Should You Meet With Prospective Clients?
Posted February 11, 2010 in Managing Clients, Marketing 56 Comments »
“Can you come by this week? We’d like to meet you.”
If you’ve been a freelancer for some time, you’ve probably heard this request more than once from a prospective client.
To some freelancers, meeting requests are a clear sign of legitimate interest. They are a critical step in their selling process.
But other freelancers cringe when they get such requests. For the most part, they view in-person meetings as a waste of time and would rather discuss the project or opportunity over the phone.
Benefits (and Drawbacks) of Face-to-Face Meetings
I can see why each group feels the way they do. Some folks instinctively know that their chances of success are higher if they sit face-to-face with the decision maker.
Those who prefer to stay home argue that people who want to meet with you don’t always value your time. And the fact that they’re asking for a meeting now is a bad sign of things to come, should they become a client.
I’ve gone back and forth on this issue, but long ago concluded that the right answer lies in the middle; agreeing to meet with prospective clients, but being smart about which invitations you accept.
How to Decide Whether to Meet
This is sometimes a tough call to make. That’s why I’ve adapted and implemented a “best practice” from my selling career that has worked wonderfully well in these situations. It’s called the “BANT” test.
BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need and Timing. To make BANT work, you want to develop a few simple questions to ask prospects when they request a meeting. The answers they give you will help you determine how to proceed.
Here’s how it works:
First, thank the prospect for their interest and the opportunity to meet them in person. Then, ask if you can run through a few quick questions over the phone first, just to make sure you better understand their situation.
Budget
“Do you have a budget already set aside for this project?”
Before you take the time to meet with the prospect, you want to make sure they’ve earmarked funds for this effort. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many people have said they’ve wanted to meet me right away…yet didn’t even have final approval to move forward with the project in question.
While on the subject of money, some freelance gurus suggest that you ask the prospect for his or her budgeted amount. I prefer to give them a rough estimate of what I charge for such a project. That will immediately screen out those who aren’t able (or willing) to pay my fees.
Authority
“Mind if I ask who will make the final decision on hiring the freelancer for this project?”
If it’s someone other than the person you’re talking with, ask if the decision-maker can be part of this initial meeting. There’s no use driving all over town, only to have to come back another day to meet the head honcho. By the way, if you feel a bit uneasy asking this question, don’t worry. Your prospect has heard it before and will (or should!) respect you for asking it.
Need
“Have you identified a specific project you want to discuss?”
You might already have the answer, but I come across prospects all the time who don’t even know what they want from me. They feel they need a freelancer in my profession (copywriting), but they haven’t identified an actual project. Everything else being equal, you want to make sure they either have something scoped out or are very close to doing so.
Timing
“When are you looking to get started on this project?”
Not long ago I talked with a prospect who wanted to meet me right away. But when I asked her this question, she told me that they couldn’t get started on the project for another 3 months. (Hmmm, 3 months? Any chance we can put off this meeting for another 2 months…?)
Naturally, you’ll have to apply common sense to this formula. You can’t expect a perfect score every time. In fact, you should temper prospects’ responses with other key factors.
For instance, consider how they found you, the company’s name and reputation, and any other valuable insider information (maybe someone on the inside has told you how desperate they are for someone with your qualifications or skills!).
One final tip: Before you invest your valuable time putting together a proposal, you should run through these same questions with your prospect, just to make sure a proposal is justified. I typically spend 30 – 60 minutes assembling a proposal. So, I want to only dedicate that kind of time to projects I know are fully qualified.
Do You Meet With Prospects?
What about you? What’s your take on meetings with prospects? Do you agree or disagree with this method?
What other questions help you determine if a meeting is justified? And how do you handle a prospect who insists that they have to meet you in person?
Image by johnjoh
About the author: Ed Gandia is co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle (Penguin/Alpha). To grab 3 free chapters of the book and a complimentary copy of his Freelancer’s Income Expander Kit (which contains 4 reports worth $126), visit The Wealthy Freelancer.
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56 Comments
Sonali Agrawal
February 11th, 2010 at 8:54 amFor me, meeting with clients usually ends up in a contract. In my entire 4 years of Freelancing, it has only happened once that the client met me and never called back. Since that day, I have made it a point to understand the client completely during the first telephonic conversation.
