Preparing for a meeting or appointment. The Art of Negotiation: How to Prepare for an Important Meeting

Hello! In this article we will talk about how to conduct the first meeting with a client so that it develops into long-term cooperation.

Today you will learn:

1. What are the stages of meeting with a client?
2. How to prepare for upcoming negotiations;
3. A few business etiquette techniques that will help you quickly establish contact with a potential client.

The importance of the first meeting and its purpose

For a person who must find and meet new clients as part of his job duties, the first meeting is of great importance. The signing of the contract and, most often, the size depends on how successfully the negotiations go. Therefore, such an event must be approached very responsibly.

When going to negotiations with a client, you must understand that the first meeting does not always end with the signing of a contract for close cooperation. This is only the first step towards a successful business relationship.

When meeting with a potential client for the first time, you first of all need to pursue the following goals:

• Determine whether the client is promising and ready to cooperate;
• Form the primary needs of the interlocutor;
• Decide on the range of goods and services that are of interest to the client;
• Offer to use free product samples (samples);
• Ask your interlocutor to express his opinion about the product you are offering.

The main purpose of the meeting is not to sell the product, but to sell yourself. You must do everything in your power to achieve goodwill and interest from the client.

Preparing for a meeting with a client

In order for the first negotiations to be successful, you need to carefully prepare for them. You'll have to think through all the details. You should not rely on yourself to find your way around. You need to be prepared for anything. To do this, you will have to develop several plans for the development of events.

All preparation can be divided into 2 stages - informational and organizational.

Information stage

Before planning a meeting, you should collect as much information as possible about your potential client.

Firstly, collect information about the field of activity of your future interlocutor. Read more specialized literature, try to remember as many specific terms as possible that may be useful during the conversation.

Secondly, go to the website of the organization that the client represents and familiarize yourself with its contents. Study the management team and analyze all available information.

Third, take an interest in the activities of competitors, as well as their possible offers. Thanks to this, you will be able to offer your interlocutor more favorable terms of cooperation.

Fourth, thoroughly study the product you offer. You must know every detail about the products or services that you offer to the client. If you cannot adequately present your product at the upcoming negotiations, then it is unlikely that anyone will want to deal with such an inexperienced employee.

Organizational stage

At this stage, you should start organizing the upcoming meeting. First you need to assign it.

To do this, call your potential client and find out where, when and at what time it will be convenient for him to meet with you. Set specific dates. When arranging a meeting, take into account the wishes of the interlocutor.

Let's look at examples of meeting locations.

Client territory	This is most often the client's office. It is possible to prepare for such a meeting, but most often you have to act according to circumstances
Your territory	This could be your personal office, or a meeting room. You should not make appointments in a room where there are many prying eyes and you may be distracted. Under no circumstances should you start negotiations in the corridors or on the way somewhere
Neutral territory	This could be a rented conference room or, in extreme cases, a quiet coffee shop. Never have a meeting in a restaurant. You and the client will have to be distracted by food and wait for someone to chew the food. Keep meals separate from business meetings.

Any meeting place should be quiet and uncrowded.

After the client has accepted the offer of a meeting, it is necessary to thoroughly prepare for it. Think about what gadgets and demo materials you will need.

You must have with you:

• A diary or business notebook in which you will write down information that you think is important;
• Business cards – should be meaningful, but at the same time concise;
• Handle;
• Blank sheets of paper (if the meeting takes place in a coffee shop and the client does not have a diary at hand);
• Blank contracts, questionnaires or order forms (in case you organize the right meeting and the client immediately wants to conclude an agreement);
• Advertising brochures - the client needs to be presented with visual information, and not talk about the product “on fingers”.

Having prepared the necessary attributes for negotiations, you must prepare yourself. As the proverb says, “You are greeted by your clothes...”, so your appearance can play a key role.

When going to an appointment, you should:

1. Find business clothes in your wardrobe. This could be a suit + shirt + tie. Or a suit and turtleneck. Women can wear a skirt and blouse or pantsuit. You should feel comfortable in these clothes.
2. Refuse extravagant, ultra-modern and provocative outfits.
3. Tidy your hands and hair. Women's makeup should not be bright and provocative.
4. Pay attention to your shoes and clean them if necessary.
5. Refuse cheap accessories and fakes of famous brands. Many wealthy people at first glance distinguish cheap Chinese counterfeits of watches, lighters and other accessories from the original. If you cannot afford expensive branded items, then it is better to abandon them completely.

