A business meeting and business negotiations in general have one definition - this is mutual business communication with the goal of achieving a joint decision. But a business meeting can also be considered as the first stage of the negotiation process or its component, during which the subject of further negotiations is clarified and organizational issues are resolved. The success of further negotiations largely depends on the results of such preliminary contacts, on the impression you made during the “introductory” business meeting.
To achieve success during a business meeting, it is necessary to encourage the interlocutor to communicate, create maximum field opportunities for further business discussion and decision making.
A business meeting usually takes place in an official setting, and the intentions of the interlocutors (business partners) boil down to the following:
1) give, receive the necessary information or exchange it. Obtaining information can be considered the main purpose of a business meeting;
2) agree on an issue of interest to the interlocutors;
3) convince the interlocutor (business partner) of the correctness of the decision being made, the profitability of the chosen method of action, etc.;
4) establish contact, strengthen business relationship, and sometimes conclude any agreement, securing it, if possible, with a written protocol on further intentions;
5) the dynamics of any business meeting goes through four phases: contact, orientation, decision and evaluation, result. Knowing the meaning of these phases allows you to build a conversation or adapt to your interlocutor so that the result of the meeting will be a positive decision for you.
The first phase of a meeting is contact - those seconds when you enter the room, say hello and exchange the first phrases. The main goal of this phase of communication is to create conditions for establishing partnerships.
The main task that you must solve in the first phase is establishing emotional contact with your interlocutor.
A conversation at a business meeting should be built consistently, adhering to the intended plan. In conversation, it is better to stay one step more formal than one step more familiar, while remaining polite and friendly. In Russia, it is customary to address partners by first name and patronymic, except in cases where corporate culture allows you to call each other by name, in the American manner.
A positive attitude and interest can be shown with the following phrases: “Glad to see you!”, “Thank you for taking the time to meet with us!” At the beginning of a business conversation, it is recommended to start a short conversation on secular topics - about the weather, the latest cultural events, the economic situation. These kinds of introductory phrases allow you to get used to the way your interlocutor speaks, tune in to the general wave, and reach the first agreement (opinions rarely differ about the weather outside the window).
For a conversation to be productive from the very beginning, you need to be able to:
1) establish contact with the interlocutor;
2) create a favorable atmosphere for conversation;
3) attract your partner’s attention and arouse his interest in your topic (problem or proposal).
It is important not only to establish contact, but to monitor it throughout the conversation and take action: if it is interrupted, ask a question, offer tea, or make a joke, if, of course, the situation allows it.
There are ways to start a conversation that block our path to success or make it very difficult to achieve it. If you want your conversation at the first business meeting to be effective, then you should avoid:
1) manifestations of signs of self-doubt and the need for a meeting;
2) displays of disrespect at the beginning of the meeting, even in a mild form;
3) arousing the interlocutor’s defensive position with the very first questions.
You must establish a favorable emotional atmosphere, even if the interlocutor is unpleasant to you and you do not experience any positive emotions from the meeting, the main thing is to achieve positive results from the meeting itself.
The second phase is orientation. Here the main goal is to find out the essence of the problem that caused the meeting. You need to convey to your interlocutor necessary information about your excellent professional qualities ah, in the form of a presentation (just don’t brag), explain the reasons for your interest and appeal to him.
This phase is the longest, so your task is to maintain contact with the interlocutor. For example, tedious listing of your successes or clients can simply become boring, and then the positive emotional connection will be lost, which usually leads to negative results.
A business meeting will be more effective if it is planned in advance and you are prepared for it, if you have collected all the available information about the interlocutor, the prospective business partner.
Determine a few main points that you want to convey to the other party. Choose the time for your presentation and the amount of information you will convey. Think about the sequence of presentation of information, where to say the main thing and how to hide the shortcomings of your solution.
Your success at a business meeting, in addition to your professional qualities, largely depends on your morale and self-confidence, and the more information you have, the easier it will be for you to conduct the negotiation process.
The style and approach of conversation have a great influence on the outcome of your business meeting. Even with the most positive mood of the partners for communication, a sincere desire to reach an agreement, their conversation does not work out; moreover, their efforts to correct the situation only worsen it. The most important reason for this is often the difference in styles and approaches to business conversation among partners and their components, such as:
1) a tendency to speak directly or hint;
2) the presence of gestures, intonation, frequency of repetition and the use of certain components of speech: pitch, timbre, speed, volume, etc.;
3) the ability and inability to ask the right questions or allowing others to take the initiative in providing information about themselves;
4) comfortable level of formality - simplicity; acceptable jokes; attitude towards the exchange of complaints;
5) the expectation that the other will follow our example, etc.
