Most people who hire financial professionals want something more than market knowledge, information, and advice.
I’m here to show you how to give it to them.

I teach firm owners, high achievers, and their teams how to have a different kind of conversation with their clients.
There’s something your clients want even more than your market expertise and financial management.
But strangely, the thing they want most is rare in the financial services industry.
That’s because for financial planners, financial advisors, and insurance professionals, the thing your clients want most from you is to know that…
You listen and you care.
So exactly how do you do that?
Ask different questions. Listen to learn.
… And you’ll earn your clients’ trust for life.
Hi, I’m Mary Schmid. I teach firm owners, high achievers, and their teams how to have a different kind of conversation with their clients – by discovering how to listen deeply, ask questions about what really matters to them, and make them feel safe, understood, and heard... right from day one.
Because when you know how to do that, you gain a competitive edge over those who treat their clients as though financial advising was only about small talk, transactions, and information.


Anyone can have a conversation. But when we look at the science, we see something powerful: some conversations bathe our clients’ minds in neurochemicals that lead to trust, openness, and collaboration, but many conversations have the opposite effect. In conversations where a person feels uncertain or threatened -- or has strong emotions – their brain releases a different set of neurochemicals, in order to protect them. (Think: Fight, freeze, appease, or flight.)
As a financial professional, think of all the times you’ve talked with clients about sensitive topics that are emotionally charged -- money, life milestones, big choices, difficult situations. What if you knew how to lead those conversations in a way that made them feel totally heard and deeply understood?
This is what my Conversational Edge curriculum is about. Grounded in neuroscience, it’s about showing you how to lead conversations that beget trust, so your clients feel listened to and understood… likely for the first time ever by someone in the financial services industry.
Trust comes first…
And gets built one conversation at a time
Clients call on me when:
- They’ve heard about the trend towards asking questions and ‘going deeper’ with clients, but don’t know how to do it
- They’re doing quite well but are driven to become even better
- Even one client leaving is one too many
- Clients aren’t following through on their advice because conversations stay superficial or one-sided
- They know there’s always more to learn when it comes to the human side of their work
- They know that in order to grow more, their whole team needs to talk to clients in a curious, human way that few financial professionals ever do
Bring Mary in to speak.
Financial professionals and business leaders: discover why 9 out of 10 conversations waste time, money, and lead to mediocre outcomes… and learn the latest science on what to do instead.
Hire Mary to speak to your group, team, or event about how to master these Make or Break Conversations and create best-in-show outcomes, teamwork, and innovation.

Let’s have a conversation.
I work with firm owners and high achievers privately, and also offer on-site consulting and training for leaders and their teams.
The first step is to talk with one another. You can send an email or call me at 612.964.6002. From there, we’ll make an appointment. So you can get the most out of the conversation, I’ll send you a few questions prior to our meeting. You can tell me what’s going on. If we’re a fit to work together, great! We can talk about that, too.
Get the Conversational Edge
Read a copy of Mary’s latest white paper High-Trust Conversations are Your Competitive Edge.