THE BARD GROUP, LLC

OBJECTIVES

Ensure that the goals of the meeting are met by its conclusion.
Create an environment where the client is engaged and feels safe to share their challenges and perspectives.
Build rapport by opening paths to a conversation that gets the client to think and talk.
Demonstrate mutual respect, genuine curiosity, and vulnerability
Make a great impression as a team, leaving the client feeling that you work well together and respect one another.
Motivate the client to take action and have clarity around the next steps.

CHALLENGES

Optimism bias leads you to prepare for meetings assuming a best-case scenario. You prepare thinking you will get your allotted time, and things will roll along precisely as you planned.
Time pressures inevitably arise that force you to shorten your presentation — the client shows up late, a team member talks too long, the client is verbose and asks a lot of questions, etc.
The client comes to the meeting expecting you to fit the pattern of every other sales meeting they have been in and, as a result, half-heartedly listens as you get started.
The client has a short attention span.
The client will remember very little of what you say.
The client does not want to work too hard to follow along with you or figure out how you are different. It's up to you to make it easy for them to understand your value.
You believe that you have so much rich content to share that you do not have any time to allow the client to ask questions.

TECHNIQUES

By now, you have spent hours or days building your story and designing your presentation. You have fully briefed the team, and you have rehearsed. It’s showtime!

The Team Lead typically facilitates a client meeting, and your role is critical to ensuring that the meeting is engaging and achieves your goal. Remember, your client is only engaged with one of three things is happening:

They are talking,
You are talking about them, or
You are making them think.

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A. Manage the time

Managing time is the one facet of a meeting that is harder to control than any other, but it is necessary to get the job done.

1. Plan for less time than you have been given.

Put your story into an outline form. This helps you think smaller, knowing you can go bigger during the meeting.
Select your content assuming you will have less time than you expect. If you have 15 minutes, then have a 10-minute presentation. 30 minutes means a 20-minute presentation, 60 minutes means a 45-minute presentation, etc.
Add up all of the sections, including your opening and close, to be sure it is 10-15 minutes less than the time you have been given.
One week in advance, assign each presenter a fixed amount of time for their section so they can prepare accordingly.

2. Rehearse individually and as a team to be sure you hit your time marks.

Be in character, exactly how you intend to do it with the client.
Track the time of every presenter while you are rehearsing. Be sure you are all within your time allotment.
Tally the cumulative time and make adjustments until you feel certain you will have ample time during the live meeting to engage with the client.

3. During your opening, confirm how much time you have.

A time check benefits everyone — you, your sales team, and the client.

You and your team know upfront if you need to make adjustments.

Your client knows you respect their time.

4. Keep track of time during the meeting.

Discretely keep your eye on the clock in the room, or have a timepiece handy on the table (not on your wrist). Glancing at your watch on your wrist or your phone is noticeable and sends the wrong message. The client will see it as you being concerned about your time, not theirs.
Know what time you started, and as the meeting progresses, write the actual times next to the planned times on your agenda so you know how far behind you are.

5. Reallocate time when things get off track.

Invite the client to prioritize where the discussion goes. They will see this as you watching out for them and respecting their time.

Example:

“I want to jump in to do a quick time check. We agreed to end by 2:00. It is now 1:40. We had said originally that we wanted to make sure we had time to cover X, so I want to be sure we focus your remaining time on what is most important to you. How do you want to use the last 20 minutes?”

Once they answer, you can redirect the team in a way that is respectful of your team and focused on your client.

Example:

“Perfect, thank you. Gerard, why don’t you take 15 minutes to close out your last few key points. Then we will give Carmen 5 minutes to share key points on X and use the last 5 minutes to wrap up and discuss next steps. How does that sound?”

6. Golden rule — Always end on time!

Ending on time is an essential sign of respect. You never want to go long — ever — not without agreement from the client.

If you get lucky and the client extends your time, always set a new end time with them and be sure to end then.

Beware of the “sympathy extension”. This is when the client gives you more time because you asked for it, not because they want to. At this point in the meeting, you are likely losing ground with them so end as quickly as possible without talking faster.

B. Grab their attention right from the start

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Road with the words start painted on it.

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The opening is your opportunity, as the facilitator, to disrupt the client’s assumptions and make them see that this meeting is going to be all about THEM. The opening is your moment to make them sit up and pay attention because you do not fit the pattern they expect.

