New Client meetings 7 Steps to Success
New Client meetings 7 Steps to Success
Let me give you some straight talking tips on how to make your first client meeting a success.
(1) Do your home work.
Before you meet with your prospect make sure you know why you are meeting, and what the company does. You should be walking into the meeting with a pretty clear idea of what you can do for them, or which type of service may be suitable for them.
I’m not saying you will always know. But in most cases you should have a good idea. If you don’t, you are attending the meeting without any objective. It’s guesswork.
By doing your homework you can be armed with insightful questions. Plus it means you spend less time talking over the basics, and can get stuck into how you can really help them.
You can do this home work (or pre-work) by asking initial questions over the phone; or asking them to answer some questions in writing; or by checking their website; or by reading up on their industry.
(2) Make a good first impression.
Simple things make a big difference. Make sure you are dressed well. Not too fancy. Not too casual. Aim to be a notch above the standard you expect your prospect to be dressing at.
Turn up on time, or 5 minutes early.
Don’t park right out the front in their customer carpark.
Get the name correct for the person you are meeting.
Be nice and polite to the receptionist and anyone else you may meet.
Greet your prospect with a firm handshake and smile, saying Good to meet you.
Wait and follow the lead of your prospect as to where to go and when to sit down.
(3) Find out WHY.
This sounds simple, but can often be tricky to identify. By asking suitable questions you need to clearly understand:
Why are they looking for help now, at this time?
Why are they considering your type of services?
Why have they contacted you in particular?
See how we have drilled down to obtain very specific reasons in the three questions above. The answers to these questions will give you valuable insights into the potential this prospect offers you.
(4) Confirm their time frame.
Probe and confirm their expectations of timing.
When will they be making a decision?
When do they want to start?
When do they expect completion?
When do they expect your input?
(5) Specify outcomes they are seeking.
Don’t beat around the bush when it comes to finding out what they are trying to achieve. Ask them how they think your services (or, this project) will help them. What will they achieve? How will they know when they have done that?
Sometimes clients are not clear on these factors themselves. By you asking them to explain it, they will often appreciate your help in helping then clarify what they want to do. After all, you are the expert in their eyes.
(6) Clarify what comes next.
Make sure you have stated, or paraphrased their words, about what will happen next after this meeting. Don’t leave it in limbo. Don’t be scared to make it plain.
Demonstrate self-respect by ensuring clarity regarding the next step. Let them know you don’t expect your time talking with them to have been wasted. You expect some action.
(7) Follow up. Always. And Soon.
No matter what the time frame, or what the service being offered, always follow up promptly. Send a brief email to say, Thanks, we’ll be in touch soon. Or send a few bullet points or summary of key items discussed. Or send your official contract, engagement letter, or proposal.
By following these 7 steps you will be streets ahead of your competitors… and you will win more business more easily.
New Client meetings 7 Steps to Success - To learn more about this author, visit Stuart Ayling's Website.
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Meeting potential clients for the first time can be nerve racking. Wondering if they will be a good fit for your business and services. Wondering if they will like you. Wondering what you should say.
Let me give you some straight talking tips on how to make your first client meeting a success.
(1) Do your home work.
Before you meet with your prospect make sure you know why you are meeting, and what the company does. You should be walking into the meeting with a pretty clear idea of what you can do for them, or which type of service may be suitable for them.
I’m not saying you will always know. But in most cases you should have a good idea. If you don’t, you are attending the meeting without any objective. It’s guesswork.
By doing your homework you can be armed with insightful questions. Plus it means you spend less time talking over the basics, and can get stuck into how you can really help them.
You can do this home work (or pre-work) by asking initial questions over the phone; or asking them to answer some questions in writing; or by checking their website; or by reading up on their industry.
(2) Make a good first impression.
Simple things make a big difference. Make sure you are dressed well. Not too fancy. Not too casual. Aim to be a notch above the standard you expect your prospect to be dressing at.
Turn up on time, or 5 minutes early.
Don’t park right out the front in their customer carpark.
Get the name correct for the person you are meeting.
Be nice and polite to the receptionist and anyone else you may meet.
Greet your prospect with a firm handshake and smile, saying Good to meet you.
Wait and follow the lead of your prospect as to where to go and when to sit down.
(3) Find out WHY.
This sounds simple, but can often be tricky to identify. By asking suitable questions you need to clearly understand:
Why are they looking for help now, at this time?
Why are they considering your type of services?
Why have they contacted you in particular?
See how we have drilled down to obtain very specific reasons in the three questions above. The answers to these questions will give you valuable insights into the potential this prospect offers you.
(4) Confirm their time frame.
Probe and confirm their expectations of timing.
When will they be making a decision?
When do they want to start?
When do they expect completion?
When do they expect your input?
(5) Specify outcomes they are seeking.
Don’t beat around the bush when it comes to finding out what they are trying to achieve. Ask them how they think your services (or, this project) will help them. What will they achieve? How will they know when they have done that?
Sometimes clients are not clear on these factors themselves. By you asking them to explain it, they will often appreciate your help in helping then clarify what they want to do. After all, you are the expert in their eyes.
(6) Clarify what comes next.
Make sure you have stated, or paraphrased their words, about what will happen next after this meeting. Don’t leave it in limbo. Don’t be scared to make it plain.
Demonstrate self-respect by ensuring clarity regarding the next step. Let them know you don’t expect your time talking with them to have been wasted. You expect some action.
(7) Follow up. Always. And Soon.
No matter what the time frame, or what the service being offered, always follow up promptly. Send a brief email to say, Thanks, we’ll be in touch soon. Or send a few bullet points or summary of key items discussed. Or send your official contract, engagement letter, or proposal.
By following these 7 steps you will be streets ahead of your competitors… and you will win more business more easily.
New Client meetings 7 Steps to Success - To learn more about this author, visit Stuart Ayling's Website.
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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