There are three different approaches to conduct business conversations: hard, soft and principled.
If a party acts “hard,” then it perceives the participants in the conversation as opponents, one-sidedly trying to win. He considers his own victory to be his goal, firmly adheres to his position and hides his interests, demands concessions as payment for the agreement, applies pressure and tries to impose and win a “contest of wills.”
If a party acts within the framework of a “soft approach,” then it perceives the participants in the conversation as friends, considers the goal of the conversation to be an agreement and is ready to pay for it with unilateral concessions, easily changes its position, tries to avoid a “competition of wills,” but if it is imposed, it succumbs to pressure from the other sides.
The Principled Approach sees participants as collaborators working together on a problem. He considers his goal to be a reasonable result, achieved quickly and kindly, concentrates on interests, not positions, demands not concessions, but the development of mutually beneficial options, insists on the use of objective criteria that are independent of the will of the participants. Such criteria may be the opinions of experts, economic indicators on the market, calculated indicators, statistics, laws, but not the desires of any party.
Choosing the best approach for you depends on the following factors:
1) from your goals. If you want to maintain a relationship and maintain contact for a long time, then a “principled approach” is preferable. If it is important for you to gain time and you are ready to make concessions now in order to “win back the situation” in the future, it is possible to follow the “soft approach”;
2) on whose side the real power is. For example, if you don't have real power, the implementation of the “hard approach” is very difficult;
3) on the skills and abilities of the parties. The “principled approach,” while one of the most effective, also requires the most developed communication skills.
Therefore it is necessary with special attention treat personal qualities your interlocutor, his position and goals, take into account his needs in the solution you propose.
There are six basic rules for establishing relations between partners in preliminary negotiations.
1. Rationality. It is necessary to behave with restraint. Uncontrolled emotions negatively affect the negotiation process and the ability to make reasonable decisions.
2. Understanding. Inattention to the partner's point of view limits the possibility of developing mutually acceptable solutions.
3. Communication. If your partners do not show much interest, then you can hold a business meeting with them simply in the form of a consultation. This will help maintain and improve relationships.
4. Credibility. False information weakens the strength of argumentation and also adversely affects reputation.
5. Avoid lecturing your partner. Your conviction should be based on respect for the personal qualities of your interlocutor.
6. Acceptance. Try to accept the other side and be open to learning something new from your partner.
Successful implementation business meetings, conversations and negotiations largely depend on the partners’ compliance with such ethical standards and principles as accuracy, honesty, correctness and tact, the ability to listen (attention to other people’s opinions), and specificity.
Accuracy. One of the most important ethical standards inherent in a business person. The terms of the agreement must be observed to the minute. Any delay may indicate your unreliability in business.
Honesty. It includes not only fidelity to accepted obligations, but also openness in communication with a partner, direct business answers to his questions.
Correctness and tact. Does not exclude persistence and energy in negotiations while maintaining correctness. Factors that interfere with the flow of the conversation should be avoided: irritation, mutual attacks, incorrect statements, etc.
The ability to listen. Listen carefully and with concentration. Don't interrupt the speaker.
Specificity. The conversation should be specific, not abstract, and include facts, figures and necessary details. Concepts and categories must be agreed upon and understandable to partners. The speech must be supported by diagrams and documents. Prepare visual material and consider the form of its presentation.
These rules remain relevant during further negotiations.
In the case of a positive flow of the conversation, the second phase smoothly transitions into the third, which involves decision and assessment. Here you will be required to actively communicate with your interlocutor, as the selection of the most suitable decision-making option for both parties will begin.
Almost every business meeting involves discussing disagreements or objections. And the fact that the other party objects to you proves that she is interested, otherwise she would simply stop the conversation. Your task at this stage is to understand why the interlocutor objects, where you did not take into account his interests, what his needs were forgotten in the proposed solution, and how to correct all this and improve the solution. Ask how the other side sees a solution to the conflict that has arisen.
Prepare several solutions to choose from, and if all the options raise objections, then you will have to return to analyzing the goals of the other side. Objections force us to look for non-standard solutions.
If you cannot resolve disagreement during a business meeting, take a time out in order to think and look for a more suitable option.