1. During your opening, confirm with the client how much time you have.

This will allow you and the team to adjust if needed, and it sends a clear message to the client that you respect their time.

2. Conduct the round of introductions.

You have two ways to go. Either the Team Lead does all of the introductions, or each team member introduces themselves. Either way, be succinct.

When the Team Lead does the introductions, instead of each person introducing themselves, it is an opportunity for the Team Lead to brag about the team, saying nice things about them that they could not say themselves. This builds up the team’s credibility.

Focus on why each team member is there, and how the client will benefit. Avoid titles unless it is one with gravitas, like President or CEO. Titles do not matter to the client and can be confusing because they are often company-specific and not self-evident.

3. Share the flow of the meeting and invite the client’s input.

Share what you will be talking about today, in what order, and why the client should be interested.
Ask the client for input to see if they have other expectations.

Examples:

“How does that sound to you?
"What do you want to make sure you get out of this conversation?”

When you ask for their input, the client feels like they are in control. When they feel in control, they are more likely to share information with you, which ultimately makes them more open to your solutions.

TIP: Take notes! This signals to the client that what they are saying is important to you. When taking notes on a laptop or standing tablet, communicate what you are doing to the client to assure them that you are fully present, not multi-tasking.

Example:

“I am opening my device because I want to take notes while you are talking. Are you okay with that?”

When the client offers their input on the meeting flow, it may be an opportune time to ask them to elaborate. Use an open-ended question.

Examples:

“Can you tell me a little bit more about that?”
“To make sure I understand, will you give me a bit more context around that?”

Paraphrase or restate what they said in the form of a challenge or opportunity.

Example:

“Thank you, that was very helpful. If I heard you correctly,… Do I have that right?”

Decide if you want to address what they have said now or defer it to later in the presentation.

Take great care if you defer it! It is rather insulting to say, “That’s a good point, we’re going to get to that later.” It is the same as saying, “I will get to it when I get to it.” You have, in effect, dismissed what they are telling you is important to them in favor of what you want to talk about.

Defer only if you can give the client a reason why it is in their best interest to put this off for a little while. Acknowledge the importance of what they said, and provide a reason for holding off.

Example:

“If we defer this discussion until after we cover X and Y, it will provide important context. How does that sound?”

4. Gain agreement on their challenges.

Offer something that helps you get clarity and helps them buy in to the challenge they face. For the client to be open to your solution, they need to buy in to the gravity of their business challenge. Here are a few ways to do this:

Option A: Hit it head-on.

Example:

“Here’s the challenge we believe we can solve for you better than anyone else…What are your thoughts?”

Option B: Offer a bold, thought-provoking observation that is concerning, amusing, or remarkable, then invite them to react.

Example:

“What are your thoughts about this?”

Option C: Summarize what you know about their situation and ask if you are correct.

Option D: Fallback to an open-ended question to learn more about their challenges.

Example:

“I think it would be helpful for us to hear a little bit about…”

Listen attentively, restate what they said in a slightly different way, and confirm with them that you have it right.

You are now ready to move to the core of the presentation where your team will present and engage the client through each of their sections.

C. Use questions to engage them

Your priority is to solve the client’s challenges, which means you and your team need to understand their situation. You will need to ask questions that get at what they care about most. Only then can you effectively guide them to where your solutions perfectly align with their challenges.

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Let's look at questioning techniques that create the right conditions for an engaging meeting.

1. Ask the right questions at the right time.

Be respectful. Wait for a natural pause, never interrupt the person talking whether they are the client or a member of your team.
Keep the questions open-ended. Start with the word “How” or “What” because these will come across as you wanting to understand their situation better and help find a solution for them.
Be curious and excited to learn more.

Examples:

“How are you thinking about this?”
“What else is on your mind?”
“How does that fit in with your goal of …?”
“What do you mean exactly when you say…?”

The right questions make them think and consider the needs or challenges they did not realize they had.

2. Listen intently, free your mind of everything else.

Put your focus solely and entirely on the other person and what they have to say.
Be patient and let them finish.
Be comfortable with silence when they pause to think. Your silence gives the client time to sort things out in their minds.
Listen for their challenges and opportunities. How well you listen determines your success far more than how well you speak.

3. Ask follow-up questions to encourage the buyer to elaborate on what they just said.

The follow-up question demonstrates your empathy and increases your likability because it says "I'm listening and want to better understand."

The client's response will likely surface new insights or perspectives that were not apparent to you or them before the meeting.