Step-by-step instructions or meeting script

As a person who wants to negotiate, you need to understand that preparation alone is not enough for successful negotiations. You should be familiar with meeting protocol and basic business etiquette.

We have compiled an action algorithm for you, thanks to which the first meeting with a client will be at the highest level, and you, as a specialist, will be left with the best impressions.

1. Enter the office. If you are meeting with a client in his office, and your arrival has been reported, enter the office by knocking. You do not need to ask permission to log in again.
2. If the meeting takes place on neutral territory, then you need to arrive 5-10 minutes before the appointed time.
3. Greet the client. Say hello using your first and last name.

• At the client's premises, the client should be the first to extend his hand to greet. If he did not do this, then the handshake does not occur.
• In your territory, you are obligated to extend your hand first.
• In a coffee shop, men extend their hands to women, older ones to younger ones.

1. Exchange business cards. The business card must be handed over in person. If a client offers you his business card, you should definitely read it out loud. You can't put it in your pocket without looking and familiarizing yourself with it.
2. Sit on the chair. If the negotiations are taking place in the client’s office, then wait until you are asked to sit down. If you don’t receive an offer, ask where you can sit. If the meeting is taking place on neutral territory, then there is no need to wait for an invitation to take a chair.
3. Start a conversation. It is necessary to start negotiations with abstract topics. It's best if you give a compliment to the client's company. Only he must be sincere. Do not touch on topics related to religion, politics, or sports interests. It is also better to refrain from banal topics about the weather and the beautiful interior of the office.
4. After talking on general topics, move on to the presentation situational issues. Start asking them carefully, “testing the waters.”
5. Then move on to more serious ones problematic issues and suggest ways to solve the identified problems. Make a short forecast for future cooperation.
6. If the client wishes, you can sign a cooperation agreement. But don't insist on it. Very often a person needs to “digest” the information received.
7. It is better to end the meeting with an agreement on the date and time of the next meeting. Even if it turns out that the client is not interested, still ask him to meet with you again.
8. Say goodbye to your interlocutor, thank you for your time and leave the room.
9. After the negotiations, Write down the most important moments and details of the meeting in your diary.

There are situations when a meeting is prepared and organized at the highest level, and everything goes great, but at some point something happens and the client withdraws into himself. After which the negotiations cannot be considered successful.

Most likely, some mistake was made that played a decisive role.

To eliminate the possibility of such a scenario developing, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the following recommendations and always adhere to them:

1. Turn off your cell phone. Calls will distract you in every possible way, and if you decide to pick up the phone in the middle of negotiations, then you will show disrespect for your interlocutor.
2. Don't try to smoke.
3. If a client offers you tea, coffee or water, then opt for water. After asking for coffee, you will receive several more questions (for example, how many spoons of sugar to put in or what kind of coffee you prefer). They will distract you and take up valuable time.
4. Look your interlocutor straight in the eyes. You must make eye contact.
5. During negotiations, periodically make notes and notes.
6. Don't fawn or fawn. Behave with dignity; this is the only way the client will treat you as an equal.
7. Let the client know that you respect his interlocutor’s opinion and are ready to defend his interests.

Conclusion

The first meeting is a serious and important stage on the path to long-term cooperation. Often it is she who decides the fate of future business relationships. Therefore, the organizer of such a meeting faces a difficult task - to prepare, organize and conduct the upcoming negotiations at the highest level.

What girl wouldn't want to have the perfect first date with a guy? The time and place of the meeting are set, and a lot of questions immediately arise: how to prepare, what to wear, should I allow him a kiss on the first date? Anxiety is natural, because the future relationship with the chosen one will largely depend on how the meeting goes.

