Tips for Meeting Clients


When preparing for a client meeting there are some fundamentals that when observed greatly increase the chances of you winning new business, referrals and client confidence. Here are a few tips that we have compiled:
Research your client. He/she will be impressed that you took the time to find out about their industry and their needs. It will prevent you from making unproductive or even embarrassing assumptions and it will give you the professional image you need to instil confidence in the client that you will conduct all aspects of your business just as professionally.
Have an agenda handy and follow it. Clients will want you to take the lead. After all you're the expert. Prepare for questions that your client may have so he or she gets the right answers and not off the cuff responses that are not well thought out. Having an agenda will bring you closer to achieving a desired goal by the time the meeting is over. Ideally, you and your client should both feel some closure and that the meeting accomplished a clear valuable goal by the time you leave the meeting room.
Be concise and relevant. Since most of the initial meeting will be explaining what you have done in the past for other clients, it is important that you communicate effectively how your past experience is relevant to your client's current problem. This is why researching your client/prospect and their industry prior to the meeting is so important. Stick to the important points and answer your clients queries precisely and economically and they will be very impressed and grateful.
Location. Location. Location. Impress your client with a professional easy-to-access venue. Meeting in a coffee shop with its many distractions and less than professional atmosphere is far from the ideal. If you want your client or prospect to have confidence in you then you should find a professional business centre which will have a receptionist, waiting area, catering options as well as tech facilities in case you need to make a presentation or simply use the internet.