Even if you are one of the most congenial and affable people, you might still find that you struggle when trying to conduct face-to-face meetings with your clients. This won’t be down to a fault in your character; it’s just likely that the stress of the situation could easily build up and prevent you from getting your message across efficiently. Not only that, though, but some external factors might prevent a meeting from going as well as you had planned.
One of the best ways to ensure that all your future meetings are productive and bring about the best possible results, is to try and view them from the client’s perspective. What do they expect from the meeting? Here are some ideas of what your client might want – if you can offer them these then you are on the road to a successful meeting!
Privacy
Even though open-plan offices are now all the rage, it is still necessary to have a separate meeting room where you can take your client so that you can speak in strict confidentiality. This is especially important in the early stages of your relationship before you have signed off on a project. They might want to discuss some sensitive information and data, and won’t be too happy about the whole office hearing about it!
Straight Talking
You and your client will be very busy, and you won’t have any time for the meeting to overrun. So, it’s important that you don’t waste any time in getting down to business. This requires some straight talking. Don’t beat around the bush too much as this will only waste everyone’s time. Be clear and concise when you speak so that there is little ambiguity.
No Tech Issues
I’m sure that most of us have been present at a meeting which has suffered from some technical difficulties. For instance, the conference call might have been cut short because the line connection dropped out, or an issue with a laptop prevent someone from showing their PowerPoint presentation. This can be extremely annoying and is something that you need to prevent at all costs. Because of this, it’s worth outsourcing IT support to contractors who can help you whenever you need it most. Most IT firms now offer helplines and can send their workers on callouts during office hours if you subscribe to their services.
A Clear Agenda
Lots of people get annoyed when they attend a meeting that gives them information that could have easily been given out in an email instead. It’s just a big waste of time. So, before you hold the meeting, it’s a good idea to create an agenda and send this out to all the attendees. That way, they can get an overview of what will be covered in the meeting, and they will see that you will be going over items that require a face-to-face chat rather than an email.
Remember all of these factors for your next meeting, and your clients should leave it thoroughly impressed!
