Best Practices for Efficient Consulting Meetings

A reminder to all CS practitioners and leaders alike. Never set up a call to “just check in” - make sure you have a plan! Below is an actual example of guidelines I've put out for a few of my teams. Feel free to take them and make them your own. What else would you add? ________________________________ The check-in call is a good time to review the status of the partnership and mutually created goals, update any action items, discuss challenges, and adjust plans accordingly. You should also use this time to share any product updates! They will likely hear about things from a marketing drip campaign, but you are their trusted advisor, so it's great to hear them directly from you as well. A few other helpful things that can help guide content for these calls are: - Use Google Alerts and see if there's news about the customer. Bring up anything good or positive you've learned and ask probing questions about how and if this impacts their function. - Twitter and LinkedIn are also helpful for looking for updates that are interesting. - Come with a key insight that you've learned about their industry from others you are working with. Try showing them that you know their account and their market and that you are a valuable partner. - Look at usage trends. Has usage changed recently? Talk about usage trends and anything interesting you are seeing. Are there any other folks that should have access? - Try to get connected with other departments that could benefit from using this service/solution. - Bring up the past EBR goals and keep them at the center of the conversation. - Be prepared to discuss open tickets as it is likely to come up. Best Practices: - Before your call, send an agenda (at least 1 day in advance). Always be respectful of their time. Ask: - Is there anything you’d like to add to the agenda? - Is there any person who should be added to the call? - Come with some probing questions ready for problem statements or progress you’d like to assess. Always have a few and work them in naturally. When you start the call, start with some small talk, but keep things on track. - Have one slide that shows the agenda. Prioritize items by importance. - Try and stay on the agenda, but also listen for topics that may drive strategy. - Be flexible and prepare to adapt to their needs. Mind your talk-to-listen ratio. - It’s important that you lead and share, but make sure you talk less than the customers. Of course, I am not suggesting you sit in awkward silence, but make sure you are aware of how much you are speaking compared to them. Listening actively. Pay attention to what’s being said, how it’s being said, tone, body language, and any other non-verbal cues. This will help you gain a greater understanding of the overall health of the relationship. Follow through and follow up! - Always follow up with a thank you email with any information or actions clearly documented. These emails should be sent within 24 hours of the initial meeting.

I've sat in 2,000+ leadership meetings. And I can tell you exactly why most of them fail. But more importantly - I can show you how the best ones generate $100K+ in value in under 90 minutes. The framework that changes everything: 1. The 5-Minute Segue Slide • First 5 minutes: break the ice 🧊 • Have a little fun- what did everyone have for breakfast? • Set the tone for the meeting. 2. The 5-Minute Scorecard Sprint • Choose 3-5 important numbers to track. • Report on them- off track/on track. • Off track = issue. Talk about it. Solve it. 3. The 5-Minute Rock Report • Choose 1-3 90-day priorities for team members. • Report on them- off/track/on track. • Off track = issue. Talk about it. Solve it. 4. The 5-Minute Headliner • First 5 minutes: Get updates from the team. • Out-of-office reminders. Quick Client wins. Company-wide reminders. • No frills, just updates. 5. The 5-Minute To-Do Tally • To-Dos are commitments. • Hold your team accountable and get it done. • Success looks like 90% to-do completion each week. 6. The 60-Minute Issues Solving Session • This is the meaty part. • Pick the MOST important company issue. • Talk about it. Find the root. Solve it. • "Solved" looks like an actionable to-do (that fixes the issue for GOOD.) 7. Conclude • Recap your to-dos. • Check in with the team on morale. • Rate the effectiveness of the meeting 1-10. • Success is 10s across the board (enthusiastically from every team member.) Real-world example: → Sales team couldn't close deals fast enough → Used this framework → Found bottleneck in proposal process → Simplified approvals → Result: Closed $180K deal in 48 hours instead of 2 weeks The secret? This isn't just about meeting efficiency. It's about solving issues for the greater good of the org. Remember: Every minute in a meeting costs money. Make those minutes generate money instead. -- Want more frameworks like this? ✉️ Subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive insights: https://lnkd.in/gGxR5nFU ♻️ Reshare to help an entrepreneurial leader save time and money

