement) and they were asking further questions around money management etc. Although they knew they were getting a plan they didn’t realize we handled everything (i.e. professional money management) and they said if they realized we did so much they would have been far keener to go ahead. Should we also have a list of client deliverables to show them?
b I'm new to Values-Based Financial Planning™ and am looking forward to the Academy 1 in October. In the meantime, I wanted your guidance on the following: I've been referred to a young family man who is dying. I'm wondering about how he'll react to a question like, “What’s Important About… To You?” and probably more so to the question about his tangible goals... especially as he doesn't have much of a road to look down. How do you handle conversations with people who are dying, especially young people with families?
b I have a relationship [developed last year - "pre-BAI"] with a senior person at the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association that needs to be followed-up on. In fact, he owes me a call that I would like to preempt by calling him. I believe the Financial Road Map® experience, and the three meeting process, etc., could offer solutions to many of the problems voiced to me by not just Major League Baseball, but by others in professional sports [some of whom I may have access through people I know]. I need the words to use for my centers of influence [these with direct access to sports personalities] to get them to give me access to their constituents. This is not a situation for me to run a Road Map [they are not physically close] but one where I would like to get their interest to possibly invite me to meet with their Board and/or refer me directly. I need a script!
b When should I NOT give an existing client a Values-Based Financial Planning™ book?
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