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Home » Business And Finance Articles » Breaking The Ice And Winning Over The Client

Breaking the Ice and Winning Over the Client

Wherever you turn these days you'll find articles covering every business strategy and tactic available to man from how to make a great presentation to strategies for success all the way to negotiations and prospecting and getting a client to commit. But hardly anyone touches on the subject of breaking the ice with a new client and winning them over.

Experts say it takes only three seconds to make a first impression. That doesn't give you much time to dazzle someone with your professionalism and polish, especially since it's so difficult to change a first impression. Naturally that leaves most of us a bit concerned when meeting someone for the very first time, especially if a lot is riding on your presentation.

Since your success is based heavily on your approach along with your understanding of the potential client's goals and purpose, it is up to you to plan for that first moment of breaking the ice. If you investigate the approach and attitude of top producers you'll discover that they all use some similar strategies for meeting and greeting a new client. Because they know just how important it is to prepare for the first meeting and how crucial it is to break the ice correctly, they come well prepared.

Consequently, whether your communication begins with a simple e- mail message, telephone call or person to person visit, the first contact is the most important. How you present yourself along with the questions you ask determines your success. And while there are no guarantees that any one strategy will work every time, applying the following few techniques will help make an impression that will certainly impact your very next presentation.

Make Your First Meeting Count !

1. The first and most important strategy for breaking ice is being fully prepared. And the best way to prepare is by knowing all you can about the company or individual you are planning to address. Prior to making an appointment, conduct some preliminary research about the company and individual so that you feel confident when making the first contact. Bios or articles about the person are often posted on the Internet so it's usually easy to find information. By knowing the company's history or something about the individual, you'll be in a better position to know what the prospect needs. Familiarizing yourself with the prospect opens the way to conversation.
2. To gain the respect of a potential client, there's a lot more to communicating than just words. Your body language and your tone speak as loudly as the words you say, therefore each presentation must be offered with cheerfulness and confidence. Needless to say, your overall appearance is critically important to the way you present yourself. Feeling good about your appearance is critically important to the way you present yourself. In fact the confidence you feel both about yourself and your product might well be the primary ingredient for winning over a prospective client. When it comes to speaking about your product and your service, it is your confidence and belief in your product that does most of the selling. So during the first moment of meeting, greet the person with a firm handshake along with good eye contact. Stand and walk tall, keeping your shoulders back and your head erect. And don't forget to smile.
3. We hear a lot today about the value of connecting with a person, yet what does That really mean? A connection comes when two people meet on common ground. One way you can connect with a potential prospect is by being your authentic self. Allow your personality, integrity and sense of humor to shine through. If the person you're meeting is aloof or hard to connect with, they might just need a bit more convincing. So rather than leaping right into the sales presentation the minute you start talking, speak first about some mutually interesting topics of conversation. If you did your homework you already know something about the company or the person, therefore you might try opening on a light note. After a few minutes, when you've had some time to relax and establish rapport, you can launch into your presentation.
4. There may be times when you meet with a client and you don't feel an immediate connection. Although your first instinct is to run and find someone who's a bit more compatible, perhaps you might consider viewing the situation from a new perspective. Consider it a challenge. Trying to find ways to connect with the person and then achieving it can be very rewarding. After all, your mission is to be the most important resource to your client therefore your goal is to impress the potential client with your ability to solve their problems. Pay careful attention to what the client really needs by actively listening. Don't oversell or try to convince the client that what you have is absolutely perfect for them. State clearly and plainly how you'll be able to help the client. Basically, before quitting on a potential client do your best to gain insight into the client's needs. If it doesn't work, you'll know you gave it your best shot.
5. Listening to what your client has to say is extremely important. It may be basic Knowledge that one should listen and not talk too much, but in our exuberance to sell we often forget to listen. When paying attention to conversation, you learn a lot about the potential client. Therefore, a good rule of thumb is to listen more, talk less and glean the knowledge that will help you understand the prospect's goals, concerns and overall needs. Ask questions, but be sure to pay attention to the answers. Additionally, use common courtesy by letting the prospect know that you understand how precious time is to him. If you requested 30 minutes and the potential client agreed, respect that time frame.

Breaking the ice can at times seems like a difficult task, but if you're genuinely committed to helping your potential client, it won't be difficult. Be sincere, respectful and open-minded. Take the time to understand the client's needs and they'll take the time to understand yours. If you plan, prepare and manage the initial breaking of the ice effectively, the potential prospect will soon be considered a well-established business associate.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Build Your Business (on a shoestring): Hire a College Intern

Starting up a new venture or business can be one of the most exciting times of your life. It can also be one of the most stressful. In the early months, or even early years of your business, cash flow is often not what you would like it to be. If you're a solo entrepreneur, you're wearing many hats â€" in fact, you're probably wearing all of them.

Not only are you selling your product or service, you're marketing it, doing the accounting, paying the bills, answering the phones, designing and updating your website and preparing and sending out mail. And, certainly for your own business, you can easily think of ten or fifteen additional tasks to be done in addition to these. In the early days of your start-up, many if not most of these tasks seem doable. But, once you've started making sales or the public interest in your business begins to grow, wearing all the hats becomes impossible, frustrating, and highly stressful.

One quick and easy solution is to hire an intern â€" a college intern. During my corporate career in finance, I made use of many college interns over the years. Not only were they diligent, responsible, and some of the best employees, they were eager to learn and to contribute ideas. My interns were reliable and many of them hired on as regular employees after graduating from college.