Ian Houghton
February 11th, 2010 at 9:23 amI work with small / medium sized local businesses and they always ask for a pre-meeting to discuss their needs. I’ve not had an instance yet where this didn’t lead to a contract. I do carry out some screening of clients from the initial phone call though.
Adam Fairhead
February 11th, 2010 at 9:34 amGreat post; I’ve often pondered over approaches that bring method to this madness, and yours is bang on. Thanks for sharing!
Lorraine
February 11th, 2010 at 9:52 amThese are fantastic suggestions for qualifying clients.
I especially love the first question–a direct but polite way of asking, “Do you mean business?”
I live close to a big city where many of my clients work. Because of proximity, I end up going to a lot of meetings–and I believe it’s worth it. It’s rare that don’t get business after meeting a marketing director or CD. They, too, are busy and don’t have time to waste.
But small business owners are another matter. Oftentimes marketing services are new to them and they’re not sure what they want or how much they need to budget for it.
Your suggestions provide a quick and professional way of dealing with this client segment–while still leaving the door open to cultivate relationship for future work.
Bookmarking this post. Thanks!
Pete Savage
February 11th, 2010 at 9:53 amEd, great advice! When I began freelancing 7 years ago, the prevalent advice out there was along the lines of “No freelancer who respects him/herself will agree to in-person meetings.” And even now you’ll find seasoned freelancers saying that in-person meetings are a waste of time. However, this advice this is dangerous for a freelancer who is still in the building phase of his or her business.
Yes, as a freelancer, you should protect your time, but I like to look at things this way: even if you resolved to spend 95% of your time in your office, that still gives you enough flexibility to go out and build relationships in person using the remaining 5% of your time.
5% of a 40-hour work week allows you two hours every week to meet with clients!
So if in a given week you choose to use some of that two-hour ration to meet with clients, feel good about it, and not like you’re violating some code of freelancers that shuns personal contact.
Allena
February 11th, 2010 at 9:57 amTHANK YOU for the BANT. I don’t mind meeting with ESTABLISHED clients, but, yes, prospects, oy. First, it’s not billable time. And I guard my time! Second, it takes even more time away from my writing to dress UP, drive there, and drive back– so two LESS hours of billable time. So, by the time it’s all done, I’ve lost 150$ of billable time! If not more!
I know it’s not all about the money, and I understand future payoff. But I have 6 hours a day to make 8 hours worth of $. Giving up half of it always gives me pause.
Deborah Brody
February 11th, 2010 at 10:05 amExcellent advice, and a great checklist to go through before agreeing to meetings or to proposals. Many prospects have zero regard for your time, and won’t even respond to a proposal. Often, they are trying to figure out how much something will cost. If a prospect insists, and you don’t feel confident that they are serious, you can offer up a Skype meeting.
Kory Gorsky
February 11th, 2010 at 10:13 amI’m torn. I loved the article and really think the BANT system is stellar but something takes me over when I get a client on the phone who wants to meet with me. I’m the kind of person who interacts with people 1000% better in person than on the phone. ( Maybe I just need to improve my phone skills ?) But I find it so much easier to win a client over if I can get some one-on-one time with them. Works everytime, 75% of the time.
Jordan Walker
February 11th, 2010 at 10:25 amI always enjoy meetings. I love to see the enthusiasm the potential client has for a project and in return show equal or greater excitement. What I value the most is the client who says, “I am not sure if this is possible..” I know that these requests are going to be the most challenging and therefore the greatest opportunity to grow as a programmer.
Melek
February 11th, 2010 at 10:29 ami never meet with a client until I’ve spoken with him over the phone or discussed the project in length via email. i also have a questionnaire (one for logos, one for site design, one for redesign) that asks many of these questions that i get filled out at the start of any project. That way, i know all the answers, AND i have it in writing so it doesn’t get confused down the road.
i do, however, find that if i do all these things AND meet with the client, that the percentage of the projects I actually land is higher than if i don’t meet with them in person. it’s just a matter of pre-screening.
i love that you have an acronym for your process :)
Laura Sultan
February 11th, 2010 at 12:01 pmI learned the hard way that you shouldn’t meet every prospective client face-to-face. Such meetings are not only a huge waste of time in most cases, they can often kill my productivity for the entire day.
On the other hand, some of my prospective clients are not comfortable with technology, and they want to look someone in the eye before they are willing to trust.