The very last phase is reaching an agreed solution. At this stage, the terms of your new meeting are usually agreed upon to clarify minor issues, discuss the terms of the agreement or contract, etc. It is necessary to discuss how, when and where your next meeting will take place.
A negative outcome of a business conversation during an “introductory” business meeting is not a reason for harshness or coldness at the end of the negotiation process. The farewell should be such that, with a view to the future, it allows you to maintain contact and business ties. It is best to end the meeting with the phrase: “Thank you for taking the time to discuss our proposals. I’m sorry that your immediate plans do not include..., but if you need Additional Information..." In this case, the meeting or conversation, even if it did not find its continuation, nevertheless has positive side, because there is always the possibility that later this contact will develop into a good, useful relationship.
If this was a presentation meeting, then the following expressions can be used: “Thank you for the opportunity to discuss with you the prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our companies,” “Thank you for the opportunity to present to you...”, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer you...”
And of course, the standard universal phrases: “We thank you for finding the time to meet,” “I was very pleased to talk with you,” “thank you for the time you devoted to me,” “If you have any questions, please call, contact...", "If you are interested in our offers, let's meet additionally at a time convenient for you," etc.
Every day is held a large number of business meetings and negotiations at completely different levels. And it doesn’t matter what it is: a meeting of the heads of world corporations with the goal of concluding a million-dollar deal or a business conversation between two small entrepreneurs about cooperation - in any negotiations it is important to be able to Right carry them out, and not act at random. Without careful preparation for a business meeting and the correct behavior strategy during it, you are unlikely to be able to achieve the desired result of the negotiations.
Conducting business meetings is a rather delicate matter, and even if you are just starting to conduct business activity, now it won’t hurt you to learn some of the nuances of organizing business negotiations.
How to organize a business meeting
During a business meeting, follow a few simple rules, and then you: firstly, will feel more confident during negotiations; secondly, you will appear in the eyes of your interlocutor(s) as a serious and thoughtful person with whom you can deal; and thirdly, you will increase your chances of achieving the desired outcome of the negotiations.
1. Clear objectives
In the process of preparing for negotiations, it is necessary to create a specific list of issues that need to be considered and problems that need to be solved. And during the negotiations themselves, you should not deviate from this list, otherwise you risk losing the main thread of the conversation and, therefore, not achieving your goal. The more major issues that must be considered at the negotiations, the more serious the preparation for them should be, since it is necessary to choose the optimal amount of time that will be spent on considering each issue.
2. Minimum “water”
This rule applies not only to business negotiations with partners, but also to work meetings and any business conversations at work. Often people (especially if they are in friendly relationships outside of work) begin to delve into topics that are completely unrelated to the purpose of the negotiations. And as a result, it turns out that the meeting seemed to take place, they seemed to talk about something, but in the end they came to nothing. Therefore, try to distract yourself as much as possible from conversations on the topic “how did you celebrate your birthday” or “how is your family doing”, and concentrate solely on working topic. All other conversations are in free time from work.
3. Only important people
Rarely do business negotiations take place between two people face to face. These are rather special cases. In most cases, several people from both sides are present at the negotiations - advisors, colleagues, partners, assistants. Take several people with you to negotiations who will express their opinions, give advice and help you make decisions. correct solution- this is reasonable, but you should not overdo it with the number of assistants. Firstly, a large number of people in a meeting room can create a feeling of being “crowded” and dissipate your concentration. Secondly, people who are not particularly related to the problem at hand, if they talk, it will most likely either be off-topic or simply not of interest to anyone (you won’t listen to the designer’s opinion on how to bring out enterprise out of crisis?). Therefore, take with you to negotiations only those who are really needed there.
4. Punctuality and regulations
The habit of being late is, unfortunately, a problem for many people. And business ones too. Waiting for latecomers means delaying the start of negotiations. Time is wasted waiting. For real business man I simply have to value my time, so either “train” your subordinates so that they always arrive on time, or just start without latecomers. By the way, The best way to forever stop the habit of being late among your subordinates is to give them own example arrive to work and all work events on time.
5. A word to everyone
If you took into account the rule about the presence of only important people at negotiations (see point 3), then at a business meeting you are interested in the opinion of everyone within the walls of the negotiation room. Give them the opportunity to express this opinion. During your speech, allow those present to comment and make constructive comments, but do not turn it into a farce. When the final decision has more or less emerged, ask everyone again what they think about the current situation. To summarize, try to take into account the opinions of all participants in the negotiations.
