First up was Nigel Green CFP^CM of Buckle Green and Partners, former chairman of the Surrey branch. Nigel gave an enthralled audience an insight into how he and his firm delivers Financial Planning by taking us through, from the start, what we would experience if we were approaching him as a client.
For attendees who already use cash flow planning, it was a chance to learn how a well-respected Financial Planner (and the most enthusiastic and passionate I know – plus the reason why I took on the branch chair role) actually does what he does.
For those new to cashflow planning, it was a fantastic introduction. My key 'take-away' from listening to Nigel was how he bridges from the bucket presentation to the capital chart – one sentence which seamlessly joins the planning together and could be the light bulb moment for the client to 'get it'.

For the second half of the meeting, Jon Pittham of Clientsfirst took to the 'stage' to help us build exceptional relationships with clients. As most will know, the foundation of the client/planner relationship is trust and what is necessary for a fruitful, enjoyable and long lasting relationship. Jon also provided a useful reminder of what clients actually value as opposed to what many of us concentrate on and spend the majority of our time doing.
Only two more branch meetings for 2012 remain. The first with Peter Legg on IHT planning is on 25 September and the second a lunchtime soiree with Nick Clay of BNY Mellon (and a nice curry to boot) on 9 November.
As this is likely to be my last branch report before I step down from the Surrey post, I would like to thank all the loyal supporters of Surrey branch and hope they continue to attend the meetings when Wesley Harisson CFP^CM steps up to provide fresh ideas and, I'm sure, a fantastic programme in 2013.