Bringing new clients on board is always exciting, but the initial process of pitching them with your services can feel burdensome for many staffing leaders. In particular, making small talk when meeting with prospective clients for the first time can often feel awkward and challenging. However, the way in which you conduct yourself to potential clients can make or break whether they decide to work with your team. Before you go on your next pitch meeting, here are some key tips to navigate these initial conversations with ease and confidence.
Do Your Research Ahead of Time
Before meeting with any prospective clients, always do some background research to learn about them online. By visiting clients’ LinkedIn profiles and other social media pages, you can check out things like the colleges they attended, their skills and interests, and industry group memberships. Being able to gather this information before meeting with them will help you formulate some conversation starters to break the ice and make them feel more comfortable opening up to you. Overall, by having some preliminary information in mind to discuss, you’ll be able to better connect with prospective clients from the start, making your initial meeting more fun, engaging and productive.
Make the Conversation About Their Goals
Very often, when companies attempt to pitch a new client, they end up focusing too much of the conversation on themselves and the services they can deliver. To truly engage with potential clients in a meaningful way, it’s best to make your conversations with them focused more on their needs and how you can strategically help them meet their specific business goals. This will make them feel you’re solely focused on them, rather than on bringing a new client on board. Whenever you feel there are awkward pauses in the conversation, ask the client questions about their objectives for considering a partnership with your company, and use their answers as a segue for providing an overview of how your services can help them.
Show Your Human Side
When developing relationships with clients, it’s important not to be overly formal or robotic in your conversation, as this can often feel stuffy and forced. To forge real, long-lasting connections, don’t be afraid to show your human side and express yourself in a genuine, authentic way. For example, do you share the same alma mater as your client? Bringing up this commonality is a great way to establish a more personal connection with the client. Remember, clients are human, too! By being open and honest, you’ll end up developing more robust relationships in the long run.
Ready to work with a trusted staffing partner?
Get in touch with The Liberty Group, with locations in major cities throughout the U.S.