As a rule, the first date helps a man decide whether he likes the woman, whether he wants events to develop, or whether the romance will end before it even begins. Every woman has many tricks in her arsenal. With the right approach and a wise life position, any young lady can transform into a sexy and irresistible beauty with a bright inner light and a charming smile. It is important not to overdo it with “special effects”, so as not to alienate your gentleman and create the wrong impression about yourself.

Look 100+!

Leave it to the man to decide where to go on the first date, and you yourself will choose a wardrobe that suits the situation, put on beautiful makeup, and pay attention to your hair. A woman should look gentle and natural. Let her appearance highlight her natural beauty and disguise minor imperfections.

The ideal place for a first date, whether it be a restaurant or a cinema, will make a woman feel comfortable and relaxed. Only when a girl is confident in herself can she open up and look her best.

Here are some tips for young ladies going on a first date with a guy:

• think carefully about what to wear on a first date: the outfit should not restrict movement or be provocative (ideally, if the clothing matches the situation and the place to which the girl was invited);
• give up things that can make you uncomfortable; you don’t need to wear a miniskirt or very high-heeled shoes;
• If you're invited to the perfect place for a first date, you want to look stunning. So, when going to a restaurant, complement your cocktail dress with a small delicate decoration, and if you expect to go out of town for a picnic, choose a warm, comfortable sweater that shades your eyes. Use accessories, decorations, wardrobe details wisely - don’t overdo it so as not to look like a Christmas tree!
• when the question of what to wear on the first date has been decided, it’s time to think about makeup: it should not be catchy and provocative if you do not want to scare off a man and leave the impression of a flighty beauty, ready to rush at any male representative passing by;
• save the image of a sexy temptress for later, let the first date be remembered for the innocent romance of two hearts in love;
• at the same time, it’s worth thinking about underwear: let it be comfortable and of high quality; it’s better to avoid garters, ruffles and unnecessary lace (no one can predict how a gentle kiss will end on the first date; perhaps a girl won’t refuse a visit to a guy on a cup of coffee - you need to be fully prepared);
• choose a slightly sweet floral scent. It is important that the smell is in harmony with the image you have chosen and is generally pleasant and fresh;
• the perfume does not have to be branded (few men are able to distinguish Chanel from Dior);
• We must not forget about the hands: well-groomed, with a fresh manicure, they attract special attention from male representatives, so it is better to spend an extra hour and a half to go to a beauty salon (advice: give up the idea of ​​​​painting your nails too pretentiously or applying war color to plastic unnatural claws extreme length);
• the choice of hairstyle will directly depend on how the man decided the question of where to go on the first date: it is better not to do a complex hairstyle if you are going outdoors, and for the theater, an option with highly stacked strands is suitable;
• an elegant high hairstyle, delicate light curls that give the girl a special charm, straight strands emphasizing the noble features of the face are most suitable for a romantic meeting, but intricate designs of many braids, graphic cuts of bangs or radical options with backcombing can be perceived ambiguously.

Looking natural and harmonious in accordance with the place and time of the meeting is the main task of a girl who is about to go on a first date. A wise woman will definitely think through all the details so as not to miss her chance and win the heart of her chosen one.

How to choose a course of action?

Looking great when meeting a guy is very important, but that won't even be the deciding factor. If a girl wants a relationship to work out and a meeting with a man to happen again, she must watch how she behaves and what she does.

Focus on his interests

If you show sincere interest in his hobbies, a man will definitely appreciate it. He will choose as his life partner someone who will share his values ​​and aspirations, with whom it will be interesting to communicate on topics that interest him.

Sincerity is the key to success

Young people can quite easily recognize lies and insincerity coming from a woman. No matter how hard the girl tries to disguise her true motives, the truth will come out one way or another. But sincerity will be rewarded, because every man wants to trust and be understood, to forget about masks and intrigues.

Expressing your opinion is the right thing to do

Some narrow-minded young ladies are sure that if you want a kiss to happen on the first date, you need to agree with the young man on everything. But that's not true! How can a companion be interesting who does not express her own opinion? The conversation becomes cloying, and the woman comes across as stupid.

Make jokes for your health

A cheerful, carefree companion will delight your gentleman and will definitely lift his spirits. Banter and jokes bordering on mockery should be avoided. Men react painfully to criticism, so if they hear barbs, they are unlikely to want to continue the relationship.

