It Starts With Clients

Week 4 Master the First Meeting

The worst first meeting I ever had was with a senior vice president and two of his colleagues from a large telecommunications company. It was early in my career, but it was so bad I cringe even today when I think about it.

At the time I was still working with my old firm. We had a phenomenally successful business in the telecommunications industry, and I felt sure that the overwhelming weight of our experience would by itself bowl them over. I brought a beautiful deck of color 8x10 transparencies that I projected onto a big screen at the head of the conference room table (Does this date the meeting, just a little bit?). I gave a 45-minute, nonstop presentation on our capabilities, and then asked if there were any questions. They said no and fled the room in unison. Ouch!

Do I need to explain all the things I did wrong? I made a presentation instead of having a conversation. I talked nonstop at the client and didn't prepare thoughtful questions. I didn't add value that was specific to their challenges. Not surprisingly, I never heard from them again.

The second-worst meeting, which happened about 15 years ago, was with a large law firm. I met with two senior partners who seemed to have already made up their minds (in the negative). They peppered me nonstop with questions. I never gained my footing or turned the tide of the conversation. I ended ...