With more and more college students choosing to start their own businesses rather than working for others, having a first-hand opportunity to work in a business start-up, like yours, might be just what they're looking for. So how can you find an intern that will be just right for you and your business?

Simples Steps to Hiring an Intern

1. What do I need to do? What can the intern do? One of the first things to do is to take a clean sheet of paper and begin writing down all the tasks that you perform in your business â€" and I mean everything. Next, decide what tasks you absolutely need to do yourself and which ones might be assigned to an intern. Typical tasks that you do might include:

• inputting business card data into your database
• contacting local chambers of commerce and ordering mailing lists
• marketing mailings â€" printing letters, stuffing envelopes, putting stamps on letters
• writing and updating your marketing plan
• keeping your marketing calendar current
• calling on prospects â€" phone and in person
• writing marketing collateral
• updating website information
• confirming appointments with clients
• writing and updating your business plan
• appearing at tradeshows (perfect for an intern to work as your assistant)
• buying office supplies
• going to the post office to mail packages, letters, etc.
• miscellaneous errands
• meetings with clients
• reviewing local newspapers, business periodicals and trade journals for possible business prospects or other opportunities
• article clipping
• attending chamber functions and other networking events
• filing
• answering phones
• bookkeeping

Certainly there are a lot of things to do in your business! And, obviously, not all of these can be done by anyone other than you. Once you've drafted a comprehensive list of tasks, using different colored high-lighters, or something as simple as a check-mark, determine which of these tasks can be assigned to someone else. This will become the basis for writing up a job description for your intern.

2. Drafting a job description. Write up a simple job description that includes a list of tasks you need completed on a weekly basis. Also, estimate how much time these tasks will take and, if possible, what days of the week might be best for someone to work for you.

3. What type of intern? My suggestion is to hire a college intern who has background in the areas that you most need help with. For example, if your start-up is heavily focused on using computer technology to either produce your product or service, or if it is a significant part of the interface with your clients, hire an intern who is studying computer science. On the other hand, if you have a business focusing on delivering corporate sales training programs, hire a marketing major. If you have general office work that needs to be done, consider a business administration student.

4. To pay or not to pay? That is the question. Nowadays, interns are readily available for pay or no pay. The hiring market for new college graduates is rather strained so they know that any and all work experience they gain prior to graduation will serve them well in the future.

5. Offer benefits other than money. Money is not the "be all, end all" of a relationship with your intern. Many interns are looking to learn new skills which can best be learned in a real-life scenario. They also know the importance of networking and the possibilities that might accrue by meeting the right person at the right time. In addition, if they really enjoy the experience (and you do, too), they'll want you to write them a letter of recommendation or serve as a reference in the future.

There are other ways you can "compensate" your intern. Consider developing a coaching program for them which entails teaching them your business in an organized manner. Teach them the steps of creating a business from scratch. By having them assist with all aspects of the business, you may be opening up the door for them to start their own.

Consider offering them commissioned-based compensation based upon product or service sales they close on their own. Or, you might design an internship where they can earn college credit. Contact the appropriate faculty member in charge of credit-based internship programs to see if you might be able to create a development program which will fulfill some of their elective credit hour requirements.

6. Minimum requirements. Before you're ready to contact your local college or university to place the advertisement for an intern, make sure you have the following information ready:

• Company Name
• Company Address
• Your Name
• Telephone Number (you may not wish to give out your telephone number so that applicants are forced to submit resumes through fax or via email)
• Fax Number
• Email Address
• Job Description (including complete list of expected tasks, expected number of hours to be worked, days to be worked (if necessary), hourly rate of pay (if applicable), negotiable rate (if you wish to evaluate their qualifications before setting a rate)
• Type of college major desired (business administration, accountancy, finance, computer science, etc.)
• How best to contact you (phone or email) and what to send (resume, letters of recommendation, transcripts, etc.)

7. Contact career services. Once you've gathered all the necessary information, contact the career services center of several local colleges and universities. They will either give you online access to a system where you can input your job description information, or you can simply provide them with the information and they will do it for you. Once your posting is approved, it will be made available for students to access.

8. Gather resumes and start interviewing. Allow your advertisement to be posted for at least two weeks. Start sorting through resumes right away to see who might be the best fit. Begin setting up interviews immediately to find the best candidate for the position.

9. Interviewing. Ask both closed and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions require a yes or no answer, whereas open-ended questions request explanation and elaboration. Find out about their prior work experience; ask for examples of how they've handled particular situations, all while carefully evaluating their communication skills. You might even ask for a copy of one their class papers to assess their writing skills. Make sure that you are comfortable with them in every aspect. After all, you will be entrusting them with your top priority â€" your business.

10. Status reports. You might consider asking your intern to fill out a weekly status report which tracks the assignments completed, including how much time each task required. It will give the intern a sense of accomplishment with respect to their contributions, while providing you with useful information about what has been completed.

11. Enjoy the benefits. There's so much to gain from building relationships with others. While the intern is learning from you, you'll be surprised at how much you will learn from him or her. Encourage them to take ownership and pride in what they are doing, praise and acknowledge them frequently for jobs well done, and welcome their comments, criticisms, and contributions.

Using college interns to help you with your business is not only a cost-effective way to get things done, but it's a wonderful way to contribute to the knowledge and experience of someone who might very well follow in your footsteps. In any case, it can be a win-win situation for everyone.