When you’re meeting a potential client for the first time you’ll obviously want to introduce yourself. It’s the most basic form of validation.
Typically people will simply tell you their name and their job title – and nothing else.
They tell you nothing about themselves, their qualifications, or their experience.
It’s understandable, of course. In the UK, at least, we tend to be rather modest about our achievements. We don’t like to boast.
Yet the most important thing you can tell a potential new client is the value that you bring to the meeting.
So if you have a colleague with you there is a very simple way you can make that introduction many times more effective. Because you can each introduce your colleague instead.
Their credentials are important. Their authority on the matter in hand is important. And by introducing them in the right way, you can clearly establish both in the mind of the client.
Preparing for the meeting
With that in mind, consider precisely what you know about the client. What is important to them? Which of your colleague’s qualifications will be most relevant to the matter in hand? What areas of their experience will be of greatest value? And what have they been involved with recently that might have relevance to this new project?
But do think carefully about precisely what you say. This is about validation – it’s not about saying how great your colleague is, it’s about briefly summarising their experience, what they have done, and what measurable benefits that has brought to other clients.
That’s real validation
So before you go to that meeting, consider another useful exercise. Why not sit down together for a few minutes and talk through what you can say, and how you can best introduce each other? After all, it’s quite possible that neither of you is fully aware of the other’s experience.
And it won’t hurt either of you to know a little more about your colleague!
David Solomon
Managing Director, Sun and Moon Training
@SunMoonDavid
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