Most meetings don’t just waste time — they drain execution speed and culture. But when run right, meetings become engines of growth. At NetCom Learning, with Business Units spanning geographies (USA, Europe, India, UAE, Bangladesh, Africa) and vendors (Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, AI CERTs, Google, Other), meetings aren’t optional. They are high-stakes investments where alignment, decisions, and execution must happen across teams and partners. I’ve seen the difference firsthand — one BU meeting that applied these 5 rules finished in 60 minutes instead of 2 hours, with clear owners and next steps. That’s what effective meetings should do: save time while accelerating execution. Here are 5 best practices we apply — lessons every leader and organization can use: 1) Define the objective (the “why”): Every meeting must have a clear purpose: to decide, align, or solve. If the purpose isn’t clear, the meeting shouldn’t exist. 2) Build a tight agenda (the “how”): Limit topics, assign owners, and time-box discussions. Structure creates focus. 3) Invite the right people: Apply the 3C Rule: only Contributors, Customers, or Champions belong in the room. The rest can get updates later. 4) Drive to decisions: Discussion is valuable, but decisions create movement. A meeting without decisions is wasted investment. 5) Document and follow up: Every meeting should end with ownership. Who is doing what, by when? Share it within 24 hours to drive accountability. Whether you’re leading a global company or a 5-person startup, the principle is the same: Meetings are not about talking — they’re about moving the business forward. What’s the single best practice you use to make meetings effective in your organization? Russell Sarder August 25, 2025 | Leadership Tips #Leadership #Execution #Meetings

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 90 minute virtual meeting paradox. We spend the first 30 minutes on welcoming everyone and introductions, the next 15 on framing, and then a few people share thoughts. Then, just when the conversation gets meaningful, the host abruptly announces "We're out of time!” and throws a few rushed closing thoughts and announcements together. Sound familiar? We crave deep, meaningful, trust-based exchanges in virtual meeting environments that feel both tiring and rushed. It seems like as soon as momentum builds and insights emerge, it’s time to wrap up. Share-outs become a regurgitation of top-level ideas—usually focused on the most soundbite-ready insights and omitting those seeds of ideas that didn’t have time to be explored further. And sometimes, we even cite these meetings as examples of participation in a process, even when that participation is only surface level to check the participation box.  After facilitating and attending hundreds (thousands?) of virtual meetings, I've found four practices that create space for more engagement and depth: 1. Send a thoughtful and focused pre-work prompt at least a few days ahead of time that invites reflection before gathering. When participants arrive having already engaged with the core question(s), it’s much easier to jump right into conversation. Consider who designs these prompts and whose perspectives they center. 2. Replace round-robin introductions with a focused check-in question that directly connects to the meeting's purpose. "What's one tension you're navigating in this work?" for example yields more insight than sharing organizational affiliations. Be mindful of who speaks first and how difference cultural communication styles may influence participation.  3. Structure the agenda with intentionally expanding time blocks—start tight (and facilitate accordingly), and then create more spaciousness as the meeting progresses. This honors the natural rhythm of how trust and dialogue develop, and allows for varying approaches to processing and sharing.  4. Prioritize accessibility and inclusion in every aspect of the meeting. Anticipating and designing for participants needs means you’re thinking about language justice, technology and materials accessibility, neurodivergence, power dynamics, and content framing. Asking “What do you need to fully participate in this meeting?” ahead of time invites participants to share their needs. These meeting suggestions aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about creating spaces where authentic relationships and useful conversations can actually develop. Especially at times when people are exhausted and working hard to manage their own energy, a well-designed meeting can be a welcome space to engage. I’m curious to hear from others: What's your most effective strategy for holding substantive meetings in time-constrained virtual spaces? What meeting structures have you seen that actually work?

