View latest Newsletters3 Ways To Secure A Client Meeting
The value of face to face meetings has been spoken about for decades, regardless of your industry or role.
Although a lot of us are still conducting virtual meetings, being able to see someone’s facial expressions and body language can allow you to get to know them better.
It’s also the perfect opportunity to showcase your personality and build trust.
Client meetings are the bread and butter of winning business as a recruitment consultant, however, it can be tricky securing a meeting (even when we’re all working from home)
Here are three ways to secure a client meeting!
Talk about long-term strategy instead of jobs
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of trying to pull a job from your first client meeting. However, unless you already have a strong existing relationship – it’s not likely to happen the first time.
As a recruiter, you have so much more to offer than just filling roles – and your prospective client needs to know that before agreeing to a meeting with you.
Asking about the short, medium and long-term strategy on a call can allow you to assess how you can add value over time – as well as who else you may need help from along the way.
If they have pain points you can solve – that’s when you can suggest a meeting, whether that’s in person or over Zoom.
Their pain points could be around succession planning, re-vamping interview processes or even creating a new job description. These are all things we do as recruiters in our day-to-day life – so why can’t we offer this consultative service to our clients?
It doesn’t always have to be about pulling a job.
Also, this method is a great way to assess whether a client meeting is necessary. It’s important to not get caught up in suggesting meetings with no agenda or outcome, as this can do more damage than good in the long-term.
The best way of winning business is actually by giving more than taking. Are you giving, or just taking?
Leverage current work that you’re doing
If you’ve never heard the phrase “FOMO” – it stands for “fear of missing out”.
Securing a client meeting can be incredibly difficult if you haven’t got any substance or evidence to back up why it’s valuable.
However, there’s nothing more valuable than sharing information with a prospective client which will make them feel as though they are missing out on your expertise.
Now, it’s important to be honest – as deception isn’t how we roll here on this newsletter.
However, sharing market information with a prospective client as well as letting them know about the work that you’ve done with similar companies in their space give you credible grounds for a meeting.
If they feel like they’re missing out on something valuable – they will see the purpose of the meeting.
Some examples you could use are:
- Roles you have recently placed with a competitor
- Market information (non-confidential)
- An event you attended or spoke at
- Other meetings you recently conducted and what the outcome was
Organise a roundtable event and invite them!
Although the majority of events will need to be virtual for the foreseeable future, this shouldn’t deter you from using this as an opportunity to secure a meeting with them.
It’s a long-term strategy which can yield amazing results, and has been proven by many recruitment companies to be a great way to build long-lasting relationships with current and prospective clients.
So many CEOs, Founders, Hiring Managers and Talent teams are bombarded with calls about recruitment all day every day, so differentiating yourself is crucial.
Whether it’s a roundtable intimate event, or a webinar with multiple speakers – hosting events that talk about more than just “jobs” will lay the foundations for client meetings in the future.
Don’t forget the power of word of mouth, especially among CEOs. If you can connect these individuals, it’s valuable for them and will only pay dividends in the future.
Once a prospective client sees the value you can add outside just filling a job, they will become much more receptive to meeting you and listening to your insight.