Be yourself

Who a man will love, you or a far-fetched image, is up to you to decide. It is better to appear before your chosen one from the very first meeting in your usual, comfortable appearance and state of mind. This way you will not deceive the young man and will not be disappointed in the future.

What should you not do?

When meeting a man, it is important not to make stupid mistakes that can scare him off and ruin further acquaintance:

• there is no need to criticize others, otherwise you will be known as a grumpy, unpleasant woman;
• you should not interrupt the man and be too active, let him have a greater influence on the development of events;
• forget about excesses: a girl who drinks a lot of alcohol or eats too much during the first intimate meeting is a repulsive sight;
• do not share plans about a joint family life and common children;
• try not to go to extremes in behavior and words, it is better to remain soft and gentle.

Briefing is a beautiful word. In Russian there are analogues that are clearer and more familiar: briefing, interview, introductory.

Typically, the briefing follows immediately after the conclusion of the contract under which you will work on the project. And it precedes the first stage of development of packaging, advertising campaign or communication strategy - research.

This is a very important stage of any project. And not just because this is the first time you've demonstrated what you're capable of. But also because the final result of the entire team’s work depends on the amount of primary information received.

Preparing for the meeting

First, to conduct a successful briefing, you and the client's team leader need to be well prepared.

Be sure to make a list of questions that need to be discussed before the briefing. You need to agree on the following:

• briefing location
• who will be present
• list of issues to be considered
• approximate amount of time for the entire briefing and for discussing individual issues
• necessary equipment

It is important to worry about who will be present at the meeting in advance. The meeting must necessarily include persons making key decisions on the project. This could be the director of the company or some vice president. A marketing director is quite enough. If this specialist is competent and the manager trusts him in making key decisions regarding design, texts, strategy and vision for promotion as a whole. It would be wise to identify in advance the questions that the first manager must answer directly. This way, it will be possible to discuss the most important things first, without delaying the boss. And then, in a more relaxed manner, continue communication on other topics.

The ideal client team is the people who will make the final decision on the project, both in terms of ideas and strategy, and in terms of budget.

If there are no such people at the meeting, this is a serious reason, at a minimum, to ask a question about their continued presence on the project, or, at maximum, to refuse the meeting.

Situations often arise when the brand team briefs the agency, and the brief is not agreed upon with senior management - this leads to stupid situations at the final presentation, when the marketing director does not buy ideas and strategy, because he sees his own company’s brief for the first time.

This does not have to be the owner of the company; much depends on the internal structure of the client. If the brand team has enough internal authority to choose an agency or ideas and strategies, then none of the top is needed.

Prepare the client

It would be a good idea to send a list of questions to the client in advance for review. And ask to prepare the materials you will need for work. These can be tables with indicators, graphs, illustrations, and the like.

Why is it important? It often happens that a client does not prepare for a meeting and, during the discussion of issues, begins to remember some numbers, often gets distracted, turning to materials lying in different folders or even offices. And as a result, you spend almost the entire meeting just writing down what you will expect from the client by email “during the day.”

Don't try to standardize your briefs. Each brief should have a special selection corresponding to the topic and objectives of the project. And not a list of 40-50 items common for all cases. If the client is a construction company and you are developing a brand and advertising campaign, this will be one list of questions. If the client is a cafe and only needs a corporate identity, then this will be a different list of questions.

Remember, never ask a client to fill out any formalized brief for a project, especially alone. In principle, at the project launch stage, communication via the Internet or telephone should be kept to a minimum. Maximize face-to-face meetings and live communication. The client will never be able to find the time to carefully fill out your questionnaires. And even if you are working with an advanced marketing director, you should know that only you have a good understanding of the questions you are asking for answers to. It is important that key experts are present at meetings on your part. If this does not happen, you may not even once in practice encounter a dead phone call or not ask the right questions on time.

At the meeting

You can record the meeting using a voice recorder. This is convenient if during the briefing you develop live communication and discuss a lot of details. In such a situation, it will be difficult for you to take notes. It would be more productive to record the conversation on a voice recorder and then take notes. Just warn the client about this in advance and ensure that the recording will not fall into third hands and will be used only for the purposes of the current project.

