Setting the Right Tone for Client Meetings

One bad conversation can stall a deal.  (Let's fix that.) Here's the trap even the best can fall into: ✅ You said, “Can I get 15 minutes?” ❌ They heard, “You’re just a name on my calendar.” ✅ You said, “Here’s our pricing page.” ❌ They heard, “You’d better be ready to commit.” ✅ You said, “Do you have any questions?” ❌ They heard, “I’m done talking, it's your turn to buy.” In client development, tone is strategy. And the difference between pressure and partnership? Just a few words. Because the real challenge isn’t getting time  with a client. It’s making that time count. Here are 12 proven phrases to build trust  (without sounding like a sales rep): 1. “How have things been going with [X]?” → Feels personal, not transactional. 2. “What’s your thinking around [this topic] these days?” → Opens a door, not a pitch. 3. “What would success look like if everything went right?” → Focuses on their goals, not gaps. 4. “What’s one thing you’d love to improve in 90 days?” → Specific, hopeful, and actionable. 5. “What feels risky or fuzzy about this?” → Makes doubt safe to share. 6. “Want to sketch some options together?” → Co-creates instead of prescribes. 7. “Want me to mock up a few paths forward?” → Shows flexibility, not a fixed pitch. 8. “Want to hear how others tackled this?” → Adds value, zero pressure. 9. “What would need to shift to make this a priority?” → Respects their timeline, invites partnership. 10. “Would a custom version be more helpful?” → Tailors the next step to them. 11. “Great point, can we unpack that together?” → Builds trust through collaboration. 12. “What’s the best way I can support you right now?” → Puts their needs first, signals partnership. These phrases do more than sound better. They feel better. Because they reflect how great BD actually works: 👉 With empathy 👉 With curiosity 👉 With clients, not at them Try one this week. It could turn a stalled deal into a deep conversation. Which one will you lead with? 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

Many leaders are competent in preparing for a meeting or conversation. They have a plan with clear goals and objectives and what they must do to achieve them. That’s great - preparation is critical. But it’s not just about what we need to do. We should also consider our intentions for how we will show up, especially when debate and conflict are expected. Our energy as leaders affects the energy of the room, especially when considering a situation where a team is up against an obstacle. As we’re preparing, we can get curious and ask ourselves a series of questions: -> How might I show up to keep us centered on the purpose? -> How might I ensure mutual respect amid disagreement so that everyone makes each other feel seen, heard, and supported? -> How might I remain calm and receptive to the collective truth, with my individual beliefs being a piece of the puzzle? -> How might I seek to build a genuine connection despite any tension? -> How might I create a flowing conversation where it's easy to provide input and push back on areas that seem off base? -> How might I uplift others? A practical example: ____ Let’s say we’re going into a meeting with a client whom we know is frustrated due to consistently missed deadlines. Our meeting objective is to align strategies to overcome the diversion from the original plan and get back on track. However, we know that with the inherent tension, the meeting outcome is more likely if we start by ensuring the client feels seen, heard, and supported: 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐧 Acknowledge the truth - we missed deadlines, understand there is frustration present, and we’d like to work together to get back on track collectively. 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 Ask for feedback - allow the client to share their perspective and affirm the truth. Be accountable without explaining or justifying what led to the current situation. 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 Lay the facts on the table - align the truths of the current situation and work collaboratively with the client to create a plan for course correction that addresses their concerns and meets their needs. ____ We set the intention on how we show up for the client in alignment with our values and principles (lead with who we are). Once the frustration is diffused and concerns are addressed, we move productively toward achieving the meeting objective (what we need to do). I’ve seen this work repeatedly in challenging discussions when leading with candor, transparency, and accountability. Absent of the intention in how we show up, the opposite course of action is the natural tendency to defend our team and engage in problem-solving. However, trust is hard to build when we seek to defend and justify our position. This all leads to reactivity, randomness, blame, and the victim mindset - an indication of the lack of self-leadership. Choose to set the intention beforehand and lead with who you are. ____ How do you prepare ahead of challenging circumstances? #saturdayreflection

Effective client management begins with proactive engagement, anticipating needs and potential hurdles. Mastering the art of listening plays a crucial role in this approach, allowing us to gain deep insights into our clients' operations and strategic objectives. Imagine setting the stage at the beginning of a project by discussing with your client: Dependency Exploration: 'Can we discuss any dependencies your team has on this project’s milestones? Understanding these can help us ensure alignment and timely delivery.' Impact Assessment Question: 'Should unforeseen delays occur, what impacts would be most critical to your operations? This will help us prioritize our project management and contingency strategies.' Preventive Planning Query: 'What preemptive steps can we take together to minimize potential disruptions to critical milestones?' Success Criteria Definition: 'How do you define success for this project? Understanding your criteria for success will guide our efforts and help us focus on achieving the specific outcomes you expect.' These discussions are essential for building a roadmap that not only aligns with the client’s expectations but also prepares both sides for potential challenges, reinforcing trust through transparency and commitment. By adopting a listening approach that seeks comprehensive understanding from the onset, we can better manage projects and enhance client satisfaction. Let’s encourage our teams to integrate these listening strategies into their initial client engagements. How have proactive discussions influenced your project outcomes? Share your experiences and insights. #ClientRelationships #AdvancedListening #BusinessStrategy #ProfessionalGrowth

