Top 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs Before Meeting The Clients

Top 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs before Meeting the Clients

After putting in a lot of effort, finally, you convinced the prospectus to meet and discuss the idea or the product. And the potential client has agreed to meet. You have finalised the venue and date and time. However, the nerve has caught you. And you are here on the internet searching tips before meeting the client. Great! Here we are ready as well to help you out with the top 10 tips to ace that first meeting.

The thing to note here is that most probably the client must be meeting other businesses like yours and you are just one in the crowd. With all this competition, how can you seal the deal? How would you ensure that you stand out and win over the client beating whatever the competition comes your way?

Chill! It’s easy. You just need to apply these best 10 tips for entrepreneurs before meeting the client to get the desired result. Read on

01. The Prep Before Meeting:

Though, it’s kind of obvious but there can be multiple things which you need to tick on.

Know exactly where you are going so that you don’t have to feel sorry being late.
Ask the names and if possible, their profile who you are going to see in the meeting.

In order to come across relaxed and calm, prepare your material which means preloading your online portfolio, website or any other relevant doc in your P.C to be used during the meeting. Keeping your notepad ready with a pen.

And the most important thing, practice your pitch and be thorough with what you are going to say. You must be having a rough idea what may be the needs and requirements of the prospect, ensure you address them by giving a gamut of suggestions and advice.

While many do their research, only a few go the extra mile. Here, a pro tip is that being expert in your field is not enough, you need to show expertise in another person’s field too to leave a lasting impression. Make a list of questions you are going to ask the prospects and find him already impressed with you.

02. Things Start Well with Good First Impression:

Here are some checkpoints that you need to tick:

Appearance
Confidence
Enthusiasm

Ensure to emit a good first impression by adopting good posture while walking and sitting. Look into the eyes, smile and show confidence by giving a firm handshake. It falls under good etiquettes to allow the other person to sit first before you settle down.

Now, everybody wants to work with companies and people who are genuinely excited about their offerings. If you create something which you are really excited about, then don’t hold back. Forget the nerves, and let your excitement take over.

03. Have a Breeze of Small Talk First:

Before dipping into the serious stuff in meetings, it is more fruitful to get into some small talk first. Pitching your business straight away will make you look pushy.

Business is all about people and people do business with people they like. Don’t forget to make a human-to-human connection before getting there.

You may talk about pleasant weather, or discuss any recent sports event. Avoid any political, religious, or regional topics to be on the safe side.

An Extra Tip: It’s not what you know, but who you know. Whenever you walk into a room full of strangers, you feel the need to make connections to ensure your success. It pays to be well rounded and prepared to discuss travel, wine, sports, music etc. meet them for a drink or a meal. Once a certain level of comfort is established then go for the pitch.

04. Don’t Worry; Don’t hurry:

It’s good to be likable and make an effort towards being one. However, being quietly confident instead of overly keen is better. Any whiff of desperation can weaken your chances to lose the deal.

Here, in the conversation, sounding like you are in demand and busy will pull the prospect towards you. Of course, overdoing it can backfire. Hence, affirm to yourself in the head that you would love to win the client but if you can’t, not an issue.

05. Listen, Really Listen Before Speaking:

How will you know what the possible clients want without listening to them? Listening is a skill you must ace. It’s not only about words, but tones, expressions, silence, pauses as well.

While listening you will not only know what they are saying but also learn what they are not saying. An imperative skill.

06. Talk about Their Needs & Ask Questions:

When the prospect is done with initial talk, it’s time to discuss their needs in more detail. Ask questions, dig a little deeper and take notes for future reference.

Here, the opportunity is to understand their needs thoroughly and adjust your pitch according to their most painful points.

07. Remember You are Selling Yourself too:

While sharing with them how you can help them out, use some examples when you successfully reduced the pain of your former clients. Keep some success stories, statistics ready to flaunt.

Here, not practicing your pitch beforehand can prove to be a disaster. Practice it until it starts coming out smoothly from your mouth. And always be ready to go back and forth while delivering it.

Each case study can be thought of and told like a story: the problem of your client, you offered the solution and there was a happy ending.

08. Free Friendly Advice with no expectations:

If you can, offer some free advice. Something that can help them in their business or life.

This helps in building trust and expertise instantly. If you do so, you are on your way to have a good rapport with the prospect and increase your chance to get hired.

09. Nail FAQs:

You have said what you had to. Meeting also went well. But the prospect still has some questions. Great. It’s a good sign.

Every industry has some frequently asked question. So does yours. Keep those well- prepared answers handy.

In order to tackle last minute resistance, you must answer those FAQs like a pro.

Furthermore, they might ask for more examples of your work. anticipate their move and then blow them away with your befitting response.

10. Wind up gently and Follow-up:

Bravo! You have rocked your first client meeting this far and you can feel the positivity in the air. But the meeting hasn’t finished yet.

Last impression is as important as the first. Maintaining a smile and confidence, thank them for their time and convey how you enjoyed that meeting. Leave your contact details if you haven’t already, and say you would be happy to discuss further if any query or question is there.

Tidy up before you leave, tuck your chair under the meeting table, avoid using your phone until you are in front of them. It’s good to have some small talk on the way out.

As per their comfort and discussion, follow up with a nice email or phone call in order to demonstrate that you are still available if the prospect wants to discuss anything further.

You will almost certainly get the assignment after such a fantastic meeting.

But if not, don’t take it to heart. Rejections are the stepping stones of success. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. In the end they all are valuable and help us to be a better person and professional.

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Top 10 Tips for Entrepreneurs before Meeting the Clients