10 Tips for Your First Meeting with a Prospect

Everyone knows that a face-to-face meeting leaves no room to hide. So when you finally land that long-awaited first prospect meeting, you might be a little unsure about the best approach. Here's a list of tips for your first meeting to feel confident and prepared to secure a sale. 

#1 Be Intentional When Inviting 

It’s important that your attendees are able to make financial decisions if they so choose. In other words, you’ve got to invite people who have buying power and influence. If not, then you’ve wasted your hard work on people who can’t seal the deal.

#2 Connect With The Attendees

Once you’ve got a list of those who will attend, connect with each of them on LinkedIn and send a quick, personal message accompanying your connect request. Tell them that you look forward to the meeting.

#3 Do Your Research

Not only should you read up on each attendee’s background and current role at their company, you should also learn their pain points so that your offer adds value and meets their unique needs. 

You can also reach out to any mutual connections you may have to find out about your prospects’ buying habits or any other valuable information they may be able to offer.

Even if this step feels like it’s too much work, it’ll be worth it. Your preparation will not go unnoticed.

#4 Read Over Your Agenda

At the beginning of the meeting, provide a brief agenda and get your attendees to agree upon its terms. Tell them that you’re going to listen first, present second, and have a question and answer time last. Ask your attendees if there’s anything they’d like to add to the agenda. Then, show that you respect their time by providing an approximate meeting length (and stick to it!). 

#5 Take Time To Listen

Your role for the first half of your meeting should be “listener.” Let the attendees tell you about the pain points of their company (that you should already know from your research) and ask questions about their needs and goals. Take notes so that you don’t miss any important details.

#6 Build The Bond

Whenever it feels organic, take some time to get to know your prospective clients. Ask them questions about their passions and interests. Try to make personal connections rather than only talking business. After all, they’re people too.

#7 Pitch Your Product Or Service

A solid pitch needs to address (specifically) how your product or service will relieve those pain points that you discussed earlier in the meeting. It also needs to be brief, straightforward, and honest. Include the strengths and potential drawbacks that the attendees could experience if they decide to move forward with you. They’ll appreciate your honesty, furthering their trust in you and your company.

#8 Talk Budget

During the Q&A portion of the meeting, be sure to ask your prospects about their budget and timeline (if applicable). You need to know if your product or service is feasible for them and whether you can meet the time restraints that they may already have put into place.

#9 Don’t Forget Next Steps

Tie up any loose ends by scheduling a follow-up meeting (if necessary). Also, be sure to tell your prospects about any deals or promotions that you have going on. You could also incentivize them to engage with your brand by offering a limited time discount if they do business with you today.

#10 Thank Your Prospects For Their Time

When you get back to home base, send an email thanking each of your attendees for hearing you out. If you feel that it’s appropriate, send a small token of your appreciation within a week of your meeting. It’s all about getting your prospects to remember you and transfer their positive thoughts about YOU to your business.

The Takeaway

Face-to-face prospecting, be it in person or on a Zoom call, can be pretty intimidating, but when you believe in your product or service, and you know that your prospect would benefit from it, you can step into that meeting with confidence. Remember: keep your meeting short, sweet, and customer-focused. Hopefully, this great first impression will lead to a lifetime of business connections.

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