People Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

Face to Face customer meetings had taken a back burner and migrated online post-Covid, but now businesses are seeing the benefits of face to face interactions and they are once again becoming an incredibly important aspect of most businesses.

Customer meetings don’t have to be super complicated and there are many benefits to you and your business.

1. An opportunity to better understand the customer.

Customer meetings are the perfect opportunity to engage directly with your contact, buyer or company. The visit is your chance to obtain as much information about them as you can. Think of it as a fact-finding mission. Ask about their business, of course, but also ask about them as people and take a genuine interest. What you learn from this meeting will not only be useful to you later, but it will help you to build rapport.

2. The chance to demonstrate that you, and your company, are experts in your field.

In a customer meeting, you should be demonstrating your value. The first step is listening to your customer and responding when you feel you can add something and help them. The whole reason for sales interactions is to help your customer solve issues that they are currently facing. If you solve their problems, they will buy from you, without you having to sell them anything. So, listen and offer solutions.

3. Motivation for you and your business.

A customer meeting can give you a great sense of achievement and energy. Interacting with customers and learning from them can give you a huge boost. So often I come back from meeting customers and I have a whole heap of new ideas that I want to implement.

4. Gain knowledge about your competition.

I would wager that your customer doesn’t only buy from you. They likely buy from your competition too. It can also be helpful to know what (and why) your customers are buying from your competitors. Perhaps a competitor quotes quicker, they package better, they update on a more regular basis. Whatever the reason is, finding out these tidbits of information can help you improve your business and what you offer. Nobody is perfect and feedback such as this is invaluable.

5. How to Have Successful Customer Visits.

We’ll split this into three sections: The Run-Up, The Day-Of and The Aftermath. If you follow my suggestions here, you’ll not be able to go too far off course.

THE RUN-UP: Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.’ What you do in the run-up to customer visits, is almost as important as what you do during the visit itself..

Identify who you want to visit and why. You may want to meet your top ten customers, or companies, in your pipeline. Alternatively, you might have met somebody at a networking event or exhibition and feel that it would be good to meet them and learn more about them. Essentially, you should have a reason for wanting to meet with a customer.

Set up the meeting. Once you have your list of companies that you want to meet or visit, you have to organise an appointment that suits both of you. This might sound simple but make sure to send your customer an Outlook/Google meeting request so that it appears in both of your diaries. It’s important to stick to this and also do not just show up on the off chance that your contact will see you. It may not be convenient and may very well indeed leave a bad impression.

Prepare for the meeting. This is the most important part of the process. You need to gather as much information as possible about the company/person. This may include their order book, previous orders, complaints, enquiries, etc. You need to come across as knowledgeable about their interaction with your company, so do your research. If they are new to you, then do all you can to research the company. Use their website, their social media, to find out what the company is currently doing. Maybe they’ve launched a new project, taken on more staff, or won an award. Going into a customer visit armed with this information will help you predict, as much as possible, what will be discussed during the meeting. It also shows that you care about your customers. You can never be over-prepared, but you can be under-prepared. Treat it like you would if you were doing an interview – what would you like to know about the company before you interviewed with them?

Some final preparations…

Here are some final things to consider in the run-up to your customer visit.

Check where the meeting will take place and ensure you have an accurate address. Do this directly with your contact, and don’t rely on their website address.

Plan an agenda. It is always good practice to have an agenda for what you’d like to discuss in the meeting. If this is an existing customer, then you may have some things to address with them anyway. If you haven’t worked with them yet, this is a great chance to create some rapport.

Pack well and be prepared. Business cards, brochures, and anything else you’ll need plus dress accordingly for the situation.

THE DAY-OF: So you have prepared well, you have booked that meeting, and you are dressed to impress. You are nervous but want to arrive calm and make the visit a success. Here are my top tips for what to do during that all-important customer visit…

Be on time. This is SO IMPORTANT. If you’re late, it gives a bad first impression and first impressions count.

Don’t sell or pitch. Allow the conversation to flow naturally. Don’t force anything. Learn about the company, the person, and try to leave with as much information about them (and their needs) as possible.

Listen more than speak. In your meeting you want your contact to do the majority of speaking. Do not jump in when you see an opportunity to tell your story. Absorb everything and add value. If what you are saying doesn’t add value, solve an issue or build rapport, then leave it out. By listening to what your customer says you can learn a great deal about them and their business.

Leave on a positive note and agree on the next steps. This is really important so you have something to follow up with after your meeting. At this stage, you might also ask about referrals. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals. If you have a happy customer, they may well tell you of another company that might want your service or product. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

THE AFTERMATH: It can be easy to forget the aftermath of a meeting. If you’re still relatively new to customer meetings, you might just feel relieved that it is over with. However, what you do in the aftermath is essential in continuing a positive relationship with that contact or company.

TOP TIP: Straight after the meeting, allow yourself some time to make notes and record the details of what was said. Make clear and actionable points that you can deal with. If you don’t do this, you may mix up meetings or forget to implement something you promised the customer.

After the meeting, you should…

Follow up with them on the same day, or the next day. Thank your contact for seeing you via email or phone. This is another touch point and a chance to build rapport. During this email, or phone call, outline the actions you discussed and what you will be doing about them. Give a timeframe and make sure these points are actioned.

Keep in regular contact with them. You have now built a relationship with your customer, so make the most of it. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste.