The Big Key to Getting More Meetings

How do you get more meetings with prospective clients?

This is a topic I’ve written about a lot, but I want to emphasize one key to getting meetings that makes all the difference.

Affiliations.?Also known as connections, similarities, relationships, etc.

In other words, it’s much, much easier to get meetings with people with whom you have something in common.

If you get an email, a phone call, or a LinkedIn connection from a complete stranger do you enthusiastically respond?

Never, right?

But if you get an email, a phone call, or a LinkedIn connection from someone you are affiliated with in some way, you are much more likely to respond, right?

But do these affiliations or connections need to be to people you actually know?

No, they don’t. (Which surprises a lot of people.)

Affiliations and connections come in all shapes and sizes.

For instance:

Members of a professional organization or chamber of commerce you belong to.

Past classmates of your college or even high-school.

People you have worked with in the past.

Anyone who has a common professional interest.

People with the same hobby or interest.

People on your email newsletter list.

So, when I work with clients on getting meetings, the game plan is very simple:

Get 50 meetings in the next 3 or 4 months.

The thing is, you don’t need to get 50 meetings with people who would be “perfect” clients for you.

You just need to get 50 meetings with people you have some connection with.

The main thing to understand is that you are not connecting with them to get them as clients.

You are connecting with them to build your network of people who know what you do and who like and trust you.

And that is the process that leads to new clients.

The process is not difficult. It includes these 5 steps:

1.?Start assembling a list of names of people you have some connection with

2.?Send them an email. If you know them already, ask to meet to catch up. Keep it simple!

If you don’t know them, send an email saying you would like to connect (based on your common affiliation or interest).

3.?Set up a meeting and have a conversation in which you learn about their current situation first. Then share the three big things you help your clients solve.

4.?Finally, share mutual ideas, resources, and connections with each other.

5.?Follow up with any connections you make, or if this person is an actual prospective client, set up a more in-depth meeting with them.

Like any process, the steps never go exactly like this and every conversation is different.

But when you start to have lots of conversations a few things are bound to happen:

1.?You will become more confident talking about your services.

2.?You will meet people who will be able to help you even though you thought they couldn’t.

3.?You will add names to your email list.

4.?You will get introductions to other people who could be good prospective clients.

5.?You’ll start to understand the power of connections, and making connections will become a lifelong habit.

And make sure to attend my next?Open Sessions?where we’ll explore how to make more connections and get more meetings.

Friday, November 4, 12 noon Pacific. Mark your calendar now.

Cheers, Robert

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