# The Double-diamond model: Why the Advisory Conversation can be Shaped Differently The usual first meeting starts with the adviser’s process. The problem isn’t a lack of expertise. It’s the sequence in which things happen. *By Samuel Koh · 17 October 2026 · 4 min read · [Web version](https://samuel.producer.sg/papers/a-better-model-why-the-advisory-conversation-can-be-shaped-differently)* ![Editorial illustration for Before the Numbers: Why the Advisory Conversation Starts in the Wrong Place](https://res.cloudinary.com/zn8yh9bv/image/fetch/c_fill,w_1024,h_576,f_auto,q_auto/https://presso-app.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/presso/projects/Pr2LQDXNmzHvFvW35/Ntemnc2ErnkBr5nAa.jpg) In most first meetings I have seen, the adviser starts by showing what they know about financial planning and how their firm works. The person considering their services is expected to listen, take it in, and show interest. That's understandable. The adviser has spent years learning this material, and the system rewards showing it early. But the meeting becomes a display of knowledge rather than a conversation about what the person across the table is living through. ## The traditional funnel container model Many traditional advice processes follow one path for every client and situation. They start with broad questions and narrow towards a recommendation. That works for a while. But buying a first home is different from making a retirement decision after a family event. Both are expected to fit the same process, in the same order. A situation could come up that the process was not designed to handle. The advisor may not have the questions they need to understand it. That gap could mean missing an opportunity to help the client. The limits of that process show up gradually. The adviser makes exceptions and adjusts the conversation to fit the person. But the process itself stays fixed. Flexibility has to be added along the way rather than built in from the start. ## The sequence problem The adviser explains their approach before the person has had a chance to describe their situation in their own words. We assume trust follows from showing technical skill. Often, that may not happen. Someone may be impressed without feeling understood. > The sequence gets ahead of the relationship. This is not a criticism of the adviser. Advisers are trained to work this way, and the system rewards it. ## The Double-diamond Model The double‑diamond framework defines four stages: ![The Double-diamond Model](https://presso-app.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/presso/projects/Pr2LQDXNmzHvFvW35/1792262138257.jpg) **Step 1 - Explore the situation** ### Ask the right questions to understand the client's context, needs and challenges. **Step 2 - Clarify priorities** ### Use the client's answers to understand their perspective and identify what matters most. **Step 3 - Explore solutions** ### Start the advisory conversation and develop possible responses to the priority issues. **Step 4 - Reach consensus** ### Narrow the options and agree on solutions that address the highest-priority issues. > **Note:** In an advice meeting, the first stage lets the client describe their own view, shaping the conversation. The adviser first needs to understand how the client sees their situation, including consequences they may not see. Without that understanding, it’s difficult to help the client see things differently or reduce a risk. The first stage makes room for different situations by adapting to the person before advice begins. ## What this is not The adviser still needs technical expertise. Someone may want help talking through complex ways to arrange their retirement income. What changes is when that knowledge enters the conversation: after the person has described their situation. > Trust is built when the adviser responds to the prospect’s situation before presenting technical content. > — Samuel Koh The effect is a path that feels responsive to the person in front of you. The questions sound like a conversation, and they get to say how they see things first. Trust builds quietly, because they feel heard before any solution appears. ## What comes next > Asking the right questions: applying the double‑diamond to create an adaptive planning process. The next piece in this series looks at the first stage of the double‑diamond in practice. Step 1, asking the right questions, is the toughest part of the process. It is also foundational to the rest of the stages. Producer Framework’s Viewpoint system helps advisers understand how a potential client sees their situation through a conversational survey and flexible templates, before exploring possible solutions.