The Coffee Catch-Up Code

Exchange stuffy boardroom meetings for a relaxed, informal catch-up with clients over a cup of coffee and witness the rapid improvement in your relationship (and profits)……

Some of the best (and most profitable) meetings I have experienced have been those where there has been a playful feeling of openness and honesty; where opportunities are explored together and the pros and cons of ideas discussed frankly - where even personal interests have managed to intertwine themselves effortlessly with business issues.

In these settings no one party is trying to “out-score” the other. There is no clear demarcation of “advisor” and “client”. Here are two equal parties seeking to mutually help one another.

There’s normally been a common theme on these occasions - coffee and a relaxed setting.

Coincidence? I’m not so sure.

The typical client meeting
Why is it that most advisor / client meetings contine to be held in cold, dull boardrooms with eyes darting nervously around a glass of iced water?!

This tense atmosphere inevitably builds unnecessary barriers within the relationship.

But this is largely down to a simple factor - the meeting environment and occasion.

The Coffee Catch-Up Code

The formula goes something like this:

Advisor + client + coffee + 1/2 hour + relaxed setting = more profitable and happy client relationship

(Feel free to add other variables but, above all, keep it simple!)

Experiment with this perhaps initially with existing clients - ideally those say on your way or close to the office.

The rules:

• Call to say that you will be passing on x date and that you would like to drop by for a coffee and a half hour catch up if that’s convenient for them (you could even offer to bring the biscuits!)
• Keep it as informal and relaxed as possible and as far from the typical “all party, board-room based, gritty meeting” as you can.
• Make this is a regular monthly date with your key clients then expand to targets and other business acquaintances.

Connecting with clients on this more personal level will be appreciated by both sides.

Not only should this make for a more relaxed environment and allow you to connect more effectively on a personal level with clients and targets but it’s critically in such relaxed surroundings that longer term, strategic clues can often be subtly dropped - it is at this point that you sense you are becoming a true trusted advisor.

A simple formula yet surprisingly effective. Try it and let me know how you get on.