4 Ways to Make Your Clients Feel More Comfortable When Meeting in Person

It’s one thing to talk with clients over the phone and make them comfortable, it’s another to have to meet them face-to-face to talk about business issues or concerns. Whether you are planning to chat about the things your business has done well, or you would like to chat about any questions they might have, it’s important for them to feel as though you care.

Here are 4 ways you can help your clients to feel relaxed and ready to address any concerns when you meet.

1. Be open

It can be easy to feel defensive about the actions you’ve taken as a manager or business owner, and you might feel as though you have to legitimize any actions you might have taken. The truth is that most clients are going to approach you with any criticisms from a much more reasonable standpoint if you are open to hearing them. Greet your customers with a handshake and be willing to see things from another angle. You might be surprised and learn a lot about yourself and your business too.

2. Make them feel at home

An office environment can feel cold—especially if you are running into problems with your air conditioning and you still haven’t gotten it fixed. These small issues can actually make a big difference when you are talking to clients. Make sure to offer them a cup of coffee and a place to sit if they have to wait for you. Ask if you can get them some water or if there is anything that you can personally do for them. The details are often what can make the biggest impression when you want things to go smoothly.

3. Ask questions

While it’s likely that you might be answering the majority of the questions during your conversation with the client, feel free to ask them some questions in return. Oftentimes, the best way to know how you can get better as a business is to find out what you are doing right and what you can improve on. Ask how you could change a certain product or service to better suit them, or whether your branding is on point. You can learn a lot from the people who are actually choosing your company.

5. Follow up

After your meeting, it can be easy to get bogged down with other business concerns. However, taking five or ten minutes to craft a quality email and to let clients know that their time is important to you can mean a lot. Sit down and think about what was beneficial about your time together and how you plan on making their experience better as a customer. Not only does this show that you listened to their concerns, but that you are planning on making a concentrated effort toward being the best business you can be.

Meeting clients face-to-face is always slightly nerve-wracking. However, you can learn a lot about your business and a lot about yourself, as well. Most importantly, make sure to great each customer with a smile and a listening ear so they know that they have your attention.

Guest article written by: Alex Schnee