6. Restraint
Ability to behave at a business meeting - required quality each person. You should not be overly enthusiastic about every decision that is beneficial to you. Don't get annoyed and freak out if something doesn't go the way you wanted. You can show your satisfaction or your dissatisfaction, but do it with restraint and dignity. Also, respond calmly and confidently to any “attacks” from your opponents.
7. Presentations
For any business meeting, it is appropriate to make a short presentation in which you describe briefly the provisions and objectives of the meeting. This will be useful for both your side and the side of your interlocutor: you won’t miss or forget any important detail, and it will be easy for the interlocutor to perceive the information if it is presented in a visual form.
8. Conclusion
At the end of the meeting, it is imperative to draw a conclusion that includes the issues that were discussed and the decisions that were made on these issues. If certain issues were not addressed for some reason (there were no people responsible for them, there was not enough time, there was no necessary information etc.), then it is necessary to postpone the consideration of these issues to a certain day and time, and notify all participants about this.
1. You should come to work negotiations in appropriate business attire. Some modern companies may want to dress casually on normal workdays (especially for workers who do not have direct contact with customers or partners), but if you are attending a business meeting, be respectful and dress appropriately.
2. If the topic of the negotiations is very extensive, it will be better to divide them into several stages, during each of which you will consider a separate issue. In this case, it is necessary to correctly prioritize and arrange the sequence of stages in the most optimal form.
3. Don't waste your time. If you see that the meeting is quickly failing, then it is better to end it without waiting for the “official” ending. There may be many signs that the negotiations will no longer be successful: the interlocutor has stopped asking you questions and maintaining conversational activity, the interlocutor is clearly tired and is not in the mood for a constructive conversation, the interlocutor has begun to be sarcastic, and so on. Depending on the importance of the topic of negotiations and cooperation with this particular partner, either reschedule the meeting or completely put an end to it.
4. If the other side starts asking you too many provocative and tricky questions, this means only one thing: they do not fully believe what you are saying. You may look unconvincing. Therefore, it is worth changing your communication style or working on non-verbal manifestations of your body and voice.
Hello! In this article we will talk about how to arrange a meeting with a client.
Today you will learn:
- What to say to a future client so that he definitely wants to meet with you;
- What mistakes should you not make when scheduling a personal meeting?
- Existing techniques that will help even a beginner make a first meeting.
The difference between a good and an ordinary manager
To do this, use the following instructions:
- Before dialing a client's number, sit in a chair, lean back, relax, be patient, polite and smile to yourself. Sometimes a person's smile can be felt from a distance. Therefore, be charged with optimism and start taking active action.
- Call and introduce yourself on behalf of the company. State your last name, first name and patronymic, as well as your position. In a nutshell, tell us what exactly you do.
- After that, state the purpose of your call. The client must clearly understand what you want from him. But you don’t need to lay out all your trump cards at once. Interest your interlocutor in something and tell him that he will learn more in person.
- Tell us which famous companies you cooperate with. Perhaps trust large companies to your enterprise will work to your advantage.
- Set your own date and time for the meeting to start. The interlocutor should have the impression that he decides when exactly the meeting will be held. You're actually giving him a choice without a choice.
- Say goodbye to the client, not forgetting to thank them for their attention.
Here is an example of a dialogue about setting up a meeting:
— Hello, my name is Ivanov Ivan Sergeevich, I am the sales manager of the Morozko company. We are engaged in the sale of frozen foods. Can you give me a few minutes of your time?
- Hello, I’m listening to you.
— Ivan Sergeevich, I’m calling to arrange a meeting. The company I represent has a very interesting offer for you.
- What exactly do you mean? Can we discuss this over the phone?
— Our company has a personal offer for you, using which you will optimize the costs of producing your products. I can explain it to you in more detail during personal communication. Some of the most famous restaurants in the city (for example, Celentano and Bavaria) have already accepted our offer and were satisfied with their choice.
- It’s tempting, but I’ll probably think about it.
— Let us meet tomorrow at 16.00 or the day after tomorrow at 9.00, I will tell you in detail about the conditions of cooperation with us. This will be more informative than a telephone conversation. Will it be convenient for you to meet tomorrow?
— Perhaps, yes, only if possible, in my office.
- Great, then tomorrow at 16.00 I will be with you. Thank you for your time and see you soon!