Process is a huge differentiator. And more importantly, it can make the difference between a stellar client relationship and one that barely makes "meh" waves. You may not know that I cut my teeth in the creative business world as a traffic manager-slash-account manager-slash-other duties as assigned. That meant understanding the intersection of process and client communications to set and manage expectations and create an exceptional customer experience. When you communicate what's already happened, what's happening now, and what's coming next, clients don't spend time guessing...and you're not chasing your tail to manage seemingly wayward questions or challenges. It's why I build process-driven communciations into sales, onboarding, and offboarding **as well as** actual delivery. Here are some musts for every client-focused business **before you ever begin work**: ✅ Define the steps of your process before sending a proposal or naming a fee ✅ Break phases into the simplest possible terms ✅ Save the minutia for onboarding, but make sure proposals outline major project phases ✅ During onboarding, set expectations for project flow, timeline, communications, and client responsibility ✅ Create a clear-cut path for client updates and make sure they understand how to use it ✅ Reiterate process, current stage, and next steps in every communication ✅ Complex project management systems aren't necessary: simple Gdocs or templated email checklists also work On the other hand, here are some words of caution: 🚫 Never assume clients remember your process or timeline. They have a lot going on, so by reiterating current and next steps, you make it easy for them. 🚫 Never assume clients know what you're thinking. Be clear and make sure they understand. Better to over-communicate than under. 🚫 Never "let" them go dark mid-project. Things come up and it may slip their mind. Follow up regularly (and in those follow-ups share with them when you'll follow up again). 🚫 Never guess at what they want or understand. Practice good communication skills even in writing "What I'm hearing you say is...XYZ -- is that right?" 🚫 Never assume they read or remember your last email. Make sure the information they need is easy to access. 🚫 Never let them go off into the sunset without a debrief or check in. I'm thinking of offering a workshop for creative pros and entrepreneurs on client management. If you're interested in that, drop me a DM, and I'll make sure you get it! ***** I'm Erin Pennings, owner of CopySnacks. As a brand messaging strategist and copywriter, I draw on 20 years of marketing experience to help startups and scale-ups turn their brands into customer magnets with a blend of strategic insights and tactical delivery. For more tips like this, go to erinpennings .com/newsletter (remove the space)

There’s nothing worse than a customer hijacking your call. You show up with a plan... But five minutes in, you’re off on a tangent. The customer is venting. Exploring other ideas. Asking about features you’re not even covering today. You glance at the clock. Time’s up. Nothing got done. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. And it pushes timelines again. But here’s the truth: 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀. Here’s how to lead with clarity and keep your meetings productive — without losing trust: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴  • “𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘟, 𝘠, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘡.”   • That one sentence sets the tone — and gives you something to anchor to. 𝟮. 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 Let them share what’s on their mind. You’ll build trust — and gather insight for your response. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘟, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬.” This is where your leadership shows. 𝟰. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽. “𝘞𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 5 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”  Or: “𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 — 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺.” Because the truth is — Customers 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 leadership. They want results. They want someone who can guide them to the outcome they signed up for. If they don't see that happening they will try to take hold of the steering wheel. Don’t just attend your meetings. Own them. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳? #customersuccess

Tired of client meetings that go nowhere? An Account Manager in training recently told me, “our client meetings get off track and nothing comes from them.” Sound familiar? If you've ever walked out of a client or prospect meeting feeling like: ---Time ran out ---Questions went unanswered ---There was no clear follow-up It's time for a change! Use an Up-Front Contract (UFC) — a meeting framework from Sandler Sales. What are the Elements of a UFC? 📌 Objective/purpose of the meeting 📌 Time  📌 Your objectives in the meeting 📌 The prospect’s objectives in the meeting 📌 Outcome Here is an example of a UFC.  ✅ Objective It sounds like it would be beneficial for us to have an introduction and explore working together.  ✅ Time  It usually takes 30 minutes or so, depending on how many questions you may have.   ✅ Your Objectives in the Meeting While you’ve given me some great information already, I’d like to learn about your hiring process, technology, & projects.  ✅ The Prospect’s Objectives in the Meeting I’m sure you’ll have some questions about my services, which I’ll answer for you. What topics in particular do you want to make sure we discuss during our time together? ✅ Outcome At the end, we’ll decide together on clear next steps. Does that sound good to you?"  When you use a UFC, meetings stay focused, productive, & end with clarity. How do you keep client meetings on track? ----------- I'm Kim Henderson -- Training Staffing Experts to Win Clients, Expand Accounts, and Deliver Profitable Results