Welcome Professionals…
…Sometimes we want to visit prospective clients in order to establish or deepen a relationship. We do not have ongoing project work and we have not been invited to a specific subject discussion or proposal. Yet, we want to engage into a conversation on current or future challenges, getting to understand our client better as a person and as a company.
When the time is ready to arrange such a client visit, I have made good experience with a rather casual approach. I tell the client that I will be close to his/her office on a specific day or week and that it would be nice to drop-by if he/she can make up for some time in the agenda. Placing the request this way highly increases the likelihood for the client to say yes. Moreover, if the answer is no, it is much easier to ask for another meeting when the opportunity comes again.
The casual offering takes a lot of pressure out of the request. If we tell our clients, that we are willing to make a long journey for a fully dedicated meeting with them it does not really flatter them. They immediately think that they will have to offer something in return. If the supplier is going to invest time and energy into a client visit, the client feels obligated to offer some proposal opportunity or similar in return. While this reciprocity rule works for us once we can engage in actual proposal work, it is risky to overwhelm the client in the very early stage.
This approach has another great advantage. It allows to combine various client appointments on one trip. It can dramatically increase efficiency. When arranged well in advance, it is usually possible to to find some other prospects on the way. I have made it a habit for scheduling. For every client meeting that I arrange, I ask myself who else at this client site could I visit? Who else in the the same area or along the way could I visit? Sometimes it makes sense to plan the route first and then fill it with appointments.
Wishing you a productive client visit!
Malte
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