Meetings Dos and Don'ts

I’ve been in a lot of meetings over the last several years. I’ve had the chance to present and be presented-to. I’ve watched dozens of reps in action and been really proud – and really embarrassed. I’ve walked out of meetings a hero and others a heel. There’s not much that I haven’t seen or said.

So, here is a list of Do’s and Don’ts that you should follow when meeting with prospects and customers. I have not consistently done all of the “Dos” and have probably violated all of the “Don’ts”. But you should keep these in mind as you meet with prospects. If you do then you’ll win their hearts more often than you’ll lose them.

In no particular order:

Do: Always start the meeting with a question – or have them state/re-state their problem.

Don’t: Hand out a package at the beginning of the meeting. It’ll give them an excuse to ignore you while you speak.

Do: Have an authentic conversation.

Don’t: Bore them to death with the “show up and throw up” PowerPoint presentation.

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Do: Follow up within 24 hours. This is not like dating. They need to hear from you right away.

Don’t: Set your backpack or briefcase on the conference table. Put it on the floor behind you.

Do: Leave your phone in the car or turn it off. Vibrate won’t cut it. You can still hear it.

Don’t: Interrupt them. Ever.

Do: Use the dry erase board and tell your story.

Don’t: Show up unprepared. Know everything you can about them. Never say, “So, tell me a little about your company.”

Do: Thank them for taking time to meet with you.

Don’t: Be late. If you looks like you will be late, make sure to call them and let them know.

Do: Arrive 10-minutes early.

Don’t: Accept their invitation for coffee. Too easy to spill on you, your materials, or them.

Do: Take notes, but ask them if it’s okay first. Really simply, “Do you mind if I jot down a few notes while we speak?”

Don’t: Yammer on and on about your children.

Do: Keep the meeting on task, respecting their time and yours.

Don’t: Get visibly upset when something goes wrong or a key person misses the meeting.

Do: Go in knowing what they want to talk about. Use the email(s) in my book for this.

Don’t: Ask, “So what are the next steps?”

Do: Suggest next steps.

Don’t: Ever mention your competitors by name if they say, “So, who are your key competitors?” Selling is hard enough without giving them other companies to speak to.

Do: Acknowledge that you have good competitors, but “…nobody does exactly what we do.”

Don’t: Leave yourself stranded if you need Internet access and they don’t have it. Have a Plan-B.

Do: Use humor and be authentic.

Don’t: Assume that they agree with your social and/or political views.

These are just a few. If you have others, please let me know by commenting, or shooting me an email at lorimers@sbcglobal.net.