Advisors dominate 70% of conversation time in first prospect meetings and ask factual or closed-ended questions more than 90% of the time, according to new research from Horsesmouth’s Discovery Lab.
The five-year study, one of the largest qualitative analyses of advisor-prospect conversations in the industry, reviewed over 100 recorded first meetings and found a consistent pattern: What advisors call “discovery” is functionally an intake meeting.
The findings help explain a widespread challenge. A separate Horsesmouth survey found that more than half of advisors never received formal training on how to run a discovery meeting. The result: Prospects stay surface-level, and prospects don’t reveal their true situation. Consequently, trust stalls. Many prospects hesitate to move forward or walk away entirely.
These insights anchor Discovery Shift: Why Talking Less and Listening More Wins Business, a new book by Chris Holman, MCC, Executive Coach at Horsesmouth. Published December 1 and available now at discovery-shift.com. The 171-page book translates the Discovery Lab research into a practical system advisors can use immediately.
“Most advisors think they’re running discovery, but they’re running intake,” Holman said. “They gathered information, but not the truth. Real clarity appears only when an advisor slows down, creates safety, and gives space for a genuine conversation. That’s what this book teaches, how to make that shift.”
Key findings from the Discovery Lab
Advisors control the airtime. Across 100+ meetings, advisors spoke approximately 70% of the time, leaving prospects little room to share what’s really on their minds.
Questions stay closed-ended. More than 90% of advisor questions were closed-ended or data gathering. These questions collect information but do not build connection.
Reflective space creates trust. Advisors with the highest conversion rates shared a common behavior: they paused, created space, and let prospects finish thoughts without interruption.
Curiosity outperforms competence display. Advisors who focused on understanding rather than demonstrating expertise saw stronger engagement and clearer decisions from prospects.
What’s inside the book
Discovery Shift provides advisors with the tools to put the research into practice, including:
- Frameworks for structuring discovery conversations that build trust from the first minute
- Scripts and language advisors can adapt to their own style and client base
- Exercises to develop the listening and pacing skills the research identified as critical
- Case studies of advisors who made the shift and the results they achieved
Evaluate your discovery habits
Holman encourages advisors to start by assessing their current approach.
“Before you can make a shift, you need to know where you stand,” he said. “Most advisors overestimate how much space they give prospects to talk. The Discovery Shift Quiz takes just a few minutes and gives you an honest look at your habits, where you’re strong, and where intake might be creeping in.”
“Advisors don’t realize how much business they lose in the first meeting,” said William T. Nicklin, CEO of Horsesmouth. “They walk out thinking it went well. The prospect walks out feeling like a data point. Discovery Shift introduces an approach that helps advisors build trust faster and create a connection no technology can replicate.”