Ideally, the client has prepared a special presentation for you for the meeting. And he accompanied it with additional materials.

What should the client tell?Typically, a briefing, oral or written, includes several general points:

• Brief information about the client’s company as a whole: history, main principles, achievements.
• Information about the product/brand: what it is, how much it costs, where it is sold, main advantages, brand image (visual materials, previous advertising campaigns are usually shown here), how consumers perceive it now.
• Competitor/category information. Usually they list the main competitors, their brands (without examples of advertising), main advantages, features of the category (growing or falling, main consumer trends).
• Information about the target audience. As a rule, at this point the client has minimal knowledge or only that which characterizes the audience in terms of purchasing power (age, income, number of children). Sometimes a brief emotional description of people is given (habits, hobbies, character traits), but, as a rule, these are all general words and nothing useful can be extracted from this.
• Agency mission, budgets, deadlines. Here they describe what exactly the agency needs to develop, in what time frame and what budget the company has for this.

You can add to the proposed list:

• Analysis of the mission of a company or organization
• Positioning
• Determining the desired state of the company and brand (qualities, company life cycle, competitive advantages)
• Formulation of measurable brand parameters (KPI) (taking into account special client requirements)
• Determining the sales funnel (actual and target) when it comes to advertising
• Determining a team of customers, participants and performers (formation of a working group)
• Analysis of available resources (financial, human, intellectual, etc.)
• Identifying important conditions or limiting factors (including budget)

In general, try to get the most out of the client. Even the most insignificant, at first glance, little things can become the key to solutions. And as much information as possible will help you find support in defending your ideas.

Counter-brief

The briefing can take place in one or two meetings. And even more. If organized correctly the first time, the client is guaranteed to provide you with a lot of information that you will not be able to quickly master and analyze.

Most likely, after the meeting you will need to communicate within your company. And you will probably have your own vision of the task. With this, you can visit the client a second time to better understand the issues that have arisen.

Here is a case from practice. At the first meeting on a new project in the field of suburban real estate from one of the largest regional development companies, general issues were discussed: the vision of the promotion strategy for the residential complex, the schedule and budget of the communication strategy project, the style of a long-term advertising campaign.

The client identified the unique selling proposition of his project as follows: comfort-class real estate in an environmentally friendly area. We took this information into account, requested and received a number of clarifications and a large amount of additional information.

During the discussion within the working group, we had a number of questions about the validity of such a message as “comfort-class real estate in an eco-friendly area” in relation to our product: what is comfort-class in our case, what attributes of the product confirm it; how appropriate is positioning as a comfort class project in the visual concept of the brand.

There were blind spots in our project picture. Big ones. Namely, a number of inconsistencies did not allow us to call the project, modest in almost all respects, a comfort class.

And we formulated a series of new questions to identify gaps in the original brief. And they asked for a second meeting with the client to clarify the tasks and correct the introductory information.

The client responded very positively to this proposal and the meeting took place. As a result, quite quickly we slightly adjusted the positioning and finalized the content of the product.

Of course, we discussed all the issues that we would like to discuss remotely in advance, even before the meeting. And it turned out that by the time the second briefing was held, the customer’s marketers’ understanding of the product had also changed somewhat. And the questions we posed influenced the content of the project and the inconsistencies were eliminated.

And what is important here is not what exactly was discussed or what the problems of the product were. It is important to understand that any preparatory work, and even more so the formation of an information base for the project, is the most important stage that requires active interaction.

That's exactly how it should be. After the first briefing, you carefully consider the problem and make suggestions for adjustments.

This procedure will save you from the risk of working on a project with initially insufficient or incorrect input data or with a obviously untenable hypothesis. And this omission can be called a completely classic mistake of many inexperienced managers and marketers.

A tool for those who have difficulties with negotiations

Jim Kemp's book, First Say No, is included in all employee training plans. It helps to immerse yourself in the world of your interlocutor and help him make the right decision.

But theory alone is not enough, practice is needed. When I see that an employee is unable to prepare for a meeting, I suggest that he fill out a meeting card for several weeks before each meeting with a client or call with a colleague.

