When someone questions your fee, your instinct might be to list what’s included.
An annual review. A financial plan. Three check-ins a year.
Those are your deliverables. And they matter — but only as a means to an end.
What your clients really care about is the value they get from working with you. And that value doesn’t live in a checklist — it lives in what your advice helps them feel, do, and achieve.
1. Start with Deliverables — but Don’t Stop There
Deliverables are the activities. They’re visible, measurable, and necessary. But by themselves, they’re just the process.
- Example:
“You get three meetings a year.”
That’s a deliverable. Not an outcome. And definitely not the full story.
2. Connect the Deliverable to the Outcome
This is where strategy enters the chat.
Good financial advice delivers tangible results.
Better investment decisions. A clearer path to retirement. Reduced risk.
- Example:
“We meet regularly so you can stay on track with your goals and adjust quickly when life changes.”
That’s the outcome — and it matters more than the task.
3. Go One Step Further: Frame the Value
Outcomes are important. But value is what the outcome makes possible.
What shifts for the client once this result is achieved?
- Peace of mind?
- Confidence they can retire when they want?
- Relief that someone else is watching the market so they don’t have to?
- Example:
“We review your portfolio → so your investments stay aligned → so your plan stays on track → so you feel confident about your future.”
Now you’re talking value.
4. Apply This in Your Conversations
Here’s the simple reframe:
Instead of saying:
- “We prepare a financial plan”
Try:
- “We help you turn your ideas into a plan you can actually follow — and stick with.”
Instead of:
- “You get access to our investment committee”
Say:
- “You get access to deep expertise — so you can feel confident every investment decision is backed by a rigorous process.”
Conclusion
Deliverables are the “what.”
Outcomes are the “so what.”
Value is the “why it matters.”
Don’t just sell what you do. Show what it makes possible.