When prospects tell me they want to meet, I tell them that I’d like to schedule a phone meeting first to determine if our company would be a good fit for their project. Before the phone meeting, I send an email with a couple of questions to get them thinking about their project, and often they respond back with an email as well.
Between the emails back and forth and the phone meeting, I can usually determine if a face-to-face meeting is warranted IF the client still wants to meet. Most of the time the client no longer feels the need this point. I send a proposal, and we go from there.
Rick
February 11th, 2010 at 12:21 pmI usually meet with clients if they ask. I don’t often like doing it, but I will if needed. Usually it helps build a closer relationship.
Dan
February 11th, 2010 at 1:27 pmThis is fine advice for people who work their local market. What about those of us who are no where near our prospective clients? I travel a lot with my family. And rarely does my schedule allow me to fly out to meet with prospects, nor are the contracts big enough to justify such expense. Are freelancers like me doomed to feed on the scraps left by those who can meet face-to-face?
Nico
February 11th, 2010 at 1:39 pmFor years I have been getting in my car and driving the hour there and an hour back (or more) for a half an hour meeting, that sometimes didn’t result in signing the deal. I instituted a “virtual company” policy. Upfront on all my communication, including website, it states that I work completely virtually. This then lets any prospective client, that has my card or looks at my website, know that I only work virtually. If they don’t like it, they don’t call. I can assure you, business is better than ever. People don’t mind doing it virtually, as long as they understand that’s what they are getting into in the first place. Now I save my driving time.
Paul d'Aoust
February 11th, 2010 at 1:45 pmI was quite surprised that the question was even asked — I’m new to the discussion. I’ve just always assumed that face-to-face is crucial to good business relationships.
I’m actually a pretty shy person, but I need that face-time with clients, so I can absorb what they’re about and what they need. I prefer e-mail for the details, because I’ve got no brain for details, but in figuring out the ‘gist’ and the personality of the project and client, I have to meet with them.
That having been said, I can sorta appreciate the ‘time is money’ argument as well, and it probably pays to use your discretion. I’ll try that on and see if it fits me.
Amber Weinberg
February 11th, 2010 at 2:07 pmI don’t mind meeting established clients if they ask, However, I normally refuse to meet with prospective clients face-to-face, and I don’t really like agreeing to phone meetings as well. Why?
I’ve found that this normally tends to be a waste of time, and most clients that demand an up-front meeting aren’t don’t have a budget and aren’t serious about meeting you. It’s turned out to be a serious time waster for me.
A lot of times, I’ll tell the client that I’ll have to charge for my time, especially since I live out of city and it’s quite a drive for me. But I try to avoid meetings all together :)
Shawn Berg
February 11th, 2010 at 3:28 pmGreat tips! I think I’ll print these out and keep them handy when speaking to prospects and even existing clients and new projects. Thanks!
Daniel
February 11th, 2010 at 4:13 pmI usually try to get as much information as possible out of my clients over email and perhaps a quick phone call. Its important to manage these communications in order to get rite to the point and answer the critical questions outlined in this article.
After a contract is signed I often have a kick off meeting in person for bigger freelance jobs. What I have learned is that its important to set expectations for future meetings with the client. Once they see you they expect to sit and chat with you from time to time unless you let them know rite away that future meetings will be performed over the phone. You can learn a lot about your client with an in person meeting that will help you navigate the rest of the project.
Smaller projects generally do not require face to face meetings.
Ed Gandia
February 11th, 2010 at 4:31 pmThanks for the great comments, everyone! Glad to hear this was a timely discussion for some of you.
Ian – Sounds like you have your questions down for that initial phone call. I think that’s key to making the intro meeting work.
Allena – Part of the reason I apply BANT to my initial call with a prospect is just what you talked about here — the time it REALLY takes when you add it up. I live in metro Atlanta. A meeting downtown can easily soak up half my day when you factor in getting ready, fighting traffic (our traffic is legendary), meeting time, driving back, catching up on email/voicemail from being gone half the day. So the prospect needs to be highly qualified if I’m going to invest the time to meet them.
Kory and Jordan – I agree; I’m the same way. The chances of landing the business if I’m present are MUCH higher. But my suggestion is NOT to avoid these meetings. Rather, it’s to apply a smart screening process first — a process that will eliminate those out in left field and some of those who may be time-wasters. The rest? I say “go” if you know it will increase your chances.
