Returning to In-person Client Meetings
Today I’m back meeting with clients face to face! Yikes, it’s like Back to School…HAPPILY!
Last night, though, I realized I needed to define how will I facilitate this training. What questions will I ask to re-enter my client’s world relationally and commercially empathetically to make a difference?
Perhaps you are facing the same dilemma as your team slowly returns to the office. Are you (and they) ready for face-to-face client meetings? And how will you engage with them as they reacclimate themselves to in-person interactions?
Here are a few questions I will use. I recommend you experiment with them, tailoring them for your team’s re-entry, and ask them of yourself:
Questions to Ask When Your Team Returns
- How does it feel to be back?
- How important is reinforcing your organization’s identity now that we’re all returning?
- What areas must your team be more agile with?
- How will you scale your footprint going forward?
- What’s important to YOU between now and Q4?
- What challenges are there?
Once you’ve answered these, schedule meetings with your clients on a one-on-one basis. These initial meetings require consummate listening. Don’t fix, just listen. Your goal is to understand their plight and their challenges. Just doing this affirms your relationship and says you’re important to me. And to ensure they get that message, state it! “Our relationship is important to me and my organization.”
It will make a difference.