What is a negotiation card

I first learned about the negotiation card from Nikolai Toverovsky’s blog. This is a tool that helps you prepare for negotiations and practice your skills. You can fill out the card in any convenient form: with a pen in a notepad, in notes on a computer, or in a Google form. The main thing is to do it thoughtfully.

The card can be used to prepare for a meeting with a client, personal planning meetings, meetings with colleagues and any other negotiations. In preparation, a person formulates a mission, determines a budget and baggage, draws up a conversation plan and writes down the desired outcome of the negotiations. As a result, negotiations are clearer and more effective for all participants.

Over time, the need for a negotiation card disappears. This happens when a person develops the habit of preparing for meetings and they go according to plan.

Negotiation mission

The mission is a guideline in negotiations. It helps convince your interlocutor that with your help his life will become better. During difficult negotiations, a mission helps to remove fears and stay on the right course.

If I see that the discussion suddenly dies down, but the meeting itself seems to continue sluggishly, this is a bell that the participants do not have a mission or they do not fully understand it. Because of this, they do not fully understand why they are here, what they want to convey to each other and what decisions to make.

To define a mission, you need to understand your benefit to the interlocutor, and then help him see this benefit. For example, “to help my interlocutor see how I am useful to him” is quite a mission, albeit an abstract one. But it is better, of course, to formulate the mission as specifically as possible.

Talk about the importance of an operational plan in the work of a contact center

Help you see the risks if no one controls the implementation of the operational plan

It is important that the mission is not just for show, but is perceived as a necessary tool. Otherwise, the negotiator will not follow it.

Baggage

Baggage is any circumstances that may prevent you from fulfilling what you agree on. For example, you agree with a colleague about the timing of a project. You know that in the middle of the project a key specialist goes on vacation and there is a risk of not delivering the project on time. At the very beginning of negotiations, you need to inform your interlocutor about this so that there is no misunderstanding.

To find luggage, consider what conditions seem questionable and where difficulties might arise. For example: “There is a fear that we will not cope with the task, because we have not done this before.” Write it down on a card and don’t forget to discuss it.

I'll squeeze a new project into my schedule somehow.

I can only devote five hours a week to a new project. is that enough? If not, let's figure something out.

It's important to keep your baggage honest. Your task is to convey to the participant possible risks and minimize misunderstandings when discussing projects and tasks.

Budget: time, energy, money and emotions

A negotiation budget is how much time, energy, money and emotion you can spend on it. Until the budget is spent, you can soberly assess the situation and control the negotiations.

How much will it take

20 minutes time for meeting

Think about how many resources you are willing to spend and agree on this with your team. If the budget is running out, you need to raise this issue and decide whether it is possible to make a final decision now or whether more time is needed. If you need more time, is it possible to allocate it now or is it better to schedule an additional meeting.

In negotiations with colleagues, it is easy to deviate from the main topic and waste your budget on empty talk. To prevent negotiations from draining your budget, politely ask your colleagues to return to the topic if they have strayed from it.

Continue useless conversations

Friends, we have deviated from the topic, and we only have 20 minutes

The decision you want to make

A written decision will help you remember why you came to these negotiations. It happens that interlocutors are distracted by other problems that seem more important to them. Because of this, they easily lose their thoughts and switch to another topic. As a result, they do not have time to solve half of the questions.

To achieve results, formulate in advance the decision you want to make at the end of the negotiations and write it down on a card.

Figure it out on the spot

Agree with the manager on a specific action plan for the development of the contact center: who is doing what and by when

What you can't talk about, you won't think through properly.

This aphorism from the works of Johann W. Goethe best demonstrates the importance of the stage of preparing a sales manager, together with his colleagues and manager, to communicate with a client.

Our article is devoted to how to properly prepare for the first meeting with a potential client.

Tasks of the preparation stage for the first meeting

At the first meeting, the client determines for himself the circle of suppliers with whom he will continue to interact. If you “lose” the first meeting, then most likely there will be no chance of further development of the relationship. But if you do it well, the chances increase greatly.

For high-quality and complete preparation for a business meeting, it is necessary to allocate at least one hour of working time for one employee and 20 minutes for all other participants.

