The one thing you MUST achieve at a client meeting.
Meeting with a recruiting client for the first time is a nuanced and sophisticated skill.
Many recruiters don’t seek out this critical opportunity. In fact, some avoid it. Those that do, often make fatal mistakes which harm their chances of building strong business relationships.
Of course, there are many things we want to achieve in that hour we spend with the prospect client, much we wish to communicate, and plenty we have to learn.
However, there is one outcome we must achieve at every meeting with a client or prospect.
It’s non-negotiable, and your ability to win business and start professional partnership hinges on this one key outcome.
I would go as far as to say that without achieving this, the meeting fails, and so do you.
The one outcome you have to achieve at every meeting is to earn credibility with your client.
It’s like any other meeting with a professional service-provider. Your lawyer, accountant, architect, doctor. Even your hairdresser!
You are not going to move forward with those people, commit to them, give them your business, unless you believe they are ‘credible’.
Credibility is made up of a complex cocktail of your personal presentation, your interpersonal style, your questioning skills, your market knowledge, your track-record of success, your ability to articulate your offer, your differentiators, and the confidence you instil in the prospect that you can deliver what you promise.
So, from today, your goal in every client visit is to earn credibility.
Ask yourself as you leave each meeting. ‘Was I credible’.
Sure, that might be subjective, but my experience is if you are honest with yourself, you ‘know’.
You want empirical evidence that you were ‘credible?’
These are signs;
- You secured a job order.
- You were able to qualify the job order.
- You got it exclusively.
- You sold a retainer.
- There was no job order, but you got the clients’ commitment to using you next time.
- You got a follow-up meeting or action.
- The client did most of the talking.
- You got referrals to other decision-makers in the business.
Essentially we have to get the meeting to the point where we can ‘ask for the business‘. And be given the affirmative. For that to happen the client believes you are a credible option.
If clients will not meet you, it means they don’t believe you even have a chance of being credible enough to warrant their time.
Credibility.
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- Posted by Greg Savage
- On February 19, 2019
- 1 Comment
1 Comment