[getPhone]
Some people just refuse to trust a business based on e-mail or phone conversations. In such cases, it’s best to sit down and meet in person so that they can get a good feel for you. That said, such meetings have different standards and require a different sort of preparation. Don’t go into one without making sure you’re ready.
Know What You’re Selling
When you’re writing an email, you can go back and edit something if it doesn’t read right. You can also go back and look at information sheets about your product if you want to include details that you might otherwise forget. You can’t do that in real life – you have to actually know your product and know what you’re selling. Otherwise, you risk leaving out an important detail that might otherwise convince someone to buy what you’re selling. If you absolutely have to, you can tell a customer that you will get back to them about something – but you shouldn’t have to unless they have a very specific question.
Know Who You’re Talking To
This may seem obvious, but names are hard, especially last names. What’s more embarrassing than forgetting who you’re talking to? If you’re bad at names, review your potential client’s name until they walk in the door. Knowing the name of their company can also be useful, especially since that’s probably what they’re coming in to represent. If you have to talk to a group of people, have a small piece of paper with a diagram and all the names of the people in their particular seats.
You don’t want to look like you’re uncertain or forgetting important information in a face-to-face meeting, since you can’t go back and edit things like you can with e-mail. Be sure that you’re up-to-date on all of your product information, and be sure to know the full name of everyone you meet with.
