Confident Client Interactions.
You don’t need to fake it.
Instead, prepare.
watch a summary
If you don’t feel invinsible with clients, it’s not because you’re not confident ‘enough’.
It’s because you’re not prepared.
What gives clients confidence?
Confidence that you know what you’re doing. That they’re in safe, competent, hands.
To do that, you need to do a little prep. When you feel confident, it’ll show.
The confident client checklist.
Did you know clients that have a positive experience, with their expectations managed, spend 140% more?
Help clients feel confident with you by preparing a checklist before meeting with them.
The six steps are:
Q&A on hotseat questions.
Introducing yourself with confidence.
What I do vs what I don’t.
What do others at the company do well?
What’s the impact of what we do collectively?
How do I buy time when I don’t know?
Let’s take a look at each.
Q&A on hotseat questions.
You’re nervous because you worry you’ll be asked a question you don’t know the answer to.
In that case, you need to prepare. In our workshops, we ask people to write down every single question they worry they’ll get asked.
Then, to go and get the answer to that, or confirmation on who the right person you can ask on your clients behalf will be. People say it’s so empowering just clarifying what they need to know in case they get asked a curly quetsion.
For example, new facilitators are nervous to be asked what training we provide, when they specialise in one topic (and aren’t as familiar with the wider suite). When new facilitators are onboarded, they’re given information on each training programme and permission to let clients know they’ll get someone to follow up on that for them (and head office handles the rest).
What questions are you most nervous to be asked?
What would happen if you knew the answer?
Introducing yourself with confidence.
The quickest way to give a client confidence is to introduce yourself and outline specifically how what you know relates to your client.
If you don’t have one, write yourself a quick elevator pitch that relates to your clients needs. Check out this handy guide to get started.
What can I do vs what’s outside my area of expertise?
Clarify what you can offer with confidence, and what’s outside your area of expertise.
For example, if you offer training, outline what training you do and don’t cover.
At Happiness Concierge, we focus on people-skills and communication. We don’t focus on technical skills.
What is in your ‘yes’ list? What’s in your ‘no’ list?
What can others at my company do that I don’t cover?
Great sales people know to interview everyone who works at their company to understand the impact of all moving parts. You too can do the same, even if you’re not a salesperson.
Clarify how your colleagues can help your clients, even if it’s not your area of expertise.
By clarifying what they do, and communicating the impact, you’ll be so much more confident to talk to a client about it, even if you don’t end up delivering it.
For example, if you’re a project manager, what does the team in the engineering department do? If you’re the client liaison, what parts of the business do you know about the least and how could you learn more?
You’re not a fraud if you don’t know. Just go and find out.
What is the impact of what we do, collectively?
It is so much easier to speak with confidence when you have solid case studies to back it up.
Scout around for examples you can recall with ease on what your organisation does.
The most important thing is that a solid case study has a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’, and a quantifiable difference as a result of what your company offers.
For example, at Happiness Concierge, we’d speak about high engagement scores and empowered employees taking action as a result of our workshops.
What does your organisation do well?
How do I buy time when I don’t know?
When speaking on the spot, you need structure. Check out this handy guide for creating structure on the spot.
It’s also useful to have a chat with your boss/colleagues about what your response will be when you don’t know the answer.
Are you in a company that …
Embraces the ‘yes, and’ philosophy of improvisation? Which is the idea that clients love nothing more than ‘yes’ and even better, ‘yes, with a plan’. What is the plan then, when you don’t know the answer?
Says the truth of what’s possible, but then outlines the steps forward? For example, do you say ‘listen, we don’t know yet. But let us come back to you on that.’
Outlines the risks before your clients make a decision?
What sounds most like your style?
You don’t need to fake it.
Instead, prepare.