As a result of preparing for a meeting with a potential client, all participants on your side should have the same understanding at key points:

1. History

• What do we know about this company?
• Who is the initiator of the meeting?
• At what stage are we in our relationship with this client?

2. Counterparty

• Who exactly will represent the client company at the meeting?
• What are these employees responsible for and at what level of decisions do they make in the company?

3. Goals

• What goal do we set before the negotiations?
• What period of cooperation do we expect with this client?
• What can slow down the start/development of cooperation on our part?

4. Scenario

• Main scenario
• Backup scenarios. It is better to prepare several options in advance (“what do we do if ...”)

5. Distribution of roles

• Each team member has his own role in the team game. Who are you? Leader, expert, observer, protocol taker, etc.
• What internal information do you NOT bring up for discussion with the client?

The role of the manager in preparing for a meeting with a client

Must act as a leader and mentor for his employees - sales managers. The manager’s task before a meeting with a client is to prepare the sales manager, for example, using the following practice: train, show, motivate.

Train. After analyzing previous meetings with clients, you can discuss with the manager what strengths and weaknesses he had in conducting negotiations and making transactions. As a result, a constructive analysis of existing experience will help the sales manager not to step on the same “rake” or, on the contrary, to consolidate successes in proven ways.

Show. Vivid images and examples always work better than conversations. Use all available tools to prepare for the meeting - draw diagrams, demonstrate the key stages of the meeting in action.

Motivate. Explain the significance of these negotiations and the result itself, not only for the company as a whole, but also for him personally. Involve the sales manager in the process of preparing for the meeting with your participation.

What should you check immediately before the meeting?

The checklist we offer will allow you to control the most pressing issues of a manager’s self-preparation for a business meeting.

1. Discuss the meeting agenda with the client. This will require a short phone call or email to the client to discuss the following topics:

• Who plans to attend the meeting on the client's side?
• What questions are the client primarily interested in?
• Do we need a presentation on our part? And what would the client like to see in the presentation?

2. Resolve organizational issues with the client

• Order a pass for passage or travel to the internal territory
• Agree how long before the meeting it is advisable to be there

3. Update the goals of the meeting. Think and discuss with your manager the goals you want to achieve at the end of the meeting. Have a main goal, and 2-3 additional goals that would also be nice to achieve. Write down these goals, then you will check their achievement.

4. Think about compliments to the client. They will help, as well as defuse the “heated” situation during the conversation, if the situation requires it.

5. Think over questions for the client. Prepare and write down 5-7 questions in advance about possible client problems. It is worth mentioning that experienced sales managers have an established arsenal of favorite questions. Here are some of my examples of such questions:

• What is most important to you in this matter? Why is this so important to you?
• Have you tried to solve this problem yourself? Why did you decide to turn to a third-party company for help?
• Why did you start working on this task now? What was the reason?
• Why did you turn to us with this task?
• Are there any other circumstances that may affect our agreement?
• What alternatives do you have? Which of our colleagues (competitors) did you contact?

6. Prepare a list of possible difficulties on our side. Formulate and write down 3-5 possible obstacles to working with this client. Examples of problems on our side:

• We will probably not be able to quickly begin implementing the project, since our capacities are loaded
• The client may think that we lack experience in implementing similar projects
• Our offer is one of the most expensive on the market

As you probably guessed, if you understand the possible obstacles in advance, then you can think of a solution to them. By the time you meet with your client, you should have answers to all of these objections.

7. Prepare presentation materials

• What should I bring to a meeting with a client?
• What will I demonstrate?
• What will the client have after the meeting?

8. Prepare all necessary accessories and documents. Business cards, a document for access to the client’s territory, a notepad, a laptop with charger, directions, printed materials, branded booklets and gifts for the client.

Conclusion

The purpose of the first meeting with the client is to ensure the progress of the transaction, that is, to ensure that the client takes the next step towards us.

We do not recommend neglecting preparation for the first meeting with a potential client - the risks of wasting invaluable meeting time are too great. To do this, all meeting participants need to agree on key points in advance.

Andrey Barsukov, leading consultant at Clientbridge