Joe from Informed Financial Planning - GROWING

Situation

Informed Financial Planning was founded in Hull in 2004 by Kevin Ferriby and has grown steadily into a respected, award-winning financial planning firm. By 2006, they became the first firm in Yorkshire to achieve Corporate Chartered Status, an accolade they’ve proudly retained ever since.

After years of success, Kevin handed ownership to the board through a Management Buy Out, paving the way for the next generation of leadership. With Josh Richardson stepping in as Managing Director, the firm already had strong foundations in place. But Josh and the board had the drive and ambition to go further. They wanted to understand exactly how well the business was performing and where it could improve, so they engaged Melo to provide an independent review of their operations.

What we did

Informed Financial Planning were already delivering an excellent client service before working with Melo. But they recognised an opportunity to take that service to the next level by deepening client conversations and turning those insights into more powerful, personalised advice.

We worked closely with the advice team to strengthen their skills in goals-based planning. The focus wasn’t just on understanding what a client wanted to do, but on uncovering their real goals and the deeper motivations behind them. By learning how to dig beneath the surface and explore the “why” behind each goal, advisers are now able to build plans around what truly matters to them.

The result is more meaningful conversations, better-quality advice, and stronger long-term relationships.

We also helped the team bring more structure and confidence to how they ask for referrals. While they were already confident in the value they deliver, they weren’t always sure how or when to ask. Together, we created a clear process that makes referrals a natural part of every client meeting. Advisers now approach the conversation with confidence and consistency, helping the business grow organically through client advocacy.

In Joe’s words

“It’s allowed us to really dive deeper with our clients”

“Where we’ve stopped before is what Melo has allowed us to interrogate further and have more meaningful client discussions that’s allowed us to give far better advice”

“It’s provided more confidence that (a referral) is something that you should be asking for, and something that if you build into your normal structure of meetings is not a difficult thing to bring up”