- I hate meeting with clients.
I've been doing this job for three decades,
and I still get nervous before a meeting.
Nevertheless, I need to do it.
It's tempting to communicate only by email,
but that never works, never.
I need to sit in a room with someone physically,
or if absolutely necessary, with video conferencing,
to hear what they are saying, how they say it
and what their body language is saying.
We're hard wired as humans for social interaction
and pretty good at understanding each other face-to-face.
Once I'm sitting down with a client, employees or customers,
I can get to the questions.
First, I make sure that he or she understands
that the discussion is confidential
and I'm not writing down who said what.
Nobody wants to be dragged into the CEO's office
because I leaked that Jane said,
"The marketing department is confused."
This is information gathering, not interrogation.
I keep my questions open-ended and neutral.
"Don't you hate your newsletter design?" is leading,
and the person you're sitting with probably worked on it.
"What do you think about the newsletter?" is better.
And a good response is "Thank you" or "I understand."
Stay away from jumping on the bandwagon and saying,
"I know, it's so ugly."
They might've been responsible for it originally.
Start with what.
For example, what are the company's primary values?
What are the company's strengths and weaknesses?
What message is the company communicating now?
What should the company be communicating?
And in a perfect world,
describe what the company will be in five years.
Take notes by hand.
Using a digital recorder scares people and they clam up.
They don't need to be incredibly neat.
You're the only one who needs to refer to them later.
Then, move into the who.
Who are the company's primary audience and stakeholders?
Who should the audience be?
Who is the company's primary competition?
Remember, it's your job to gather the information,
not disagree or argue.
This is the chance for the client to do all the talking.
Now it's time for how.
How does the company reach the current audience?
How does the company define itself to the outside world?
How does the company communicate its values
to the employees?
Each of these questions could be broken
into more detailed ones, but these are the basics.
You may need to tailor them for different clients.
In some instances,
you might need to know more about a product.
Will it remain the same? Does the audience like it?
Does it work with a company's values?
Whether you're an introvert or love working with others,
this is a time to put away the fear.
I tell myself I can stow it at the door
and pick it up when I leave.
It's your job to keep the conversation professional
but light, comfortable and friendly.
So stay away from one bright light bulb, a hard table,
and chair in the basement.
Have a nice lunch somewhere, relaxed for your discussion.