|
Life on a Hamster Wheel - Page 9 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Page 9 of 10 Preparing for Client Meetings
You’re having a conversation with an existing or potential client and they mention that they’d like you to meet with them. You’re thrilled and tell them you’d love to. You schedule the date and time, tell them you look forward to seeing them and hang up. You pull together the information you think you’ll need for the meeting. You show up only to realize that you’re not adequately prepared. What went wrong?
Unfortunately, this scenario happens all too often due to either sloppiness (not having an effective pre-meeting information gathering tool or process) or laziness (having the tool or process but not using either) or fear (you might jeopardize the meeting if you ask too many questions).
To avoid this happening to you, follow these three simple steps:
1. Create a pre-meeting questionnaire, i.e.:
a. What is the purpose/intent of the meeting?
b. Who is going to be in attendance (what’s their name, title, area of responsibility, background)?
c. Where will the meeting be held?
d. How long should the meeting last?
e. What are the client’s expectations of the meeting?
f. What are your expectations of the meeting?
g. What materials do the client want to see (marketing brochure, agreement, reference list, resume of completed searches, search plan, presentation, etc.) and in what format (printed or Power Point)?
h. When and with whom should you follow-up?
i. What is the dress code?
j. Who is paying for expenses?
2. Use it consistently on every relevant call.
3. Be fearless - effective questioning speaks volumes about your level of professionalism and minimizes the chance of you wasting your and the client’s time.
|
News & Articles