Does this sound familiar?
You have a meeting with a potential client, it could be a very large client with many opportunities for additional business as well. It will take you about 15 minutes to get to your appointment, so you plan on leaving about 25 minutes before the meeting to give yourself a slight cushion. As you’re about to leave you realize you forgot to print out some paperwork you must have. You go to print it out and realize the ink in the printer needs to be replaced, so you take the old cartridge out and start to open the new one – you’re now at 20 minutes before your meeting time but not panicking yet. You get the paperwork printed, get in the car and start out on your pre-determined route. About 5 minutes in you come to a broken light that is now a flashing light…ugh! You will definitely be late now. You call the potential client and their voice-mail picks up so you think you’re ok and get through the light and are once again on your way. You now get within blocks of your destination and hear sirens behind you, uh-oh you were in such a hurry that you hurried your way right into a speeding ticket.
You finally arrive at your meeting 35 minutes late and a not so happy client to be. They still meet with you and hear what you have to offer, they had asked you to bring along a particular example of your previous work which in your hurry you left on top of your printer. They let you know that they are meeting with a few others and will get back to you. After 2 weeks you haven’t heard back from them so you decide to follow up only to be told that they have decided to go with someone else.
Do you believe that your punctuality or preparation had anything to do with their decision? What is certain is the that the business was not given to you. It could have been for a variety of reasons; price, experience etc. Unfortunately, you just gave them 2 more reasons to tip the scale in your competitions favor.
How do you prepare for meetings? Do you schedule time in your calendar at least 48 hours prior to your meeting to actually prepare and/or print everything you might need?
Please share your tips below!
As a career change coach, I work with clients to transition out of jobs that aren’t a fit for them into fulfilling businesses and careers in line with their values. Most of my client relationships last for months to years, so making a great first impression is a must.
I start preparing for a new client meeting or phone call (most of my clients are not local), at least 48 hours in advance. I review their intake questionnaires, brainstorm questions and ideas, create a log sheet to take notes in and print off anything that I need for our session. At least 30 minutes before the session, I open their client log and other documents on my PC that will help guide the session. I even go as far as putting on my phone headset 5 minutes before the call so that I can answer right away and have zero distractions once the session starts.
Preparation is key to having a successful session. This formula works for me every time and allows me to give them undivided attention and the best coaching experience possible.
Thanks Alison for your thoughts! Preparation is key!
Bibi’s story is one that rings true for many of us. We have the best intentions but somehow in our preparation we lose track of time because other things come up and need to be attended to.
As a professional organizer I find it helpful to look at my calendar in several ways and then schedule my to-do’s and appointments accordingly. Looking at my calendar each morning from a monthly, weekly and daily view gives me a strong visual so I can see where I can schedule things into my calendar. I tend to schedule my time in 30 minutes increments which allows me to block my time to get everything accomplished whether it takes 20 minutes or 2 hours. I like to prepare my notes and paperwork the day before an appointment and I make sure I have everything ready to go before going to bed. I look at my calendar each night so I know what to expect the next day. Knowing I am prepared for the next day makes me feel calm and allows me to sleep without worry. Keeping a detailed calendar takes some practice but it is worth the effort in the long run!
Kristin – i totally agree! Blocking my time helps tremendously! And I am MUCH calmer if I know what is ahead of me the next day – or even few days! Thanks for your comments!