How To Take Control Of Client Meetings Quicky and Easily

Meetings with your clients (or prospective clients) are critical to your business. Your client is able to communicate their needs, and you’re able to show them the value you are providing.

Taking control of meetings is equally important. Neither you, nor the client, want to spend hours in a meeting without getting anything done. It is important to make sure that meetings have a specific purpose, and to keep the meeting on track towards that purpose.

The following tips will help you take control of your meetings and deliver better outcomes for you and your clients.

1. Know Your Goals

Like every aspect of business, client meetings require planning. You can’t expect to just show up and have the meeting run smoothly. You need to plan.

What are you hoping to achieve from this meeting?
Are you hoping to gain some new business?
Update the client on existing business?
Is there a problem that has come up that needs to be solved?

Make sure you have a clear purpose for the meeting, and that all of the planning is directed at solving that particular issue. Create 2-3 talking points related to this goal so that if the conversation veers from your goal, you can bring it back to one of the talking points.

2. Ask Questions

While we want to take control of client meetings, that doesn’t mean dominating the entire conversation. In any client meeting it is important that your client is able to speak. This will let your client know that you’re putting them first.

It is important to ask the right questions, however. Ask questions that progress the conversation back to the stated goal. If you’re hoping to increase the business that you do with your client, ask if they have any areas of their business they are unhappy with. Make sure that you’re always moving towards the main purpose of the meeting.

3. Create A Call To Action

It is important to control how a meeting closes. Too often meetings finish wildly off topic and without a call to action, which can undo a lot of the progress made within the meeting. When closing a meeting you should reiterate the the main talking points and outcomes of the meeting, as well as create a call to action. What will happen next? What are your expectations? What are the expectations of your client? Let your client know exactly what will be happening, and how to follow up on future communication.

On my website you can find more resources for helping you use the right language in meetings. You can also learn more about taking control in meetings by watching this video here: https://youtu.be/1RfhImZXPmk

A Bit Of Humour For You

While at a convention, Bill, Jim, and Scott shared a hotel suite 
on the 75th floor. After a long day of meetings, they were shocked to find that the hotel elevators were broken and that they’d have to climb all the way up to their room.
“I have a way to break the monotony,” said Bill. “I’ll tell jokes for 25 flights, Jim can sing songs for the next 25, and Scott can tell sad stories the rest of the way.”
As they started walking up, Bill told his first joke. At the 26th floor, Jim began to sing. At the 51st floor, it was Scott’s turn.
“I will tell my saddest story first,” he said. “Once there was a man who left the room key in the car.”

 

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