Some events stand out, not because of flashy presentations or packed agendas, but because the conversations feel like they matter. The kind of gathering where people fly in, cut holidays short, and rearrange their schedules to be present. What makes these moments truly valuable isn’t just what’s said in the room, it’s the deep listening that happens before anyone even arrives.
Our recent Growth Collective events, held across the Eastern seaboard, were just such events. A series of events bringing together successful, forward looking advice business owners who wanted to help each other solve their growth challenges and take their business and proposition to the next level.
We learned an important lesson early: if you don’t listen deeply, you’re just taking educated guesses. And guessing is risky when you’re engaging with advice entrepreneurs – successful leaders in their own right – who’ve already solved the easy problems.
Their challenges are layered, complex, and specific, and addressing them requires more than good ideas. It demands the kind of listening that isn’t rushed, the kind that hears not only what’s said but also what isn’t.
So, before the events even began, we rolled up our sleeves and put in the hours. We held long, detailed conversations with every participant. Real deep dives into the challenges, frustrations, and ambitions of the people and businesses we wanted to help. No assumptions, no shortcuts. It wasn’t about ticking boxes on surveys or market research; it was about being present with each individual. And the insights we gathered through that listening turned time from being wasted to being invested.
At first, we thought we’d overdone it, so much preparation for just a few hours of discussion. But when we saw the impact, we knew we were onto something. A leader from one of the top firms summed it up perfectly:
“This didn’t feel like just another event, it felt like you understood where we’re coming from.”
That was the turning point. Deep listening had made all the difference. Without it, we might have walked in and held yet another ‘brainstorm’ with zero context, generating ideas that felt like another distraction, well-meaning, but ultimately irrelevant. General solutions are like drops in the ocean; if that’s all you are pitching to advisers, you’d better rethink.
In a world where quick solutions and instant answers have become the norm, deep listening stands out. Advice firms today expect more than generalised strategies, they need precision. They want to be understood, not sold to. They’re not looking for the cheapest option; they’re looking for solutions that fit their business as perfectly as a key fits a lock. And you can’t find the right key unless you take the time to really understand the lock.
The truth is, surveys and market research only give you fragments of the picture. They offer glimpses, but deep listening gives you the whole map. It’s only through these rich conversations that you uncover the real problems, the ones that can’t be solved with off-the-shelf solutions. When we started listening in this way, we realised we weren’t just preparing for conversations, we were laying the foundation for trust.
Today, the businesses we work with are far beyond chasing distribution, they focus on service, experience, and impact. They know exactly who they serve and how they want to show up for them. And we’ve learned to match that energy, not with big presentations, but by listening carefully, asking the right questions, and showing up prepared to talk about their world, not ours.
This shift toward deep listening has become a guiding principle for Ensombl. It’s hard work: slow, deliberate, and takes time. But in the end, it’s the only way to build solutions that resonate. When you listen deeply, you don’t need to sell; the right connections happen naturally. And those moments, when someone realises that you’ve truly heard them, are what unlock the doors that matter.
Everyday, over 9,100 members across the Ensombl platform are having conversations that matter, about the biggest problems and challenges in advice. If you want to tap into our deep listening capabilities, to match your solution to advisor problems and engage them at scale, just reach out, we’d love to hear from you.
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