If they did, then putting together a financial strategy would require nothing more than choosing between a small handful of standardized plans. The truth is, most of the important information a planner needs to get from a prospect or client is in the person's head. It's his or her values. Everyone has some set of values. It's not his or her goals.
Research shows that most people have never determined their financial goals.
And, even if they did, those goals would be tied back to the person's values. So, the first thing you should do in your interview is to elicit the person's values. The catch is that people are reluctant to tell you anything important until they trust you. By establishing and building rapport. If you've been trained to sell products, you've probably learned that the first step is to build rapport.