Whether you’re interested in being an entrepreneur, attorney, financial advisor, or realtor, you likely understand just how important new client meetings are.
Successfully landing a new client means more business and this is a skill that you need to perfect. New clients often won’t just fall into your lap, which means that you need to impress them with a professional meeting.
Fortunately, there are several tips that you can use to help create the right impression. Something as simple as finding access to bag storage so you don’t show up with a mountain of belongings can make you look put together.
To help you ace new client meetings and improve your skills, we’ll give you some helpful advice to work with below.
Craft an Agenda
You can start by crafting an agenda for your meeting.
Doing this will create a focus for the direction of the meeting and will help you understand what to say and do. You should look at what outcome you’d like to achieve and outline what is necessary to get there.
Your agenda should be goal-oriented and this is something a potential customer should see. If you can clearly illustrate how you can help them, then they’re more likely to work with you.
It’s also helpful to write up an agenda because this is something you can give to a potential client to show how serious you are. They can also use this as a reference to follow along with during your meeting.
New clients can easily get sidetracked during a meeting and this can detract from getting your point across. Having talking points will help keep your discussion headed in the right direction.
Ask Relevant Questions
Another important thing to do is to ask relevant questions during your meeting.
You’re likely expecting your client to ask you questions, which they will, but asking them questions is far more important. This serves numerous important purposes.
First, it shows your client that you are interested in their unique situation. This can help them stay engaged and feel positive about your meeting.
Second, it gives you insight into what your client needs. You might have generalized information that is useful to any potential client, but advice specifically crafted for this client is far more effective.
Finally, asking questions works toward the point of listening more than you speak. This is critical because it makes your clients feel valued and gives them the space to say everything that they need to.
Exude Professionalism and Positivity
You should also prioritize exuding professionalism and positivity throughout the whole meeting.
A potential client is meeting with you for a reason and this is because they believe that you can help them. While they’ll come into this meeting with this understanding, it’s up to you to hold up your end of the bargain.
This means creating a great perfect impression by being a true professional. You can make this happen by showing up on time, wearing sharp clothes, maintaining a clean appearance, being courteous and respectful, and tastefully confident.
This should be paired with positivity. Being positive during your meeting shows your client that you’re a good person to work with and can find solutions rather than harping on problems.
Your clients have plenty of issues in their life and don’t need someone negative added to the mix. On the other hand, a positive influence is always a benefit and it can help them decide that you’re someone worth working with.
Always Follow Up
As a last consideration, you should always follow up with a client after a meeting.
Doing this has several effects. To start with, it leaves the impression that you genuinely care about your client and how the meeting went. This will make your client feel like they’re more than just a business meeting for you.
You also open up a dialogue when you reach out to a client after a meeting. They might be busy and forget to follow up with you, but reaching out to them allows them to speak to you.
Even if a client doesn’t end up working with you, following up with them might encourage them to refer you to someone else they know. There’s a chance that you executed a perfect meeting, but can’t quite meet their needs.
If this is the case, you might be a good candidate for someone else that they know. A simple follow up will show how invested you are and this might be all they need to send someone new your way.
Closing Thoughts
Client meetings are an essential aspect of your career and this is a skill you need to understand well. The more effective you are at conducting a meeting and creating a good first impression will translate to better follow-through and more clients.
A few helpful suggestions for improving your meetings include crafting an agenda, asking your potential clients questions, exuding professionalism and positivity, and always following up afterwards.
While you may not feel confident in your new meeting skills, this isn’t something that you can simply get past. Instead, take the time to work on how you conduct your meetings so that they’re more effective and this will directly help your career.
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