4. Restate or rephrase what you heard them say.

Affirm what they said by restating it, succinctly but in a slightly different way. Or reframe it in the form of a challenge or opportunity they have.

Examples:

“It seems like you are interested in….Do I have this right?”
“It sounds like you would like to …”

Check in with them to see if you have it right.

Their response will require them to think more deeply and internalize the gravity of their situation. Even if you get it wrong, it's okay, you will learn more when the client corrects you.

At this point, they are, in effect, finding their own way toward your solutions.

5. Aim to ask a question every 10 minutes, inviting their input on whatever is being presented.

Be ever-mindful of respecting the team member who is presenting. Their credibility in the eyes of the client is in your hands.

D. Guide them

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Person walking on road with an arrow pointing forward

The facilitator is responsible for managing the flow and moving the agenda along. Your goal is to guide the client to where you can align their challenges with your solutions based on what you are learning.

Here are ways to respectfully take charge, watching out for everyone and ensuring that the meeting delivers everything you want it to, and more importantly, everything that the client needs.

1. Manage the handoffs from one person or section to the next.

When you control the handoffs from one person and topic to the next, it keeps you relevant to the conversation, and keeps you in charge.

It is also a great time to refocus the client’s attention and make sure no one gets left behind. Use summaries and previews to re-engage them. Summaries remind listeners of what was just covered and highlight what is important for them to remember. Previews tell listeners what is coming next or how you are going to develop a point further.

Close off the last section with a summary and check-in.

Summarize the key points that were just made and ask them what questions they have. Keep your question open-ended by starting with “What” and ask it like you genuinely want them to engage.

Example:

“Before I hand off to Jack who is going to walk you through X, what questions can I answer or additional thoughts do you have?”

Resist the urge to press forward without checking in with them. Do not ask “Do you have any questions?” or say “If there aren’t any questions we’ll move on to the next section.” because these are code for “I do not want you to ask me anything.”

Drill down on anything you heard them say that you think may still be an open question in their minds.

Example:

“I know you asked specifically about X. Did you get what you needed on that?” or “What are you thinking about regarding…”

Open the next section with a preview of what's to come.

Example:

“One of the things that is very important is Y. Jack is going to walk you through how we…”

Brag a bit about the team member who will bespeaking next and what they do that is so special. Play up his or her deep expertise.
Ask the client what specifically they want to be sure you cover on this new topic.
Thank them for their thoughts.
Rephrase what you heard them say to be sure you understood correctly and so that the next speaker can hear again what they may need to be sure they cover.
At the end of this section, it is time to summarize and handoff again. Ask the client to weigh in using an open-ended question.

Examples:

“How does this fit with your experience?”
“What can we do to help you as you move forward?”

Continually engaging them shows that you care and will be a good partner to them moving forward.

2. Use 'Verbal Grabbers' to draw attention to important points.

A Verbal Grabber is a strong word or phrase, used in conjunction with your voice inflection, that is intended to spike the client’s attention.

Examples:

“This is REALLY important because…”
“A GREAT advantage of this is…”
“This is VERY interesting because…”

A Verbal Grabber tells them you are excited and triggers their brain to re-engage.

It also cues them that what you are now sharing is worth remembering. You may even see the client taking notes as a result.

E. Jumping in with comments

Things will not always go as planned, so there will be times when you need to jump in to get the meeting back on track. You may be falling behind because a team member is talking too much, or the client is looking bored, or maybe the client took you down a rabbit hole with questions.

Remember, at the beginning of the meeting you confirmed both the time and the subjects you would discuss today. Now you have the chance to use this agreement to interject without insulting or embarrassing anyone.

1. Find a natural break.

Perhaps someone takes a breath, flips a page, or changes the subject. Do not cut anyone off mid-sentence.

2. Jump in using time as your excuse.

Using a time check is often a good excuse to jump in. You are playing the role of the helpful facilitator who is looking out for the client.

Example:

“Before Jack moves on, I want to do a quick time check. This is a great conversation, but I want to be sensitive to the fact that you have 20 minutes left and make sure we are using the time in a way that works best for you. You mentioned you wanted to talk about X and Y. How do you want to use the remaining time?”

TIP: Notice in the above example that the Team Lead says, “…you have 20 minutes left.” They do not say, “…we have 20 minutes left.” This is an important distinction. When you did your time check at the beginning of the meeting, it became all about them. This is their time, not yours. If you say “We”, the client will hear it as “I” and in that instant, you have made the meeting about you.

