Advisory

How to run a client advisory meeting

An advisory meeting is not a report review. The client already has the profit and loss. The meeting earns its time by answering the questions the numbers raise: what changed, what to do next and what the firm will follow up on. This guide gives the firm a repeatable agenda.

Reviewed November 3, 2026 · 2 min read

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Key takeaways

  • Send the numbers before the meeting, not during it.
  • Pick two or three questions that matter, not a tour of every account.
  • End every item with an owner and a date.
  • Send a short follow-up with the decisions and the next meeting date.

Set the agenda

A 30-minute meeting can cover three things well. Pick the two or three numbers that changed the most, or the decision the client is trying to make, such as a hire, a price change or a loan.

Send the agenda with the report before the meeting. The client should know what the firm wants to discuss, and the firm should know what the client wants to decide.

Open with the numbers

Start with the profit and loss, the balance sheet and the cash balance. Point to the two or three lines that changed and explain why.

Do not read the report line by line. The client can read it. The firm's value is the explanation and the comparison to the prior period or the plan.

Ask the questions

Ask what changed in the business that the numbers do not show: a lost customer, a new hire, a price increase or a supplier problem.

Ask what the client is worried about and what decision is coming in the next 90 days. The answer decides the next meeting's agenda.

Listen for the question behind the question. A client who asks about cash may be worried about a payroll or a loan covenant.

Decide and assign

Every item should end with a decision, an owner and a date. If the client needs to send a document, say who will send it and when.

If the firm needs to prepare a forecast or a scenario, say when it will arrive. A meeting without a follow-up is a conversation, not advice.

Follow up

Send a short email within one business day: the decisions, the actions and the next meeting date. Keep it to one page.

Put the actions in the client's file and the next agenda. The next meeting should start with what happened, not with a blank page.

Questions about this guide

How long should an advisory meeting be?

Thirty to forty-five minutes is enough for a monthly meeting with a small business client. A quarterly review can take an hour. The agenda matters more than the length.

Should the firm send the financial statements before the meeting?

Yes. The client should read the numbers before the meeting, so the time is spent on the explanation and the decisions, not on reading the report.

What if the client does not know what to discuss?

Bring two or three questions from the numbers: a margin change, a cash trend, a customer concentration or a hiring decision. The firm can lead the agenda until the client has a question of their own.

How does the firm measure whether the meeting was useful?

Count the decisions made and the actions completed before the next meeting. A meeting that produces no decision or action is a report review, not advisory work.

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Sources

Checked November 3, 2026. Public pages and tax rules change; confirm them before relying on them.

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