As a trusted advisor, your role can extend beyond the usual number-crunching and compliance work. Regular meetings ensure your clients are on track to achieve their financial objectives. Based on the financial reports you can generate, here are ten questions to ask your clients every quarter to keep them aligned with their goals and identify any areas of concern or opportunity.
- What’s been keeping you up at night that we haven’t talked about yet?
This makes it easy for clients to open up about any hidden challenges or worries. - Have any recent changes in the market or your industry made you rethink your financial goals?
This gently nudges clients to consider how external shifts might be affecting their business. - Are there parts of your business where you feel stretched too thin or areas that could use more investment?
This helps pinpoint where resources might need a tweak for better results. - Could we take a closer look at what’s driving the costs for your top-performing and least-performing products or services?
This question invites a deeper dive into what’s really impacting profitability. - What key numbers or goals are you most focused on right now, and how can I help you hit them?
This centers the conversation on what’s most important to the client. - Where do you see your business headed in the next year, and how can we make sure your finances support that?
This keeps the focus on aligning financial plans with future growth. - What’s your backup plan if things don’t go as expected, and is there anything we can do to strengthen it?
A casual way to discuss risk management and contingency planning. - How do you usually figure out if big expenses are really paying off, and is there a better way we can track that?
This encourages clients to think about ROI in a straightforward way. - Besides just making money, are there other goals, like going green or keeping your team happy, that we should factor into your plans?
This broadens the discussion to include non-financial goals that matter to the client. - Have you heard anything interesting from your customers or seen any moves by competitors that we should consider in your financial planning?
This casually brings in market intelligence that could influence financial decisions.
Bonus Question:
- How can we leverage technology to improve your financial processes and decision-making? By discussing the potential benefits of accounting software, data analytics, and other technological advancements, you can help your clients streamline their operations, gain valuable insights, and make more informed financial decisions.
To summarise, asking these ten questions every quarter can give your clients a deeper understanding of their financial health and position you as an indispensable part of their strategic planning. Regular, meaningful conversations based on solid data will help you achieve business goals and strengthen your relationship with your clients.
