The Coffee Get-Together Time Trap

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Feb. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- If you are new to sales or networking, you are probably stressed out over making sure that your calendar is full of appointments.  As a Sales Manager, I pay particular attention to the appointments my agents set for coffee with someone they just met at a recent networking event.  The infamous “Coffee Get Together” meetings are often diamond in the rough opportunities that can turn into time traps if not properly planned for.  Coffee meetings present a false sense of security for salespeople because they appear to be appointments on your calendar, but they are not exactly selling opportunities.

Why is it a time trap?  If you do not approach this meeting with an agenda, you will most certainly spend the hour listening to a more experienced salesperson talking about themselves.    It’s not just inexperienced salespeople that fall into this time trap, it’s the disorganized ones too.

Worse, if you were not able to share much about yourself and what you do, chances are you leave the meeting feeling a little resentful.  You have no one to blame but yourself!

There is a few simple steps you can take to ensure you participate in a meaningful coffee meeting.

#1 – Create an Agenda for the hour.  On paper, put your names on the header in bold, large font.  Then map out the next 45-60 mins on paper.  Have your bio prepared and printed to share.  Create a bulleted outline of your background, expertise, and specific examples of the types of clients you want to be introduced to.  Good News!  You can recycle this agenda over and over for future “Coffee” meetings.  Do NOT waste time touting statistics of the company you work for.  People care about what sets you apart from the competition.  They want to know your special talents.  They don’t like talking to a corporate parrot.  It’s shallow.

#2 – Allow time for the professional you are meeting with to reciprocate and share about themselves, but keep an eye on the clock.  Don’t be afraid to control the meeting by sticking to your agenda.

#3 – Ask for Referrals – Define 3 types of clients you would like to meet – then ASK for introductions.  Hint – paint a picture and help tell a story of how you will provide value to the people you want to be referred to.  PAUSE – watch their facial expression for recognition of people they might introduce you to as you describe who you are looking to meet.  This is not the time to talk, it is the time to listen to the non-verbal communication as much as the verbal.

#4 – Conclusion of the meeting – Define how you will keep in touch with each other – what is the next steps?  Do you connect on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, a blog, an eNewsletter?  Has one or both of you promised to get back to the other with names/numbers for a referral?  Set a date/time to follow up.

Even if it is your first week on the job, if you set appointments and arrive prepared with intention, expectation, confidence and an agenda to keep you on track, you will be far more successful than your peers who have been in business for several years and fly by the seat of their pants.

The coffee meeting is your second chance at a first impression.  If the meeting was set after an encounter at a networking event, you now have the opportunity to dazzle them with your organization and business skills, raising your credibility, likeability and increasing the flow of referrals to you.