Possible difficulties when talking with a client
In the process of fulfilling their job responsibilities Every person faces a number of difficulties that need to be overcome. Sales agents and managers must be able to handle objections.
Let's consider the main problem situations.
|
Problem situation |
Manager Actions |
|
The secretary or another employee says that the right person Not here |
The manager asks when is the best time to call back |
|
The secretary is wondering what the sales agent is calling about |
Here it is necessary to answer in a veiled way, but in such a way that the secretary thinks that the manager’s call is very important and cannot be ignored. For example, “I am calling about the information that was conveyed to me by Vasily Petrovich” |
|
The client does not want to meet and asks to send information to him at email or fax |
The manager explains that he can do this, but the client will have to take a long time to understand the calculations and in this case the information may not be perceived in full. It is rational for a client to allocate a few minutes of time for a meeting rather than spend hours studying the proposal on their own |
|
The client claims that he is busy and cannot talk |
The sales agent’s response may be: “Of course, I understand, just tell me when to call me back.” |
|
The interlocutor is interested in the financial side of the issue |
The manager replies that the assortment is large and the price of the goods depends on the items the client chooses. That's why they need to meet |
|
The client claims that he is satisfied with the current suppliers |
The caller asks to spend 5 minutes of time so that the client understands whether the terms of cooperation of current suppliers are really more profitable than his offer |
|
The client is nervous and says that the manager’s offer is not interesting to him |
The manager does not insist on continuing the conversation, but asks permission to call back in a few weeks |
There are several effective techniques that will help you quickly and easily convince the client of the importance of the upcoming meeting.
- Ledge technique– its essence is as follows: you constantly maintain interest in your interlocutor without revealing all the information completely. You can use the following expression: “So in order for me to tell you everything in more detail and convey the information to you in full, we need to meet.”
- Product revaluation– you need to re-evaluate your product and develop new technology his proposals. Try to replace the boring phrase “I would like to meet with you” with the expression “Our company will calculate and offer real options reducing the cost of your products." For example, if you sell goods to restaurants and cafes, do not say that you are offering the client to buy certain products. Surely clients already have suppliers. Offer a service for estimating the cost of specific dishes. By doing an analysis, you will show that if the client buys products from you, the client will save money. Therefore, it is better to cooperate with you.
Here are some tips that can avoid difficulties during the conversation:
- Maintain interest, but don't create intrigue.
- Do not promise the client an increase in his profits several times. This causes mistrust.
- Do not use the phrases: “We would like...”, “We could with you...”, because the client is only interested in his benefit, and not your desire.
- Insist on a personal meeting, because looking into your eyes, it will be harder for the client to refuse cooperation.
Conclusion
The right invitation to a meeting is the first step towards holding the right meeting, which entails a long and productive cooperation. The main task telephone conversation, convince the interlocutor of the need for a personal meeting. To do this, you will have to interest the client and learn how to work with objections.
1. Preparation.
An effective meeting consists of 70-80% preparation.
When forming a list of invitees, it is necessary to take into account the purpose of the meeting. You shouldn’t call people with the thought of “just in case.” Only those people who can really bring something to the table should participate in the meeting. Often, the organizer, not knowing who exactly will be needed from another department (let’s say you are starting a project and you want to discuss it with potential participants at an early stage), invites half of the team to a meeting. As a result, half of this half, in fact, does not participate in the meeting. If you, as the organizer, don’t know who exactly will be needed at the meeting, invite the head of the department, and he will either forward the invitation to whoever is needed, or come to the meeting himself, and then appoint the necessary employee.
As we know, meetings happen different formats. This could be brainstorming, presentation, etc. The meeting invitation must specify the format so that participants understand what they should prepare for. You can, for example, write: “Colleagues, let’s brainstorm on such and such a topic.”
The invitation must indicate what will be discussed. An invitation to a meeting that only has a subject is absolutely bad. There should be either a list of questions for discussion, or a background to the task or project, and so on. Here it is necessary to indicate what decisions are planned to be made during the meeting. If you simply indicate - let's discuss such and such a project... let's say we discussed it, but what next? Even if you write that at the meeting it will be necessary to determine further steps, this will not be bad.
The length of the meeting deserves special mention. In my trainings, I often ask the question: “Why do you think 99% of meetings last an hour?” And only once did I hear the correct answer. Everything is extremely simple - any email client by default schedules a meeting lasting an hour. Very rarely does anyone adjust this time, but in vain. Thus, an issue that can be discussed in three minutes (even in 15 minutes) is dragged out for an hour. Here Parkinson’s law immediately comes into play - we work exactly as much time as we have allocated for work.
