The 7-Minute Conversation: How to Diagnose Any Business in One Page

You’ve been there.

You pull together a detailed monthly report for your client. Charts. KPIs. A beautifully formatted P&L.

And then, two minutes into the meeting, their eyes glaze over.

They’re overwhelmed. Or worse, they pretend to understand.

That’s not advisory. That’s data delivery.

If you’re in client advisory services, your job isn’t to impress clients with complexity. It’s to help them make better decisions faster.

That’s where the 7-Minute Conversation comes in.

What Is the 7-Minute Conversation?

It’s a simple framework we teach inside Clear Path To Cash.

At its core, it’s one page that helps you lead a financial conversation that actually connects.

It covers six key areas:

1. Sales trends
2. Gross profit trends
3. Operating expense behavior
4. Net profit signals
5. Debt to equity ratio
6. Cash flow activity pattern

All of it fits on a single worksheet. And when used properly, it becomes the fastest way to diagnose any business, build trust, and set the tone for advisory.

Why Advisors Love This Tool

Here’s what you’ll love about it as a CAS pro, bookkeeper, or fractional CFO:

• It gives you a repeatable agenda for monthly meetings
• It makes your value visible in minutes
• It shows the client what’s wrong without you needing to say it directly
• It sets up the next advisory opportunity with clarity

And best of all, it’s fast.

Seven minutes is all it takes to create “aha” moments and open the door to deeper strategy work.

Example: Lisa, the Manufacturing Client

Let’s say you’re working with Lisa. She owns a growing small-batch manufacturing business.

Sales are up 18 percent. She’s hiring. But she’s nervous about cash.

You run the Home Run Line-Up Worksheet and spot it instantly.

• Gross profit is flat, even with more revenue
• Operating expenses have increased sharply
• Net profit is down
• Her debt-to-equity ratio just tipped over 3.2

You don’t need to lecture her.

You ask three questions:

“Do you feel like you’re keeping more of what you earn?”

“What changed in your pricing or cost of goods lately?”

“What’s driving those expense increases?”

Now Lisa is doing the work. She’s engaged. And she’s realizing she needs more than compliance — she needs guidance.

That’s how you move from vendor to trusted advisor.

This Is What Advisory Looks Like

We hear it all the time.

“How do I move from bookkeeping to advisory?”

It starts with conversations like this.

You don’t need to overcomplicate it. You don’t need new software. You don’t need 10 years of CFO experience.

You just need a framework that helps clients see what matters and what to do next.

The 7-Minute Conversation does exactly that.

What It Does for You

For you, the advisor, this tool:

• Builds confidence in leading strategy discussions
• Positions you as a guide, not just a technician
• Creates more consistency in how you deliver advisory each month
• Helps justify higher fees because clients feel the value, not just see the reports

And the more you use it, the faster it gets.

Want to Use It With Your Clients?

The 7-Minute Conversation and the Home Run Financial System worksheet are both included inside Clear Path To Cash.

This is the system that’s helped thousands of advisors:

• Grow their recurring revenue
• Retain better clients
• Build advisory services without hiring a team or buying another app

👉 Get access now

You already have the skills.

This gives you the structure.

One page.

Six signals.

Seven minutes.

That’s all it takes.