Could You Be Asking The Wrong Questions?
Guest Article from Jeff Thorsteinson with Advisor Practice Management.
I saw this article from Jeff in www.advisorpedia.com and felt compelling to share it with my community. Enjoy!
Every advisor reaches a point in their career where a problem seems immovable. A client relationship that won’t take the next step. A lead generation strategy that has stalled. A growth plateau refuses to budge despite your best efforts.
You’ve tried brainstorming. You’ve talked to colleagues and mentors. You’ve even white boarded it out over coffee with your team. And yet you’re still stuck. Here’s the truth: Your problem isn’t the problem. The problem is the question you’re asking about the problem.
Why You’re Asking the Wrong Question
When advisors get stuck, it’s usually because they’re approaching a complex issue with a narrow lens. The questions advisors typically default to are often reactive, logical, and surface-level:
- Why can’t I get more high-net-worth clients?
- How do I get clients to respond faster?
- Why isn’t my team performing better?
These feel like the “right” questions because they sound tactical and professional. But in reality, they often box you in and stall you. They focus your thinking on symptoms rather than causes. They seek fixes, not insights.
Typically, the key to transformation lies in reframing the question.
Real Problems Require Better Questions
Let’s take a few common financial advisor “stuck” points, as mentioned above, that we see every day, and show you how to reframe them for breakthrough thinking.
1. Stuck Question: “Why can’t I get more high-net-worth clients?”
Reframed: “What would make a high-net-worth client chase me down for a meeting?”
This flips the frame from you trying to get clients to becoming the advisor clients pursue. That leads to better follow-up questions:
- What would I need to stand for?
- What would my first impression need to look and sound like?
- Who already has the trust of these people—and how can I collaborate with them?
Now you’re designing a magnetic attraction, not chasing.
2. Stuck Question: “How do I get clients to respond faster?”
Reframed: “What’s stopping my clients from seeing this as urgent?”
This question shifts the problem from logistics to psychology. You begin thinking about clarity, emotional engagement, and client motivation:
- Is my message clear, or am I overwhelming them with complexity?
- Did I anchor this conversation in what they care about most?
- Am I speaking to their future, or about mine?
3. Stuck Question: “Why isn’t my team performing better?”
Reframed: “What would inspire my team to take ownership like it’s their business?”
This isn’t about micromanaging or fixing attitudes. It’s about systems, culture, and purpose. Advisors who ask this question find better answers in:
- Vision that includes the team, not just the founder.
- Clear scorecards that measure what matters.
- Modelling a culture of values and success as a leader will inspire the team to up their game.
- A recognition system that rewards outcomes, not effort.
The Growth Skill Most Advisors Never Learn
Reframing questions isn’t soft thinking—it’s a complex skill. And like all powerful skills, it must be practiced with intention and purpose. Review this three-step process to apply to a problem that remains stuck:
1. Name the problem as you see it.
Example: “I’m not converting enough discovery meetings.”
2. Ask: ‘What question am I really asking here?’
Most likely: “How do I convince more people to sign up?”
3. Reframe: ‘What question would unlock a better future?’
Transformational question: “What would make my discovery meetings so valuable that clients want to onboard before we even talk about fees?”
This last question opens creative energy. It invites innovation. It pushes you toward what matters: solving the problem or issue that has you stuck.
This Is What the Best Advisors Do Differently
Top-performing advisors don’t just work harder or move on from the unsolved problem; they address it. They ask sharper, more profound, more empowering questions—of their clients, their teams, and themselves. They don’t settle for shortcuts to solving the apparent problem. They reshape the landscape to enable better solutions to emerge.
They think differently. You can too.
Ready to Try?
Here’s your challenge:
- Write down a business or client challenge that has you stuck and frustrated.
- Next, write down the first question that comes to mind. Then flip it. Expand it. Push it toward purpose, not panic. Alternatively, ask, “What question am I really asking here?”
- Your next breakthrough might not come from working harder. It might come from a better question like “What question would unlock a better future?”
Final Thought:
In this business, clarity isn’t a luxury. It’s a multiplier. And when clarity is missing, confusion or passivism wins. So, the next time you’re stuck, don’t ask, “How do I fix this?” Ask instead: “What’s the question that would change everything?”
Jeff Thorsteinson with Advisor Practice Management, helps financial advisors unlock the version of their business they always knew was possible. Drawing on innovative tools, proven systems, and a deep understanding of the advisor’s journey, Jeff guides professionals from where they are to where they dream to be. His work transforms overwhelm into clarity, stagnation into momentum, and potential into a practice they’re proud to lead. To learn more about APM, contact jeff@apm.coach
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