Perfecting Your First Meeting - 10 December 2025
Manchester
Manchester
This full day, in-person course is for you if you want to enhance your skills in your first meeting with clients.
It looks at how you can win more of the right kind of clients every time and is for financial advisers or financial planners of all levels.
You may be new to the profession or looking for some new ideas.
Led by financial planners for financial planners the day will help you put in place a proper structure for first meetings and will build on the skills needed to make the first meeting a success for both you and your prospects. Competence comes with plenty of purposeful practice. The day will provide you with a safe environment where you can develop your skills through role play.
Learn how to:
- Present yourself / your firm BEFORE the meeting
- Be aware of what you are saying without speaking
- Use effective questioning and listening techniques
- Effectively communicate your value
- Close a meeting and gain commitment
Your facilitators for the day are
Steve Martin - Director, Chartered Wealth Manager, Certified Financial Planner
Steve is originally from Ayr in Scotland but moved to Altrincham in 2003 now lives full time in Spain. He is a Chartered and Certified Financial Planner (CFP™) as well as a Chartered Wealth Manager, a holder of the Investment Management Certificate and is a former Assessor of the CFP™ licence.
Steve founded Smart Financial Planning Limited in 2008 and serves as it chief executive. He also founded Smart SSAS, a pension trustee business in 2011 and Smart Divorce, a divorce specialism in 2018 and released the Change The Future programme in 2020. In 2021 he launched Smart Financial International to support clients moving out of the uk into Europe.
He was Chair of the Manchester branch of the Institute of Financial Planning for 5 years before standing down in 2015.
Steve is married with two children, is an Ironman Triathlete, a keen runner and a CrossFit level 1 coach and is a committed fund raiser for the CF Warriors and the Cystic Fibrosis trust.
Steve has over 20 years’ experience in the profession, having been a Partner and Managing Director of previous firms.
Steve specialises in advising business owners as both a financial planner and a business consultant as well as expatriating UK nationals.
Damien Rylett - Director, Chartered Financial Planner
An experienced Chartered Financial Planner and leader that has been operating in the profession for the past 25 years.
I work with a broad range of clients but specialise in providing life-centred financial planning to small business owners, senior executives and professionals. As a qualified business coach and mentor, I am well placed to help clients through the many transitions in life, be that retirement or exiting and selling a business. Ensuring families can identify, achieve and maintain their desired lifestyle without fear of running out of money has been my passion for 25 years in the profession and I have done this through meticulous, strategic planning to ensure that clients’ capital and resources are totally aligned with what is important to them allowing them to live a happy and fulfilled life.
Through The Financial Planning Training Academy, I help train Financial Advisers in the soft skills they need to be great Financial Planners and get a chance to influence more lives through these great planners.
In 2011, I fulfilled a long-term ambition to establish my own financial planning firm. Brunel Capital Partners aims to deliver FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE, FINANCIAL SECURITY and PEACE OF MIND for its clients through comprehensive, life-long financial planning.
In June 2016, Brunel Capital Partners acquired Pilgrim Financial Planning, a Chartered Financial Planning firm based in Wells, Somerset. In 2017, I helped launch IronBright Investment Management Limited, a DFM built by Brunel’s financial planners for financial planners to provide a sensibly priced, well diversified, managed portfolio service to private clients. In October 2022 Brunel merged with Saltus.
I am a Regional Director at Saltus and am responsible for the financial planning team in the West of the UK. Identifying, nurturing and developing talent is important to us as a firm as we look to bring through the next generation of financial planners and we do this through our Graduate Scheme and internships, both of which I lead on.
As a former IFP Branch Manager, Conference Chairman and Chair of the PFS Financial Planning Practitioner Panel, I have always looked to get involved and make a difference to the Profession to ensure that financial planners are well equipped to deliver great outcomes to their clients.
FAQs
- 9:30am coffee and registration
- 10:00am start
- Lunch included
- Formal finish 4:30pm
- Questions / extras till 5pm
- Min 8 - Max 10 delegates.
Location
Smart Financial
Beehive Lofts, Unit 4.1
Waulk Mill
51 Bengal Street
Manchester M4 6LN
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
There’s on road parking and there’s a number of car parks locally. There’s a number of car parks off Poland Street, including a new high rise one on Poland street that opened a couple of weeks ago.
Beehive Lofts is a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station. If you are local, you can take the Metrolink to Piccadilly.
From further away, fly to Manchester airport and take the train to Piccadilly or taxi to office (about £25.)
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
You can email taina@fptraining.academy with any queries.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
No, you don’t need a printed ticket.
"The event is a breath of fresh air in a world of IFA smog.
“Helping clients to live a lifestyle they desire as opposed to flogging a product has to be the way forward”
There are great opportunities for financial planning done right and these courses and the inspiring adviser community help advisers develop the skills they need for the new advice driven world. "
Course was a refreshing change from the standard ”sit and listen” seminars and the opportunity to practice and receive live feedback is unique
Although I feel I'm pretty good at first meetings, I'm happy presenting the bucket etc, I still wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I was. The practice was really valuable but the post bucket fee discussion has now improved and holds no fear! Thanks
This really is a worthwhile event for any adviser young or old. The day is driven by delegates and you really do get out what you put in! A ”must” in any adviser's calendar because otherwise how often do you do ”purposeful practice”? This event was a really good way to purposefully practice a first meeting. It's designed for all levels of adviser and can help in a number of ways.
This is a course that makes you uncomfortable, as it challenges how you currently set up, conduct and review the first meeting. And for that, it has to be applauded. I will never again see role playing as something I did when I first entered the world of financial services. Practice makes perfect! (well, nearly!)
A thoroughly enjoyable day with extremely valuable content. The Facilitators were great, supportive and helped in sharing their experience in lifestyle financial planning.
An excellent course, and an extremely good use of my time, to help me improve my delivery to clients and therefore their experience and outcomes. I would urge every IA member to attend this course.
Lifestyle Financial Planning has to be the future standard for all involved in providing financial advice to clients. Having the opportunity to practice in a safe environment and learn from seasoned pro's is an absolute godsend.
A really worthwhile seminar to attend. Fantastic to attend an event where it is much more about theory, practice really does make perfect!
A day well spent with positive like minded colleagues that are all willing to help me progress and develop my Lifestyle Financial Planning business
A great informative day with Steve, Damien and Tamsin who shared lots of tips and guidance. It was great to be able to practice in a safe environment. It helped cement the training from Inspiring advisers.