An important point when sending an invitation is to check whether the participants have free time. Any email client has this function and works great. Unfortunately, sometimes you get the feeling that not everyone knows about it. What’s even worse is that the organizer sends a person an invitation to a busy slot, and when the person doesn’t show up, complaints are made against him. It is not right.
And here we move on to another important part of the organizer’s work. It is the organizer who must always keep track of who accepted the meeting and who did not. It happens that the most important participant in a meeting declines the meeting and does not come. Everyone has gathered, and the organizer begins to look for this person throughout the office. And the man, not suspecting anything, sits at another meeting. The following dialogue occurs:
–Where are you?
- I declined the meeting!
- Why didn’t you warn?
- Well, strictly speaking, I warned you. Should I have sent you some special notice?
The potential participant, of course, does not have to specifically notify anyone. So, responsibility for any such situation always falls on the shoulders of the organizer. Be careful!
2.What should you avoid?
In a separate block, I highlighted some points that are best avoided when making an appointment. This is of course not strict rules, but if you follow them, your colleagues will only be grateful.
There is no need to make an appointment (unless it is an extremely urgent critical issue) within an hour or two from current moment. Personally, I try not to make appointments even day after day. The man has already come to work, planned his day, decided when and what he will do, and here I am with my invitation.
It's not a good idea to make appointments at lunchtime. Here, I think, there is no need to comment anything. Also, I personally try not to make appointments with people on their payday/advance payment. After all, we know very well that every employee on the day of salary/advance payment, figuratively, becomes an employee of the accounting department, and he has no time for meetings on this day. He needs to pay for everything, transfer it to someone, return it, borrow it, and so on.
And of course, I want to mention meetings at the end of the working day. Even if people work long hours, appointments should only be made within the working day.
3. Direct meeting.
I'll start with punctuality. This very often happens: a meeting is scheduled, say, at 15:00, and at this time people are just starting to get up from their seats and move towards the meeting room. At 15:00 everyone should be seated in the meeting room and the meeting should begin. Many come up with all sorts of sanctions. The fine is 100 rubles per minute of being late, and so on, which is very useful and disciplines.
Another task of the organizer is to moderate the meeting. If something went wrong at the meeting, the discussion went in the other direction... the organizer must control and correct this.
An important part of the meeting is the protocol. There is even a common expression: “there was no protocol, there was no meeting.” The protocol, by default, is maintained by the person from whom the invitation came. Meeting participants have every right not to record anything at all. All agreements, tasks, deadlines, etc. must be recorded by the organizer in the protocol. Following the meeting, this protocol must be sent to all participants, with a request to confirm/comment within a certain time frame.
I would like to end with my favorite topic – the end of the meeting. It closely resonates with the duration of an hour. I am sure that many people have had meetings where the main issue was discussed in 10 minutes, and then the participants begin to come up with new questions for discussion. Believe me, there is nothing wrong with the fact that you discussed the issue quickly = effectively. Sitting through the planned hour is not effective. Therefore, as soon as you have reached the necessary agreements, feel free to end the meeting and leave.
Conduct only effective meetings.
Material provided by Andrey Butov, business coach, consultant.
For training orders or additional questions about preparing and conducting meetings, write there by email.
The main essence of business conversations is to create a constructive discussion between two or more people. To achieve positive results, the person heading to the meeting needs to properly prepare for the conversation: collect as much information as possible about the clients (habits, achievements, recent successes, etc.), set specific goals for which he strives, and also decide on the style of clothing and behavior.
Collection of information
In order to get to know your clients better, you need to do a little research. It consists of collecting all kinds of information about this person or a group of people with different sources, which will be discussed in this article.Client website. The most invaluable and priority source of information about a person is his own website. Usually, on such resources, people try to post as much information as possible about themselves and their company. First of all, you need to thoroughly study the home page of the site. After all, only at first glance one gets the impression that only general information. On this page you can find out the role of this company or enterprise in the market, the period of existence, the regions in which services or products are presented, as well as the geography of the company.
The “News” section is also very interesting. Some people publish world news on this page in order to at least fill the void. In fact, information relating to the life of the organization should be published here: a few words about the strategic policy in the future, information about new partners, reports on successful participation in various exhibitions and, of course, events that have occurred over the past Lately.
