Why your financial planning business sales engine is rusted… and how to unrust it in 2026

There’s one part of advice that businesses often avoid scrutinising closely…

The sales engine.

So the question is, is yours quietly stalling?

The value of advice is strong. Clients who engage stay. That isn’t the issue.

The challenge is reaching and converting the next cohort - the 10 to 20 prospects who walk past the advice door but never come in. And when you examine enquiry handling, conversion rates, pricing confidence, and client experience consistency, friction appears.

In this episode of Encore's Big Six Insights of 2026, Mark Zaglas and Brendan Johnson unpack why sales engines rust:

• Inconsistent follow-up

• Unclear value articulation

• Pricing discomfort

• Over-reliance on referrals without structure

• No defined ownership of growth

The Insight: Growth rarely stalls because of market conditions. It stalls because the sales engine hasn’t been engineered with intent.

Unrusting it in 2026 requires clarity, cadence, accountability, and a repeatable client acquisition system.

Watch episode 2 to learn what it takes to unrust your sales engine.