Jul 20, 2020
Your clients are the center of your business. Building strong relationships with them is an important part of growth, so today we’re talking about clients - specifically, how to lead an awesome client meeting. I’ve been coaching my team on how best to do this now that we’re scaling up and bringing in more people, and I want to share my insights with you.
These steps seem simple, but even the smallest changes and adjustments can have a huge impact on the success of your client meeting.
“Now more than ever, as more and more of us are remote, we need to make sure we're letting our clients have all the signals they need for the best communication and the best meeting possible” ~ @avanimiriyala
Make sure the right parties are in attendance on both sides. Don’t be afraid to leave people out because there is such a thing as too many people in a meeting. It’s best to have all the major decision-makers and managers there.
We do weekly meetings. But whatever the iteration is, make sure you have your Zoom, Calendars, etc., ready to go to optimize efficiency.
Make sure you use video for your virtual meetings and that your setup for the meeting is good. Good lighting, a clean environment, and a good microphone make all the difference.
Having an outline is invaluable in making sure that a meeting runs smoothly. It creates a clear picture of who will be covering the different aspects of your meeting. Make sure to give your clients some transparency into your process if you won’t be providing them with an agenda ahead of time.
Being assertive in a meeting isn’t about power, it’s about making sure you get through everything you need to before the time is up. Screen sharing and narrating your thought process is a great way to preemptively answer questions and give clarity to your clients on your decisions while also allowing for feedback.
Not all the feedback you get needs to be implemented, but it’s important to show your clients that you heard it. Use phrasing that affirms their feedback, even if you’re not going to use it.
You are the expert, don’t forget that! You don’t have to belittle your clients’ suggestions, but if it doesn’t work, kindly tell them why it wouldn’t work or why you don’t think it’s the best idea for the project.
If things start to get sidetracked about a detail of the project, don’t hesitate to set up a follow-up meeting to allow for a deeper dive. Your goal is to keep the current meeting on track and not waste time.