How to Prepare the first meeting with a potential client

When it comes to “setting the stage” to interact with a new prospect, it doesn’t just have to do with the idea of ​​making a sale. It is also about making them see why they should stay with you and not with your competition, there the humanization factor of the brand comes into play ; And that is precisely why it is good to know how to prepare the first meeting with a potential client .

The first thing to know is that the key to success is in the previous analysis. Analyze what? Among other things, know everything about their social networks; if they have any strategy, if they publish, what they publish and why they do it.

Knowing this type of customer data will help us to converse with strong foundations about the next steps to follow. For this reason, it is vitally important to establish a prior relationship with the client, that he notices our interest in his brand, product and / or service.

Above all, we must be very clear that the objective of that first meeting is to convince potential clients that we are the ideal, in every way, to calm “their pain”, fortunately there are ways to achieve this.

Next, we’ll go over some ideas around the process of preparing and running your first meeting with a potential client .

We already commented that the first thing is to do a previous analysis of the client, where in addition to knowing their digital movement it is imperative to study their commercial activity, their audience, their competitors and even their history. But we also have to:

Be clear about who we are

After carefully studying the objective, we cannot set aside our own business convictions. It is true that the client is right, but so are we. Let’s strike a balance!

In this context it is also necessary to convince ourselves that we can do it, nobody will do this for us. So we must trust our possibilities, and “know how to sell ourselves.”

In the same way, define very well what we offer that others do not provide, that is, the differentiating value. Make them see something additional, beyond what we do to help them grow their businesses.

Be creative

The first contact is very important, therefore in order for us to achieve that first interview we must risk everything for everything, with intelligence and a lot of creativity. We have to be different and attract the attention of the new prospect.

We could contact them by phone, it is much more personal than sending a simple email that would surely end up in the trash.

Here, the key is not to fall into the same recurring discourse; we have to make them remember us or at least take the trouble to ask us to send them our project / proposal.

Act at the right time

If there’s something that sabotages a meeting, it’s offering a new prospect something they don’t need; or approach your problem from the wrong angle. Before offering anything, we must make sure that you have told us about the problems and challenges you are facing.

So if we keep our value proposition in check for a moment, we will be able to adapt our approach very slightly; so it will be more attractive to the potential client. Now, when the time comes to present it, we must have practiced it enough so that we can develop it effortlessly.

Let’s not neglect the basic rules

Dress appropriately, the most recommended is a casual suit, without forgetting to be ourselves.

Do not be late for the appointment. It may sound very obvious, but today there are many who make this mistake and that creates a very bad impression.

Avoid carrying the Notebook. As far as possible it is better to opt for a notepad, pens and a great willingness to listen; a screen is a great distraction and prevents a true personal connection.

Let them speak more than us, so we can document everything they expect from our proposal.

When the time comes, sell them a solution. Since they have shared their problems and challenges with us; let them know how we can help them.

Define the steps to follow. Many meetings with potential clients end with a handshake, plus a classic “I’ll get back to you.” Instead, let’s find out what our prospect needs in order to make a commitment for the next phase.

Let us question ourselves from time to time. At the end of each meeting, let’s take about ten minutes to analyze what could we improve? Did we make a commitment too soon? Do we hesitate on the price because we felt that the agreement was eluding us? With this information we will have the ability to write a list of things that we must work to improve in a future meeting.

Inescapable arguments 

So far, we have taken an important look at how best to prepare what will be the first meeting with a potential client .

But, as an added value, if we target offline customers but want to “persuade” them completely, it is necessary to make them see the multiple advantages they have when opting for products or services that have an excellent presence on the web; especially in these times of confinement.

1.A company is what Google says.

One real blow to reality is that a business’s best friend is search engines. Statistics show that a large number of people daily ask the giant for information about products and services. So if it’s not on Google, it doesn’t exist.

2.Being on social networks is the guideline.

Today 87% of B2B companies are on social media, to reach out to new customers and potential customers. In such a way that a brand or business that is considered up-to-date, must have an online presence and invest in Facebook , Twitter , Instagram  and LinkedIn .

3.Cost-time ratio.

This is the argument that should convince you just because: opting for products that are on the web is reliable, fast and inexpensive! No need to drive from store to store or simply on foot looking for what you need, it can be just a click away.

Guaranteed success!

Effectively conducting the first meeting with a potential client does not have to become a stressful experience. As we have already seen, we can specify it and get out of it with ease; just by following the simple tips that we saw throughout this article.

We have the power to prepare a system or process, which is simple and repeatable, to make it easier for us to interview new clients and make changes when necessary.

Every meeting we have will provide us with an opportunity to improve. The first meeting with a new client will probably not be as successful. But by the time we have conducted about 5 or 6 interviews, no one will be able to stop us!