In previous postings, I described how to write an introductory letter requesting a meeting.  That letter should be but the first in a string of communications.

Competing for business at a professional services firm is a battle for a share of a client’s mind.  When she needs an accountant (or actuary, or attorney, or engineer, or management consultant, or whatever kind of professional you are), you want her to think of you.  If you are already working for her and so in regular contact, keeping in front of her is a manageable task.  But if she doesn’t even know you, it’s harder to come up with reasons to get her to think about you.  You must take advantage of every opportunity you get.

Once the client has agreed to meet with you, you want to use that meeting to remind her of who you are several times.  In addition to the meeting, itself, this means that at the very least you want to send an email confirming the meeting and one following up afterwards.  This posting describes the former, and a later posting will describe follow-up emails.

In an earlier posting, I observed that there are no extra points for developing business the hard way.  Meeting confirmation emails are one of the easiest ways to capture a little mindshare.  They should be short and to the point, needing only to confirm the meeting’s time, place, participants and purpose.

Dear __________:

I look forward to our meeting in your office next Thursday, November 3, at 2:00 PM to talk about the tax implications of divesting the Wescott plant.  Mark Smith of our Tax Department will be with me.  See you then.

Sincerely,

Optional additional items include a politely worded reminder of what the client has offered bring to the meeting and a brief personal note.

Dear __________:

I look forward to our meeting in your office next Thursday, November 3, at 2:00 PM to talk about the tax implications of divesting the Wescott plant.  Mark Smith of our Tax Department will be with me. If Marie Frasier or someone else from your Financial Department can join us, that would be great.  See you then.

Thanks for the news that Marty’s daughter is recovering. I’ve hesitated to ask, it sounded so bleak.  What a relief it must be for him!

Sincerely,

This email should go out within twenty-four hours of the conversation setting up the meeting.  It is easy to do, helpful to the client and businesslike and gets your name in front of the client one more time.  One should go out confirming every business development meeting.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 am and is filed under Introductory Letter, Rain making, Sales Meeting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.