Susan Johnston had a great post on making the most of client meetings. It came at a time when I’d just turned down a client meeting that would’ve sucked up an entire day (travel time and meeting time). Her tips once you get the meeting scheduled are super, but if you’re on the fence about the importance of it, consider a few things first:
Do you know the client already? If you do, you can assess the value to you of the meeting. If not, you should ask the client plenty of questions about the impending project, including budget.
How much are they paying you for that meeting? Yes, if you’re going hours out of your way, I think you should be compensated. I’m a fan of giving a free consultation, but usually I limit those to the phone. If you are meeting with a client, you’re taking time from your other projects to do so. Set up a consultation fee upfront. Let them know you charge $XXX for two hours of your time. Even if a project never comes of it, your time isn’t wasted.
What’s the potential for actual work? Just because the client is dying to write a book doesn’t mean one will ever get written. Too many times I’ve traveled an hour or more out of my way to meet with someone who then says “Yes, I’ll pay you in royalties once it sells.” No you won’t. You’ll pay me in cash once I deliver your manuscript. I have no idea how much of a marketer this client is or isn’t, nor should I have to take a loss should this person decide he’s no longer interested and is now on to his next pet project.
Does the existing client pay on time? I turned down a meeting recently for a number of reasons. The travel time was one, but the larger issues were the sporadic nature of both the projects and pay I’d received to date, and the fact that the client was prone to making, then forgetting appointments. I wasn’t too confident that my time was going to be spent fruitfully. I turned the meeting down. A month later, the work dried up as I suspected it might. I have every intention of meeting the client at a later date, but when it’s convenient for me and I’m in the area. I’m not sorry and no, I don’t think for a moment my declining the meeting impacted the workload. History suggests otherwise.
Does the client understand your terms and his project? I met with a client once whose project as described had me a little concerned. Once we met in person, he described a different project, which was even less appealing, and then announced to his colleague, without one word to me, that I was being paid in royalties. That was the day I decided no more free consultations onsite. Also, it was the day I decided to have a much more detailed payment and project conversation with the client over the phone or in email prior to any meeting.
Clients often suggest meetings onsite because it’s convenient for them and may be how they’re used to dealing with new people. But it’s so much easier for everyone if you have a phone conversation. You can gather the information you need before deciding if the meeting is even necessary.
How often do you meet directly with clients? How often has it been necessary? How many of these meetings could have been handled over the phone?
7 responses to “Assessing the Need for a Client Meeting”
First of all, I loathe the telephone. Most phone conversations are an utter waste of time. I want things via email — that way it's in writing and there's proof.
It totally depends on the situation. I'm more likely to go in for meetings with non-profits, mom-and-pop businesses, and small historical societies. That way, I get a sense of the place and what they need. And yes, I do charge for meetings — time, travel expenses, gas or train faire, etc.
I am less likely to agree to a meeting with a corporate client because most of those are power games. If I do, the fee's much higher.
Your line "I am less likely to agree to a meeting with a corporate client because most of those are power games" – is quite true. I won't say that's the case with the largest ones, but the middle market ones or emerging companies have met with me and then played the nickel-and-dime-the-writer game. It's why I lean toward phone or email instead. Unless you're handing me large files that can't be emailed or faxed, there's no need to meet. I'm happy to meet, but the economy of it for me has to make sense.
I agree that you need to be picky about meeting with people. By the same token, sometimes it feels good to get out of the house and meet with people in person. You can often get a better sense of their needs that way and get to know them better as people. Thanks for the link, Lori!
It does feel good to get dressed up and mingle among corporates sometimes, Susan. I agree the personal touch is important. I've just been in entirely too many wasted meetings. I love the phone conference among the various parties. It's a much better use of time.
The last time I went to a meeting was about five years ago. I'd been to a local networking event, and a woman there said, "I really need you! You're just the writer I need." So, foolishly forgetting to ask a few basic questions, I schlepped 30 minutes across town for a meeting with her a few days later. She explained that she needed a press release, and that her corporate headquarters would do it, but they wanted to charge her $100 for it! Imagine the nerve of them! Did they think she was made of money?
I never forgot that lesson. So now I don't do meetings, period. But it's easy to stick to that policy, because now I specialize in a field where none of my clients are local. Occasionally, I'll pick up a little gig from my local networking days, but I still won't do meetings. They're just too much of a time suck.
This is a good topic. I've only had a handful of meetings with potential clients, but every one of them ended up being a complete waste of time.
I admit I'm partly to blame. These meetings took place early on when I was just starting out as a freelancer and didn't realize the importance of pre-qualifying clients.
I'm not totally against meetings, but it would take a lot to get me to one because my situation is complicated until August 10, 2010 (when my last baby goes off to pre-k *sniff*).
But even then I won't have time to waste. I'll certainly expect compensation for my time (I consider it a consultation).
Eileen, that's painful to read. Worse is you put time into someone who didn't value the skills or the time you'd bring to her projects. Shame on her! I love meeting clients, but I don't love wasting my time just to hear them complain about their finances. I had one potential client drag me two hours one way so he could brag about his business, his earnings, and his expansion – and then try to negotiate my rate for his books down to $10K for all three. Right. Next!
Kim, same here. I shlepped downtown (car ride, two trains and a 6-block hike each way) to meet with a "sure thing" client, only to find out when I got there the person referring me didn't realize they wanted an actuary to develop and teach their employee training programs, not a writer to write them. My carefully-developed pitch disintegrated in two minutes. Had I gotten the name of the woman I was to talk with upfront, I could've saved hours.