A better way to run client meetings

How often do you have a great meeting with a client where you leave feeling really positive and have lots of things you can follow up on? Actions like producing quotes for new bits of work, and things you can go away and research for the client.

I've recently been trying out a new method of running meetings. The goal is to leave the meeting with no actions at all for you, unless they're things that the client is specifically paying you for. At the same time, you have to give the client as much value as possible for free during the meeting, and provide them with useful actions that they can go away and work on.

It's counter-intuitive because  conventional wisdom says that the supplier should go away and do the leg-work, and it makes us feel like we're being helpful if we promise to go away and do stuff after the meeting. But you can give the client more value and get better results (like closing a sale for some more work), and save yourself time back in the office if you try it this way. You just have to be prepared to think differently and give it a go.

The trick is to pause in the meeting whenever you sense that you're about to take on an action. Instead, decide if the issue or task is really important enough to warrant spending time on, and if it is, see how far you can take it there any then. For example, if the client's interested in some further services from you, don't promise to go away and write them a proposal. See if you can sketch out a scope or budget there and then. You can even try to close the deal on the spot, or if it's not possible then just get the conversation up to a point where the client can take it on as an action and then come back to you when they're ready to move it along. This empowers the client; frees up your todo list; and allows you to qualify the sales opportunity (because the client will only come back to you about it if they think it's worthwhile.)

It's an amazing feeling when you leave a meeting having achieved lots, but not having any 'homework' to do (especially if you are naturally lazy like me and could never get your homework done at school.) Then with the extra time you'll have available to you now that you don't have loads of promises to keep, you can spend some time thinking about what would be really useful to that client, do it, and surprise them with it. They'll love you for it, but there's no pressure on you because you haven't made any promises.

I dare you to try it at your next client meeting.

Note: I'd like to say this is my own original thinking, but a big thanks to Pete Burden for the idea and inspiration.

Comments

[Matt]

You said:

""For example, if the client's interested in some further services from you, don't promise to go away and write them a proposal. See if you can sketch out a scope of budget there and then."

How can you be sure of being able to accurately scope and price up a project there and then, without the risk of scope creap or the 'unknowns' that can come out of the woodwork when prior planning hasn't been fully thought through. I presume you'd take a technical person with you to such meetings?

[tomnixon]

You're right, it's unlikely that you could accurately scope out and price up a project on the spot, but what you can do is make a start. Figure out some high level stuff: Is it a small, medium, or large job? Is the budget likely to be closest to £10K; £50K or £100K? What are the main components of the project, and how might they be approached?

Without anyone having to commit to anything, can you get the conversation to a point where the client can go away and decide if it's likely to be feasible?

It's good for you because you can save yourself the trouble of writing a proposal for a project that perhaps the client may not really be likely to go ahead with, and you get to see the client's reaction there and then, and steer the conversation towards something that will work for them.

For the client, you've been able to give them some ideas and answers right away and they don't have to wait for you to get back to them. They can take it away and decide if it's worth taking further.

[Ash]

This may not be relevant, but;

It is often useful to get the client to go off and do THEIR homework!- No, really - Getting them to start as early as possible, collecting assets, creating copy etc. Working out what THEY want is often better than you telling them what you are going to do for them. OK, maybe they don't know at the moment - That's why they are talking to you - I found that if you guide their asset collection process from the outset it can actually bring the scope of the project into focus in the client's mind and give them a better understanding of what they want to achieve with their site. Once they see all the content in front of them, it becomes clearer to them what needs to be done.

I tend to come up with a list of what I think is necessary for them to supply us in preliminary meetings. The client then tootles off and excitedly gets to work on their new site!

you'll find at the next meeting they have a clearer picture of what they need you to do for them.

Not to mention the fact that you can avoid the often slow and painful process of asset collection later on in the project and have all their information in front of you before you set out the project plan for them.

Result.

[tomnixon]

That's exactly it, Ash. Do what you can to help clarify their thoughts in the meeting and empower them to take things forward afterwards.

[Andrew Kingham]

A great reminder that it's so easy to create unnecessary and tangential work for yourself by offering to research all the ideas that crop up in a meeting. The suggestion to pause before offering could help balance out an overwhelming desire to seem 'can-do'. I assume it's better to: a) not gloat about the client leaving with all the homework, and b) ensure you follow up with a phone call to keep the heat under the saucepan.

[Tom Nixon]

Yep. Being 'can do' is out. Better to just 'do'. Either in the meeting, or afterwards. Just try to get out of the habit of promising things, and into the habit of doing things.