better meetings
5-Point
CHECKLIST
to Running Better Client Meetings
wpelevation.com
5 Point Checklist to Running Better Client Meetings. This simple checklist is designed to help you run better client meetings and position you as a valuable asset in your client’s business. Some of this may seem obvious, but most client meetings I have attended fail to get the basics right and I have seen too much money left on the table over the years. Follow this simple guide and you will be on your way to delivering more meaningful projects to your clients, adding more value and therefore earning better fees.
#1: Have An Agenda. Make sure everybody who was attending the meeting has an agenda at least three days in advance. Give everyone who was attending the opportunity to add items to the agenda but make it clear that the meeting must stick to the agenda. You should provide the agenda and own the process from start to finish. Do not let the meeting derail or be hijacked by impulsive conversation. The most basic agenda should consist of covering these four questions: 1. what is the objective of the project (why are we doing this?) 2. what are the key measures of success? 3. what budget is allocated for the project? 4. who will own the project client side?
#2: Make Sure All Decision Makers Are Present 231 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia wpelevation.com
There is no point running an effective and efficient client meeting if all the decisionmakers are not in the room. Robin is never going to represent you to Batman as well as you could so make sure that Batman can attend the meeting before you agree to it. If Batman writes the cheques then it is Batman you need to impress. This may sound simple but it is critical.
#3: Ask Difficult Questions Most web designers and developers will agree with whatever the client wants, submit a proposal and then work out how to deliver the project if the proposal is accepted. The more comfortable you can get asking difficult questions the more likely you are to uncover the truth within the client’s business and the more likely you are to be able to deliver an extremely valuable outcome. Get comfortable asking why and get comfortable talking about money, lifetime customer value, cost per acquisition and return on investment. You’re not doing anyone any favours by pretending this stuff doesn’t matter.
#4: Go Wide And Go Deep This is perhaps the most valuable tactic there is in any client meeting. When you ask your client a question the first and so is generally not the whole truth or the complete picture. In order to uncover the real pain points I like to ask “What else?”. Once the client has run out of answers then I asked them to pick the most important answer and go deep on that one. EG: if I ask a client why they need a new online store and their answer is to generate more sales, I will ask “what else?” and then shut up. They will typically say things like “there is more profit in our online sales than through the stores”, “the online audience is global, not just local” or “we don’t have to handle stock when and we sell online.” If I then ask them to identify the most important reason and ask them why it is the most important we will eventually reveal any longer term plans for the business. I 231 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia wpelevation.com
once worked with an osteopath who revealed he was selling his clinic through this discovery process, which is a completely different strategy than if I was trying to position him as the go-to osteopath locally.
#5: Record Meetings Ask your clients permission to record all of your meetings on your smart phone and then either have the transcriptions or the summary of the meeting sent to the client in an email the day after to re-cap. This shows the client that you are serious about getting on the same page and that you care about giving them a return on their investment. This will instantly set you apart from every other web developer who is just charging an hourly rate to write some code. I hope you’ve found this checklist helpful. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me at [email protected] Until next time, go elevate!
Troy Dean WP Elevation
231 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia wpelevation.com
CHECKLIST
to Running Better Client Meetings
wpelevation.com
5 Point Checklist to Running Better Client Meetings. This simple checklist is designed to help you run better client meetings and position you as a valuable asset in your client’s business. Some of this may seem obvious, but most client meetings I have attended fail to get the basics right and I have seen too much money left on the table over the years. Follow this simple guide and you will be on your way to delivering more meaningful projects to your clients, adding more value and therefore earning better fees.
#1: Have An Agenda. Make sure everybody who was attending the meeting has an agenda at least three days in advance. Give everyone who was attending the opportunity to add items to the agenda but make it clear that the meeting must stick to the agenda. You should provide the agenda and own the process from start to finish. Do not let the meeting derail or be hijacked by impulsive conversation. The most basic agenda should consist of covering these four questions: 1. what is the objective of the project (why are we doing this?) 2. what are the key measures of success? 3. what budget is allocated for the project? 4. who will own the project client side?
#2: Make Sure All Decision Makers Are Present 231 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia wpelevation.com
There is no point running an effective and efficient client meeting if all the decisionmakers are not in the room. Robin is never going to represent you to Batman as well as you could so make sure that Batman can attend the meeting before you agree to it. If Batman writes the cheques then it is Batman you need to impress. This may sound simple but it is critical.
#3: Ask Difficult Questions Most web designers and developers will agree with whatever the client wants, submit a proposal and then work out how to deliver the project if the proposal is accepted. The more comfortable you can get asking difficult questions the more likely you are to uncover the truth within the client’s business and the more likely you are to be able to deliver an extremely valuable outcome. Get comfortable asking why and get comfortable talking about money, lifetime customer value, cost per acquisition and return on investment. You’re not doing anyone any favours by pretending this stuff doesn’t matter.
#4: Go Wide And Go Deep This is perhaps the most valuable tactic there is in any client meeting. When you ask your client a question the first and so is generally not the whole truth or the complete picture. In order to uncover the real pain points I like to ask “What else?”. Once the client has run out of answers then I asked them to pick the most important answer and go deep on that one. EG: if I ask a client why they need a new online store and their answer is to generate more sales, I will ask “what else?” and then shut up. They will typically say things like “there is more profit in our online sales than through the stores”, “the online audience is global, not just local” or “we don’t have to handle stock when and we sell online.” If I then ask them to identify the most important reason and ask them why it is the most important we will eventually reveal any longer term plans for the business. I 231 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia wpelevation.com
once worked with an osteopath who revealed he was selling his clinic through this discovery process, which is a completely different strategy than if I was trying to position him as the go-to osteopath locally.
#5: Record Meetings Ask your clients permission to record all of your meetings on your smart phone and then either have the transcriptions or the summary of the meeting sent to the client in an email the day after to re-cap. This shows the client that you are serious about getting on the same page and that you care about giving them a return on their investment. This will instantly set you apart from every other web developer who is just charging an hourly rate to write some code. I hope you’ve found this checklist helpful. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me at [email protected] Until next time, go elevate!
Troy Dean WP Elevation
231 Chapel Street, Prahran VIC 3181 Australia wpelevation.com