Dan – Not so. Three out of five of my current clients are out of town. Other times that ratio has been even higher. If you’re very good to exceptional, geography won’t be a barrier for you… unless you think it is.
Dave Woods
February 11th, 2010 at 5:10 pmUseful article and most of these points are areas that I ask about after the first contact already. Do you have a spec, what’s your budget and what are your timescales are things that I’ve always asked but until now I’ve not asked whether they’re the person responsible for the hiring of a freelancer. Maybe I’ve just been lucky on that point up until now and is probably something I should consider asking in the future :)
Anthony Hawkins
February 11th, 2010 at 5:30 pmGreat article. I already use a PDF form that potential clients can fill out and answer. This article is a good strategy for potential clients that want to go right into getting to know you instead of filling out info right away which can be both good and bad at the same time.
Ed Gandia
February 11th, 2010 at 6:47 pmDaniel – that’s a great point about setting expectations for future meetings. I’ve had clients like that. You meet that that first time and they automatically assume that’s how business will be done going forward. The time to set the tone and explain how you work is early on. Before you even sign the contract, if possible.
Anthony – I see some value in using a form, but I’ve found that you can get a MUCH better sense for how a prospective client will work out simply by having that phone conversation. You can pick up a lot of clues that you’d miss if your interaction were strictly via email.
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
February 11th, 2010 at 8:35 pmGreat recommendations/information in the article.
Still, for me the question of meeting a potential local client in person results in an easy response: “Thank God, someone is getting me out of my home studio.” Since 1998, 80-85% of my business is for an out-of-town, out-of-state, or out-of-country clientele. I have local clients, for whom I am doing work on a regular basis, that I haven’t seen in two years or longer. I guess that local face-to-face interaction is actually a craving for human contact – and it almost always results in a signed contract for a project.
Paul d'Aoust
February 12th, 2010 at 2:14 amI think I agree with Jeff (whose company’s name, incidentally, is almost identical to my biggest client, LocalMotive)… It’s just nice to get out of the house and get some human time. Even if I don’t get a contract, it’s just nice to meet with a human. After all, there are nicer things out there than making money.
Mike B
February 12th, 2010 at 4:52 amPersonally I believe that when doing freelance work meeting a client can be really beneficial and may be the only way of winning a contract. However I think the steps you’ve outlined are really good advice as you don’t want to have your time wasted by people who have no real intention of using your services.
Jose da Silva
February 12th, 2010 at 5:26 amGreat insights.
Although this could be dangerous for non established freelancers, 4 years ago when i was actively freelancing i needed to stop with face to face meeting with prospects, just remember, when you are a freelancer you are your business, and if your business is all the time in meetings, nothing gets done.
I guess each of us need to find it’s own balance!
Rajesh Pancholi
February 12th, 2010 at 7:28 amAlthough there are a lot of wasted meetings/time which are arranged to early in the process as mentioned previously. I believe (while using your instinct) that its wise to meet clients face to face, polish up your skills on presentation and the power of discussion. I’ve found you can learn a lot about someone and what their intentions are.
Be confident in your ability and go for it, sometimes the client wants reassurance and someone to bounce ideas off which is easier to do once you’ve met. Its a great way to build up a relationship and a great way to have the life sucked out of you as you look for an opportunity to call it politely to an end…
Just be good at knowing when it can’t be done and is the reason for not meeting is valid…
FreelanceApple
February 12th, 2010 at 8:11 amI agree. The question of whether a freelancer should meet face-to-face with a client is tricky because there are many factors which will play part of your decision. Every situation is different and will mean that every freelancer must evaluate their own position as to if it is worthwhile to meet face-to-face.
Personally I meet face-to-face when the project is big, but I suppose I don’t take many small projects any more. If I take myself back a few years then I would probably not meet face-to-face with small scale clients.
Ed Gandia
February 12th, 2010 at 9:04 amPaul and Jeff – I never suggested that the goal was to be cranking out work 24/7 like a machine. I like to schedule client lunches, coffee with friends and colleagues, a beer after work with a good client, and so forth.
Those are all important not only to your relationship with clients and those you care about, but also for your own sanity. No doubt we all need human contact.