In the C-Suite, there are no ‘Nice Meetings’ - only useful ones You just wrapped up your big meeting with a senior Executive. It ran the full 45 minutes. They didn’t cut it short. They even said “Thanks.” Success? Not so fast. According to Forrester, 85% of CXOs consider first meetings with salespeople a waste of time. Don’t be one of them. As a former CFO, I’ve sat in hundreds of those meetings. Here are five best practices to make sure yours actually delivers value - and differentiates you from the pack: 1. Set a clear agenda upfront Start with no more than two agenda items. Invite the Executive to adjust them - this creates shared ownership. If time runs short, your agenda gives you a valid reason to follow up. 2. Prepare differently Yes, research the industry, the company, the Executive, and their role. But go deeper: review investor calls, risk disclosures, and Executive compensation in 10-K or 20-F filings. These reveal what truly drives decision-making. 3. Bring a fresh insight Executives value originality. We want ideas we haven’t already heard - relevant trends, peer examples, or a sharp POV. Insight builds credibility. Outcomes open doors. 4. Speak our language Tailor your message to what we actually care about: - CFOs: Profitability, margins, risk - CMOs: Customer growth, retention, share of wallet, and brand impact - CIOs/CTOs: Scalability, innovation, security Use our metrics - not yours. 5. Manage the time - and the follow-up Respect the clock. If you finish early, say thank you and leave. Always end with clear next steps, confirmed ownership, and a follow-up email the same or next day recapping key takeaways and agreed actions. Final thought: Executive meetings aren’t judged by how pleasant they are. They’re judged by how useful they were. Master these five practices, and you won’t just have a successful meeting, you’ll be one step closer to crushing your quota. #SalesLeaders #CSuite #SellingtoExecutives #CXOs #SalesEnablement #StrategicAccounts #ChiefRevenueOfficers #LearningAndDevelopment #CFOs #CEOs #CorporateUniversities #CustomerSuccess

Running an effective meeting is crucial for maximizing productivity and achieving organizational goals. Maybe not in the plank position, but you want to keep your meetings on point, efficient, and effective. By implementing these key strategies, you can transform your meetings from timewasters to powerful drivers of success. ✅ PURPOSE AND AGENDA Every successful meeting starts with a well-defined purpose and a structured agenda. Before scheduling, ask yourself: "What specific outcome do we want to achieve?" Once you've established the purpose, create a detailed agenda that outlines the topics to be discussed, allocates time for each item, and identifies who will lead each section. Share this agenda with participants in advance, allowing them to prepare and contribute meaningfully. ✅ INVITE THE RIGHT PEOPLE Carefully consider who needs to be present for the meeting to achieve its objectives. Avoid the common pitfall of inviting too many people, which can lead to unfocused discussions and wasted time. Instead, include only those who can contribute directly to the meeting's purpose or who will be impacted by the decisions made. ✅ EFFECTIVE FACILITATION As the meeting leader, guide the discussion, maintain focus, and ensure everyone's voice is heard. Start by clearly communicating the meeting's objective and ground rules. Throughout the meeting, keep the conversation on track by gently redirecting off-topic discussions and encouraging participation from all attendees. ✅ TIME MANAGEMENT Respect everyone's time by starting and ending the meeting promptly. Use the "5-minute rule" to maintain engagement: aim to involve participants in problem-solving or discussion at least every 5 minutes to keep everyone alert. ✅ ACTION ITEMS AND FOLLOW-UP Conclude your meeting by summarizing key decisions, assigning clear action items, and setting deadlines. Designate a note-taker to record these outcomes and distribute them to all participants after the meeting. This practice ensures accountability and provides a clear path forward. ✅ INNOVATIVE APPROACHES To make your meetings even more effective, consider implementing these innovative strategies: A.    Rotate Meeting Leaders: Assign different team members to lead meetings, foster engagement, and develop leadership skills across the organization. B.    Use Technology Wisely: For virtual or hybrid meetings, ensure all participants can fully engage by testing technology in advance and providing equal opportunities for remote attendees to contribute. C.     Incorporate Brief Activities: Engage participants with short, relevant activities or icebreakers that energize the group and promote creative thinking. By implementing these strategies, you can transform your meetings into productive, engaging sessions that drive your organization forward. Remember, the goal is not just to have meetings, but to make every meeting matter. For more strategies >>> https://lnkd.in/gwNw4zVe