I had a scheduled meeting with a long-time client yesterday…one that I’d spoken to a bunch recently, but hadn’t actually seen in a quite a while.
And we purposely set NO AGENDA.
Sure, we ended up talking about some business.
But just a bit.
It was actually one of the best meetings I’ve had in a while.
We brainstormed. We came up with new ideas. We talked general business strategy. We talked about families. We talked about dogs. We talked about travel. We talked about sales. We talked about technology.
In that, it was a very productive meeting.
More importantly, it rekindled the relationship. The friendship. The trust. The bond.
In that, it was a very important meeting.
Reflecting on the meeting itself, I thought to myself, that I need to do more of this.
I am starting to think about other clients to set non-agenda meetings with.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY?
I am thinking about PROSPECTS to set non-agenda meetings with. My goal:
To become better friends. To build trust. To build rapport. [to me, these three things are the true keys to sales]
But equally important is the brainstorming and co-creation that can happen in a meeting like this, one where there is no sales pressure. Where you are just hanging out.
From this, if the same thing happens as in the meeting mentioned above, we will co-create some cool, hip, exciting, new ideas.
Now, I have to go. Because I have to think more about some of the new, fresh ideas we came up with in the meeting cited above.
But try it. Set a meeting with someone important, either a client or a prospect. But set NO AGENDA.
Just hang. Just relax. Just talk.
I think you’ll find it does more to advance the business (and personal) relationship than you can possibly imagine.
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Drawing by Hugh MacLeod.