I was merely trying to introduce a way to pre-screen prospects who may not be worth meeting with. If the prospect is not qualified, I’d rather spend that time on billable work… or having lunch or coffee with a friend, colleague, client or good prospect.
That’s the kind of human contact that brings me joy. ;-)
Paul d'Aoust
February 12th, 2010 at 3:04 pmEd: no worries; I wasn’t criticising you said (althoug I imagine it probably sounded like that). I found your suggestions to be surprising (because I’d never heard of screening out crappy prospects) but quite well-balanced.
I was just puzzled by the comments of people who say they never meet face-to-face if they can help it, because it’s such a huge part of how I like to conduct business.
bottleHeD
February 12th, 2010 at 4:48 pmI personally try to minimise meetings. All the travelling and the odd hours at which meetings are sometimes schedules ends up killing the day for me. Still, when it comes to long-term clients, or big ones, a single meeting helps put them at ease, as they can put a face to the person.
Stewart
February 12th, 2010 at 5:10 pmFirst things I thought when reading this article was that does everyone have beards in meetings?!
Secondly, I think meeting is a really great start when meeting new clients. I usually find that after meeting them, talking on the phone is that much easier. I also agree that a lot of time can be wasted if you don’t ensure that there is budget or authority. I really like the BANT idea and will use that in my next phone conversation.
Eric
February 12th, 2010 at 5:25 pmI figure meeting with clients is a part of the cost of doing business. Having said that, I usually try to steer them toward a phone conference or an exchange of emails. Here’s a script that seems to work pretty well for me:
Client: Can we meet to talk about a possible website?
Me: You know, I’d be happy to meet with you if we both think it’s necessary, but that meeting will be a lot more productive if we can address a few issues beforehand, and those issues are easily addressed over the phone or via email.
Client [Usually]: Sounds good…I hate meetings anyway!
Then I give them a list of things that they should consider, and that puts us back in the BANT mode. And, really, it’s good for both of us because nobody — client or freelancer — has time for meetings. I estimate that at least 50% of the time, after we’ve done those preliminary discussions, the need for a meeting magically disappears.
Sandra Newton
February 12th, 2010 at 10:30 pmThis post couldn’t have come at a better time. Up till now I’ve been happy to meet with prospects but am finding that most of these meetings have been an opportunity to pick my brains for free and are not generating much in the way of income. It was great to read other comments about the extra time committment for a one hour meeting (we too have our traffic challenges!) and the lost productivity. Now I know that it isn’t all about some lack of focus or poor sales technique on my part!
I’d already decided to start making screening phone calls first, and this has given me a structure to use in that call.
Extremely valuable, thank you.
Acme Advantage
February 13th, 2010 at 12:33 amfor me.. many way to get meet our prospective.. offline or online
offline, we meet each other.. make some handshake and meet at meeting room or somewhat..
online, we can use technology for meeting.. email or Microsoft application
Mark Cossey
February 14th, 2010 at 5:00 amGreat article – you inspired me to write a post about meeting with clients: http://www.burning.me/2010/02/the-emotion-behind-the-design/
Joanette
March 1st, 2010 at 11:48 amI agree with Sandra Newton. I have found that many of these face to face meetings are an opportunity to pick my brains for free. I have learned to screen clients over the phone.I am in the process of creating visualizations, (powerpoint, video, etc.) that give a tangible sense of what services I offer and the process for retaining my services. This way I can save money and avoid clients trolling for information. On the other hand, clients who display specific intent require a face to face meeting. If a potential client is not talking specifics such as what services do you offer? Can you complete this task or project for me? How much does it cost, or can I see your contract before we meet? I think you should relax your efforts a bit until you steer the client into the direction of specifics. If you can’t move the client in the direction of specific intent then you should stand down and move on. No sale there, but keep him on your contact list. They may need your services in the future.
Shanna
March 1st, 2010 at 1:39 pmI will try to do a phone meeting whenever possible. Face-to-face meeting take much longer and have little value to me over a phone meeting. On the other hand, if it is a potential client, it helps them know that you are a real person.
Online Outsourcing
March 8th, 2010 at 7:45 amWith the prospective client..the meeting is the essential one for their valuable suggestions and also the their needs and wants for the best service…that will make the business as possible as famous and valuable one.I gained the knowledge about the communication is the essential one…even it is good or bad..depends upon the customers.keep sharing.
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