Business Development Tip - Making the most of your meetings

It could be a formal presentation to a group, a meeting with prospective clients at their offices or meeting someone in an informal and neutral setting: regardless of what kind of appointment it is, give yourself the best chance of securing business by exploring 5 'P's prior to the meeting.

1) Position: Are the people you're meeting really the decision makers? If so, do they need to liaise with others in order to make the purchasing decision and how long will this process take? What do their job titles really mean in terms of purchasing power? Be clear you really know who you're meeting and that your expectations of them are realistic.

2) Profile: What are the profiles of your prospective clients? What are their buying personalities? Are they; a) skeptics, b) visionaries, c) followers, d) thinkers, e) controllers? Each will have different needs and you'll need to alter your approach to meet their needs.

3) Pains and aims: What challenges do your prospects face and what is the impact of those challenges on your prospects and the organisations they represent? What are your clients hoping to achieve and how will your product/service assist them in achieving it? In sales, it's a bit like exercise ... NO PAIN = NO GAIN (ie no client PAIN = no seller GAIN)

4) Purpose: What is the purpose of your meeting? A face to a name? Establishing a link? Or are your prospects reviewing their suppliers and ready to buy? What do you want from the meeting? It's important to state your intentions and ensure that your purposes match those of your prospects. If they don't match, you could well be wasting your time.

5) PowerPoint: What kind of meeting do your prospects want? An exploratory and informal discussion? A formal presentation? Some people hate PowerPoint, others appreciate the visual aid, often it depends on the stage of discussion you're at. Check in with your prospects and find out what they want from you.

Attend your meetings with credible answers to the above questions and you'll deliver something which your client wants to receive, and will be far more likely to win the business you are looking for. Without these answers, your business development activities are based in guesswork and guessing in business is a bit like playing darts blindfolded: you're unlikely to hit bulls-eye!

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