The primary deliverable that my Fractional CFO firm, KFE Solutions, offers our clients comes from what we call The CFO Call. 

The CFO Call is our monthly call where we:

• Review the financials
• Work on cash flow forecasts
• Update projections
• Establish goals and action items with our clients

We have invested an inordinate amount of time and attention in making this call as valuable as humanly possible (and that investment has paid off!). 

But there's another deliverable that is as important to the Fractional CFO's work - the mid-month call. 

The mid-month call is critical because it's your chance to get an update on materially important issues with your clients and their opportunity to get valuable insights and perspectives from you.

Without a mid-month call, you can miss out on key operational updates that impact the finances, and your clients can end up not feeling like they're not getting enough face time with you.

Today, I'm going to share 4 tips to help you conduct more effective mid-month calls with your Fractional CFO clients.

Get these right, and you'll:

• Be better prepared for the monthly CFO call
• Ensure your clients will feel better supported

Win win.

Tip #1: Have an agenda for your mid-month calls.

Having an agenda for your mid-month call is everything. 

First, an agenda will help keep this from becoming a generic "check-in call." 

You know what I'm talking about:

"Hey Bill. Thanks for jumping on the call. Just wanted to check in to see how things are progressing this month."

Yawn.

It won't be long until your clients stop showing up for those directionless calls.

Here are a few examples of things you might include in your call agenda:

• Significant backlog changes
• Updates on the sales pipeline
• Operational challenges or changes
• Tactical questions the client might have
• Questions you might have for the client's team

Those things are potentially material to the client's business and are worth discussing. 

Don't be the "just checking in" guy or gal.

Tip #2: Show up prepared.

Normally, the mid-month calls don't warrant a TON of preparation, but you shouldn't show up cold, either.

Review your notes from the last monthly CFO call ahead of the mid-month calls. 

What action items need following up on?

What accountability or nudges might the client need? 

What are some potential bugaboos that you're aware of?

Tip #3: Cheer and Challenge.

The mid-month check-in isn't just about answering questions—it's your opportunity to establish yourself as a strategic partner rather than just a generic vendor.

This is your chance to step into the role of an executive peer and one of the keys is to balance encouragement with challenge.

As Fractional CFOs, our job extends beyond the numbers. We need to help our clients recognize their wins, no matter how small. Even when their business is struggling, there is always progress to acknowledge.

But encouragement alone isn't enough. Clients also need to be challenged. They rely on us to help them grow, make better decisions, and think more strategically.

Before each mid-month call, identify one way you can push them forward:

• A difficult decision they've been putting off
• A new opportunity they should explore
• A broader perspective on a key goal

Most business owners don't have anyone who both supports and challenges them.

By being that person, you position yourself as an invaluable part of their leadership team.

Tip #4: Include the right people.

Considering that the mid-month call is a way for you to get updated on things like sales and operations, it might make sense to include people other than the CEO on the mid-month call. Maybe even those people who are close to...sales and operations!

It might make sense to ask the client to include their COO, Chief of Staff, Operations Director, or sales leader to join the call.

This will help ensure that all the right people are on the call so that the CEO doesn't become a de facto middleman - simply passing questions and answers back and forth. 

Remember: The call is as valuable as you make it.

The mid-month call needs to be more than a simple check-in. 

If you show up unprepared with no agenda, the client will sniff that out in no time.  

But, if you come to the table with intentionality, an agenda, and a purpose, the mid-month call becomes a natural extension of the monthly CFO call and can add tremendous value for your clients.