Key Steps to Move Your Client Meeting to the Next Phase
Had a great meet up? Keep the ball rolling by following these crucial steps
Houzz AU
25 July 2018
Make the most of every positive client encounter by ensuring you take the right steps to close the deal. Here’s how to do it.
Summarise the meeting
At the end of the conversation, it’s a good idea to recap what was discussed. Write down the key points while you’re talking, or even create a questionnaire beforehand to fill in during the meeting. By going over the essential elements at the end, you’ll remind everyone what was discussed and also demonstrate that you listen to your client’s needs.
Find out what you should be saying in your first client meeting
At the end of the conversation, it’s a good idea to recap what was discussed. Write down the key points while you’re talking, or even create a questionnaire beforehand to fill in during the meeting. By going over the essential elements at the end, you’ll remind everyone what was discussed and also demonstrate that you listen to your client’s needs.
Find out what you should be saying in your first client meeting
Devise a schedule
Also always end a meeting with some kind of timetable in place, firming up the next stage. By having a firm date in place you won’t get sidetracked by other projects or end up playing phone tag while trying to make a follow-up call.
Discuss the next steps to take by both parties. Perhaps you need to send a quote or maybe the client should put together an Ideabook to illustrate their needs better. Make a plan and have a date for each action’s deadline.
“As our service is fully bespoke, we have several initial meetings with our client before the job moves ahead,” says Jessica Gay, marketing manager at joinery firm Bath Bespoke. “This allows us to get to know them as individuals and vice versa.”
Also always end a meeting with some kind of timetable in place, firming up the next stage. By having a firm date in place you won’t get sidetracked by other projects or end up playing phone tag while trying to make a follow-up call.
Discuss the next steps to take by both parties. Perhaps you need to send a quote or maybe the client should put together an Ideabook to illustrate their needs better. Make a plan and have a date for each action’s deadline.
“As our service is fully bespoke, we have several initial meetings with our client before the job moves ahead,” says Jessica Gay, marketing manager at joinery firm Bath Bespoke. “This allows us to get to know them as individuals and vice versa.”
Ask for feedback
Just in case you’ve missed a key point during your conversation, ask for some feedback at the end. Is there anything the customer thinks you might have missed? Or are there some to-dos they’d like you to add to the schedule? By doing this you’ll ensure you’ve remembered everything and will, once again, show that you value the client’s needs.
“My main goal during the initial meeting is to leave the prospect in no doubt that I am an expert in my field. I rarely try to sell them anything at this point other than a belief that I can solve their problems,” says John Brennan of landscaping and garden design firm JB Landscapes. “I also always ask if there is anything they are unsure about or would like me to expand upon.”
Discover tips for finding potential clients
Just in case you’ve missed a key point during your conversation, ask for some feedback at the end. Is there anything the customer thinks you might have missed? Or are there some to-dos they’d like you to add to the schedule? By doing this you’ll ensure you’ve remembered everything and will, once again, show that you value the client’s needs.
“My main goal during the initial meeting is to leave the prospect in no doubt that I am an expert in my field. I rarely try to sell them anything at this point other than a belief that I can solve their problems,” says John Brennan of landscaping and garden design firm JB Landscapes. “I also always ask if there is anything they are unsure about or would like me to expand upon.”
Discover tips for finding potential clients
Put it in writing
Follow up your conversation with an email to reduce the possibility of any misunderstanding. At a later date, you and your client will be able to go back to that email to clarify any points you’ve discussed.
Tell us
How do you make sure a client meeting goes to the next phase? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Follow up your conversation with an email to reduce the possibility of any misunderstanding. At a later date, you and your client will be able to go back to that email to clarify any points you’ve discussed.
Tell us
How do you make sure a client meeting goes to the next phase? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Andrea, thanks for sharing :) Can you advise which program are you using? Many thanks. Monica
Hi Monica. This is a program I had written for myself, and I change it as new materials I come across, that I have easy access to and companies that I have an account with. So I have personalized it to suit me. I do a few calculations and decide whether it goes in the budget line- bronze calculation or an upmarket sort of price range ~(what I call the gold line) The idea was to expand my program to include a platinum line, but I haven't had any oligarchs as clients yet! My program calculates wall tiles, materials, and sqm of carpets or flooring and linear metres of things like tozettoes or mouldings
One thing I have learned in my years of sales is the follow-up. If the sales cycle is a week then you need to be quick to get your quote in. If it is month, then the work is in the follow-up. Too often clients get a quote and then do nothing. They get more quotes, get confused and then decide on price or on the last offer.
The follow-up is really important. It is important to do it often enough to ensure they don't forget you, often enough to answer more questions as they get more knowledgeable through quotes and often enough to help with the close. You do need to be careful not to annoy them but staying away does not help either.