A section of the site such as “Partners” will allow you to get acquainted with the list of clients who cooperate with this company. If among them you find at least a couple of companies cooperating with you, this can greatly help you in putting pressure on clients during negotiations. So, it doesn't hurt to get recommendations from them or Thanksgiving letters. It is likely that the website will contain information about the company's employees. In this case, you will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with information about the management of the company, study their field professional activity. Perhaps you can find common interests or common ground that can be discussed when you meet: fans of the same sport, have children, studied in the same educational institutions and so on.
Social media. Today, it gives us a whole range of new opportunities that you (a sales specialist) do not need to ignore. For example, a large number of people have acquired their own. The company website may contain a link to the corporate blog, which opens access to new information. The head of the company can also have his own blog. If you managed to get hold of the Twitter of the person you are about to meet, be sure to study all the information available there. Having found the person you need in different in social networks(“Professionals.ru”, “Facebook”, “Odnoklassniki”, (“In Contact” and so on) - be sure to familiarize yourself with the activities of the groups and communities in which he is a member, as well as with his circle of friends.
Facilities mass media. The media stores a very large amount of information and information that can be used for their own purposes. If a company is concerned about its image, always responds in a timely manner to attacks and accusations from competitors and, as a result, works closely with the media (posts interviews and videos on radio and TV, articles in newspapers and magazines) - this means that the company’s management treasures public opinion. This fact should also be used in preparation for a business meeting.
Pay attention to promotional materials. After all, having thoroughly studied the advertising means used by the company, you can learn about the goals pursued by management, as well as about their welfare. Remember that the person with whom you have a serious meeting will also use all these opportunities in preparation. During a personal meeting, you can use information about motivating companies and ongoing promotions. All this will help form a positive opinion of you as a person who is well versed in his client’s business, unlike many other managers trying to “shove” their product in as quickly as possible. Compared to such people, you will look like a competent specialist, which contributes to the formation of personal sympathy and trust between the head of the company and you.
Search engines. Don't forget that search engines allow you to find a lot of useful information about the head of the company and the business as a whole. Just enter the name of the company or company in the input line and continue flipping through the pages one after another, and you will definitely be able to find important information that you did not even suspect (company turnover, upcoming court cases, and so on).
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Business style is generally accepted in the business environment. It is not permissible to wear important meetings beacons, shorts, open shoes, short skirts, jeans or sneakers. But, as everyone knows, every rule has its exceptions. For example, for negotiations to be successful (with good prospects) and give positive results (benefits for relatively a short time) – you need to dress a little worse than your interlocutor. Business style is the standard, but there is no need to be very zealous.
Remember that, for example, dear ones dressed for a meeting with stranger, will give the impression not of good taste (as it should be), but of intentions to extract money from their client as quickly as possible, which will negatively affect open and constructive communication. In practice, there are a large number of cases where people came to important meetings with the heads of large companies wearing sweaters with stretched sleeves, shorts or jeans. Imagine for one minute that you are in an expensive suit at a meeting with the director of a large and successful company. Who will you appear in his eyes? Most likely, like a “dressed up” duck! In such meetings, you will have little chance of building a constructive and productive conversation.
How you want to look when meeting with a specific client will help you figure out the previous stage of preparation for a business meeting. Only by collecting and analyzing all the information about the client and his company can you make right choice. For example, if you have concluded that your potential client, a very serious person, is interested in luxury cars, is actively involved in charity work, is a member of public organizations and political parties, attends various conferences and seminars, has held the position of CEO for 10 years, it is best to dress classic business suit (clean shoes, jacket, dark trousers, light shirt). Suitable for a girl black dress without any shiny accessories. Don't try to overload your appearance extra “trinkets”, everything should be “in moderation”!
If you have a business meeting with the head of a young, developing enterprise that supplies the market with a wide range of clothing for young people, and you find out that your client prefers a casual clothing style and is relatively young, it is recommended to dress more casually. Moreover, it will look like an addition to the conversation: you will emphasize your positive attitude towards the direction of development of his commercial activities.
If you have learned from your sources that you are about to meet with a creative and extraordinary person (you will find out this by studying the details of your personal life and various photographs), try to dress interestingly. For example, stylish accessories, incompatible colors, a bright tie and everything else that will help you appear before your interlocutor as the same extraordinary personality, in which he (she) can see his ally.
