Week 7 Anticipate and Agenda Set

The image shows a well-dressed man and behind this man is the image of the whirl of the dollar signs and forward arrows.

Have you ever been in a meeting with a client who seemed distracted? Perhaps you noticed her eyes wandering, or saw him reach for his smartphone. Or have you tried to get an appointment with an executive who just wouldn't make room in the schedule for you?

In both cases, the problem is the same. You're not compelling enough. You're not showing how you are relevant to the client's agenda of critical priorities.

How would you react if your plumber called you and suggested you get together for lunch so you could get to know each other better? How about if you got a call from your doctor, who asked you to come in to discuss your latest test results? Who would you make time for?

Clients are like the rest of us—they open their schedules for their most essential priorities.

If you want to be seen as integral to your clients’ growth and profitability, you have to demonstrate that what you do is strategic to their business. You must show that you are proactively focused on their most important goals. You need to demonstrate you can help them see around the corner and anticipate important, future influences on their business.

Do you really understand your client's agenda?

Every client has an agenda of three to five priorities or goals that they are focused on in their organization. It's rarely more than five, because after four or five they tail off ...

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