Your first meeting with Ms. BIG has just ended. Your slides (all 56 of them) were dazzling. You described your services in minute detail. Surely, you “wowed” her with your expertise.

At the end, you half-expected her to say “Great presentation. When can we start working together?” Instead, she said “Thanks for coming in. We’ll call if we need your services.”

You just blew it.

You committed one of the mortal sins in sales. You did all the talking.

You didn’t learn about her problems. You didn’t establish rapport. You didn’t agree on next steps. Your first meeting with Ms. BIG will also be your last.

Whet Her Appetite with K.F.C.

Ian Brodie, a UK-based business development consultant, offers a better way. He advocates the K.F.C. approach: Know, Feel, Commit.

• Know – The prospect has to know you have the expertise to solve her problems 
• Feel – More importantly, she must feel that you understand her problems and that she can trust you. 
• Commit – At the end of the meeting, both of you must commit to next steps: a second meeting, sending information, an introduction to a colleague, etc.

As Ian suggests, the best way to solve the Know and the Feel issues is a conversation, not a presentation. The prospect can learn about your services from a presentation (if she doesn’t fall asleep first). But she won’t get to know you.

“Most often, the route to both establishing the things the client needs to know, and in getting them to feel the right way about you is to ask smart questions. Being able to ask the right questions that really home in on tough issues and the underlying causes will establish your expertise far more than any claims you might make about it, qualifications you might have or awards you might have won,” Ian writes.

Be Prepared

Ian suggests developing a plan before the meeting. What do you want to achieve?

 If you’re selling a complex service, you’re not going to make the sale in the first meeting. The best you can hope for is an agreement to take the next step.

First, set a realistic goal for the meeting. Maybe it’s a second meeting with Ms. BIG to discuss her problems and your services in greater detail. Then, decide how you want the initial meeting to unfold.

 To stimulate a discussion, prepare a list of questions. Without sounding like a prosecutor, you want to probe to find out more about her problems. This will not only help you find out about her but help her find out about you.

Diagnose. Don’t Prescribe.

Ian points out that consultants commit two major errors in initial meetings. They don’t listen, and they don’t probe.

 OK, you’re an expert. But your job is to diagnose before you prescribe. How often has a doctor said what’s wrong with you before first asking questions?

You’re a business doctor. First, you have to listen.

 Don’t interrupt or jump to conclusions. Ask subtle but probing questions and get the prospect to describe her problem. You need to understand the problem, but the prospect needs to understand that you understand.

It’s called empathy. You’re also building rapport.

Once you’ve completed your preliminary diagnosis, resist the urge to prescribe. Your prospect must understand that she can’t simply ignore the problem.  She’s got to solve it.

“It’s your job as a professional to help your client see the true impact of the issues they face. Not exaggerated. Not blown up or overly pessimistic to try to manipulate your way to a sale. But accurate and insightful,” says Ian.

The best way to accomplish this is to help her draw her own conclusions. Don’t try to convince her. Help the prospect convince herself.

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