The first meeting with a customer often carries a long way in your being able to build a strong relationship. Here are some things I would do, in preparation for the first meeting with a customer: Research the customer – If the customer has a website, read their product/service offerings. When you visit the customer, instead of saying “Tell us what you do” – rephrase it as, “Based on what I researched, your company is involved in X,Y and Z. I would be keen to hear your perspective on where the company is headed”. You would be surprised how many sales people I know who walk into a customer meeting with absolutely no idea what they do. Treat Research as ‘input’ not ‘output’ – As an extension to the above, do not conclude on what a customer does, simply by research. It is important to ask the customer about their perspective, since it is often more detailed (and sometimes, rather different) than a web report. Doing research is showing respect to the customer – that you want to know their business. But don’t use it to put words in your customer’s mouth. Research their competition- I remember walking into a

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