Clients decide whether they trust you before you open a single document. The First 5 Minutes Checklist is a one-page field guide that shows financial professionals exactly what to do before and during the opening moments of every client conversation to set the tone, build instant rapport, and make clients feel valued from the first handshake.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Step 1: Start before they arrive — the 24-hour agenda email that frames the meeting around their goals
• Step 2: Lead with connection, not content — how to greet, reference, and listen so they feel like a person, not a portfolio
• Step 3: Affirm their time and value — the three sentences that make the rest of the meeting flow
• Pro tips and a post-meeting notes section to lock in the habit

The first five minutes aren’t warm-up time. They’re prime trust-building time. Print it, keep it in your meeting folder, and run it before every conversation.