Once they tell you how they would like to use the remaining time, your job is to redirect your team aloud so they know where to go next.

Examples:

“Thank you. Given that, Jack, why don’t you take 3 minutes to wrap up. Dana and Amir, why don’t you plan on 5 minutes each for your parts.”

“Sounds good. Stefan, why don’t you summarize in the next 3 minutes, and then Maya, we will move to you for 10 minutes. Given the time, you can focus on X and Y.”

You are doing your team a favor here. You are giving them time to think about how they will adjust rather than throwing the ball immediately to them.

You also get points with the client for being their advocate and making sure you get to the important topics. You always want your interruption to come across as positive in the eyes of the client.

F. Closing the meeting

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During the close, your goal is to reinforce what the client should take away from your presentation and gain agreement on the next steps.

1. Leave them with the three things you want them to remember.

Review your 3 key messages, the three things that align your solutions to their challenges. Tie back to your opening and also reflect what you have learned during the meeting.

2. Keep it short.

Be succinct. You are merely highlighting for them what you want them to remember. You are not reselling. You are not telling them again. You are summarizing using as few words as possible.

They are right on the edge of mentally moving on. Give the client something meaningful that will stay with them.

3. Share your passion.

They cannot be all in unless they know you are. Be emotive and tell them why you are excited about the possibilities ahead for them.

4. Request the next step.

Find something reasonable as an excuse to be in front of them again, more than, “We will check in to see where you are in a few weeks.”

Your request of them will be a judgment call in real-time based on what you have learned in the meeting.

Examples:‍

Offer to send them follow-up information or something they pressed on in the meeting
An update you will have in the future
A follow-up call based on the timing of their decision

5. Thank them.

Thank them and tell the client how much you appreciate their business if you are already working with them, or how excited you are to move forward if they are a prospective client.

ADVANTAGES TO YOU

You make it easier for your team to perform at their best. They can stay in their lane, they know when they need to adjust their times, and your questioning allows the team to focus laser-like on the client's needs.
The client responds positively because you are focused on them. You show a genuine interest in understanding their situation. You engage them in a meaningful way and you respect their time.
As they think deeply and reveal more information, they begin to value you as an expert consultant to them.
You are able to stay in charge and make sure the job gets done.
You leave feeling confident that the client saw the meeting as well worth their time.

ADVANTAGES TO THE CLIENT

The meeting is focused on what is most important to THEM.
They see how you are different, and they did not have to work too hard to connect the dots.
They are able to stay focused and listen.
They feel in control, respected, and understood.
They have a deeper appreciation for and a new perspective on their situation.
They clearly understand how your solutions can solve their business challenges.
They feel confident that your team works well together and will get the job done.

EXERCISES

1. MANAGING TIME

A. Practice your section of the presentation

Rehearse on your own. Practice aloud in front of a mirror or record yourself using your smartphone or other device.

Be in character — voice, energy, pace, passion, body movement.
Use the slides you have prepared.
Track your time.
Adjust your content or talking points as needed based on the time allocation you've been given. Leave buffer time for questions and dialogue. Example: If you have 60 minutes, plan to speak for 45 minutes max.

B. Rehearse as a team

Rehearse as a team like it is real-time. Do it in character, aloud, and exactly how you intend to do it with the client so you have a sense of how long it will take.

Meeting with the team and merely talking about what you are going to do does not help you manage the time. Only a full team rehearsal will tell you how long your entire presentation will take.

2. OPENING THE MEETING

Practice opening the meeting until it feels natural and smooth.

Confirm time.
Introduce your team.
Describe the flow of the meeting.
Tee up your 3 key messages.
Share something provocative that will help you gain agreement from them on the challenge they are facing.

3. MANAGING HANDOFFS

Practice your handoffs from one section to the next.

Summarizing what they just heard — “Before we move on…”
Check in to see what questions they may have — “What questions can I answer or additional thoughts do you have…”‍
Preview the next section and why they should listen — “What’s critical about this next section is…”‍
Brag (briefly!) about the person who owns the next section.

4. CLOSING THE MEETING

Always prepare your closing comments in advance of the meeting. This clarity will help you whether you deliver it as is or pivot to a more extemporaneous close based on how the meeting went.

Tie back to your opening and recap your 3 key messages, and the corresponding “What” and “So What” for each — succinctly! These are the three things you want them to remember.
Propose a next step.
Thank them.