Easy ways to make a positive impression when you meet a new prospect
Meeting a new prospect for the first time is a critical moment for any professional. As we all know, it’s within the first few seconds you have the opportunity to create a lasting impression – and we want it to be a good one!
Creating a positive impression is a necessity in the life of every professional. So, how do you do that?
Start by researching them
Preparation is everything so, the first thing you need to do to prepare is research. Investigate your prospects as thoroughly as you can.
Start by learning what you can about their company. Look them up online, on LinkedIn, and review their website. That will enable you to create a picture of who they are.
After that, move on to some more detailed research. See if you’ve already had dealings with them before, or if some colleague has had dealings with them.
Familiarise yourself with their business needs as well.
By doing as much research as you can, you’ll end up forming a clear picture about them and their business. The description you create in your mind will help you immensely in knowing how to position yourself when you meet them and ask insightful questions.
What’s more, all of the knowledge you gain will be exposed when you meet them. It will show the prospect that you care about who they are and what they do. Professional service firms often omit the caring part, yet it can easily be a key differentiator in winning over the prospect.
Market your service to them in the right way
It’s one thing to learn everything you can about a prospect, but it’s an entirely different thing to market your services. When you’re looking to be efficient in your marketing efforts, you need to do more than the regular marketing campaigns involve. You need to strive to develop a personal relationship with the potential client.
All of that will leave a great impression on them and will show them how you can solve their problems.
Here are some tips that you should follow:
- Make sure you set up a deadline for meeting them.
- Always be on time when meeting prospects for the first time.
- Return phone calls and emails on time before you meet them (do the same even after you win them over). If you don’t have a specific answer, it’s good to leave a simple acknowledgment message that includes a deadline of when you’ll provide a concrete solution.
- When you meet them, make sure they feel as they are your most important client.
- Work towards developing a relationship with them that’s both personal and professional.
Additionally, you should also strive to differentiate yourself from competitors by presenting unique ways of handling their business needs, which are specific to their situation. You can’t simply do the same thing with every client.
In the end, it would be helpful to put yourself in their shoes and envision what they would want to hear from you.
It’s all about solving their problems and offering them the solution they actually need. By doing that, you’ll win them over quickly and prove to be the real thought leader in your industry.