As everyone knows, the classic style involves a dark bottom and a light top (usually white). When going to an important business meeting, follow this rule. Also, when choosing colors and style, take into account who you are going to meet. This very simple rule will always help you look original and impressive. At the same time, do not forget about your head. So, girls with long hair you need to carefully arrange them in some kind of hairstyle.
Making a positive impression in 5 minutes
When going to a business meeting, remember that you will only have a few seconds to make a good impression. If you don't have enough time, you will usually have another five minutes to get it right. Try to imagine the situation: there is a knock in your office, a man comes in with a large bag and shouts “Attention!” tries to direct your attention (and other employees) to some book in his hand. What did you think about this person at that moment? Do you want your client to think the same about you? Hardly! Therefore, you need to think through all your actions in advance: how you will enter the door, what you will say to your business partners, and so on.Since this article is about business conversations, we bring to your attention the following option. Having opened the door, say hello to your client, calling him by first and last name (or first and patronymic), to make sure that this is the person you were going to meet. After this, you need to introduce yourself, stating your name, position in the company, as well as the points that you have to discuss, and also tell your client that you have agreed to meet with him at this particular time. Try to establish visual contact with your interlocutor during this period. If you see that the client is busy with papers, check if he can talk to you now or if he needs a little time to finish his current affairs. If a person is ready to communicate, you can start.
How should you build a conversation?
In order for your interlocutor to understand that he is dealing with a business-like and serious person, first, announce the rules of the meeting. For example, you can say this: “The main purpose of our meeting with you is to identify your current business goals and determine exactly how our company can help you achieve them. I propose to build a conversation in two stages. At the first stage, I will ask you a small number of questions in order to understand the main priorities of your company, at the second stage, I will tell you which of them our company can help you sort out. I think that such a structure of negotiations will be as productive as possible. Do you agree with me? After receiving the consent of the interlocutor, you can begin the negotiations themselves. If the client doesn’t like your plan, find out what alternative he can offer.In order to correctly determine the needs of a business client, a good negotiator must be fluent in the methodology of correctly constructing questions. This list can be pre-printed on paper and enter your client’s answers there, or you can “keep” all the questions in memory and take notes on all the information received. Remember that the conversation should develop logically, so you need to think very carefully about the order of all questions. To prepare a list of questions, you can use the following template:
- How long has your company been on the market?
- Who is your target audience?
- What markets are YOU targeting (regions, region, city)?
- What competitive advantages attract customers to your company?
- How does your company differ from competitors?
- Which service providers do you currently cooperate with?
- Why did you choose this particular supplier?
- Try to rate the work of your supplier on a scale of ten. What rating will you give?
- What exactly do you not like about the work of your current supplier?
- In your opinion, what advantages should our company have so that we can build long-term cooperation with you?
Correct presentation of your products
At the first stage, your client did most of the talking and only asked questions. Now you will have to speak. You can build further communication in such a way that the client asks a lot of questions in order to clarify points of interest to him and dispel his doubts, or so that he remains silent all the time, since everything will be clear and he will agree with your words. Successful execution of the presentation stage of your company's services lies in how you manage to translate all the information that the client has just shared in his favor, focusing on the quality of the services provided by your company.
For example, if your interlocutor complained about the quality of delivery of the current service provider (frequent delays in orders, resulting in “undermining” the work of the client’s company), you need to emphasize that when cooperating with your company, such situations will not happen, since the service department is working harmoniously and under the constant supervision of a control service, which (most likely) the current service provider does not have. After all, if it had been there, then there would have been no such delivery delays. In addition, you can note that your company’s contract states that in the event of delivery failures, the supplier company will pay a penalty or provide bonuses as compensation. In other words, you legally guarantee your client compliance with all terms of the contract, which will help protect the client from risk.
conclusions
To conduct a successful business conversation with potential clients, you need to go through several stages. Preparatory stage involves the collection and analysis of all kinds of information about the personality of the person (with whom the meeting is to be) and the company that he represents. Information from the media, advertising sources and search engines can help with this; it will also be useful to visit the company’s website.When choosing clothes, you should adhere to classic style, however, if you have reliable information about the personality of the client with whom you are about to meet, the manner and style may be similar to him.
To create a positive impression in five minutes, announce the rules of the meeting, and also ask as many situational questions as possible at the stage of collecting information from the interlocutor.
The final stage is the presentation, during which you prepare your interlocutor for the fact that he will receive more benefits by collaborating with your company.