Sometimes, at the first meeting with a potential client, it is quite difficult to determine how promising and mutually beneficial your further cooperation in a particular area is. However, there are a few simple rules for a good leader, the timely adherence to which can help determine, already after the first interview, whether the next client is promising.
Instructions
Step 1
Always have on hand a constantly updated list of companies and individuals, cooperation with which can be fruitful for your organization. If the potential client is not yet on this list, collect all the necessary information about him yourself or with the assistance of the company's security service.
Step 2
Pay attention to how punctual the client is when he comes to you for the first interview. If he came more than half an hour before the scheduled time, then this may first of all indicate that he has an excess of free time and most likely you are one of the first serious customers or partners for him. If he arrived more than 10 minutes late, this indicates not his workload (usually serious business people calculate the time in advance), but about disorganization and what usually follows from this - unreliability.
Step 3
Always remember that appearances are deceiving. A well-groomed and well-dressed person can turn out to be a cunning swindler, and an inconspicuous bespectacled man in jeans and a sweater can easily handle millions.
Step 4
First, ask the potential client a few questions that directly relate to his motives for contacting you. The motives can be different: practical people usually emphasize logical reasons (safety and benefit) in their discussions about the prospects of a contract. Newbies can often deviate somewhat from the topic and start talking about the emotional component of future cooperation (convenience, desire to cooperate with you). In any case, try not to be led by the client and not succumb to flattery and persuasion.
Step 5
Ask the client a few questions that are not directly related to the contract you are discussing. This will help you determine how widely you can use this client's abilities in the future.
Step 6
Offer him one or two situations related to your future cooperation in order to assess the speed of his reaction and decide for yourself whether or not to pin hopes on him in the event of force majeure.
Step 7
Pay attention to how the client behaves when talking about money. An overly anxious or overly calm customer can be potentially dangerous.
