Tired of unproductive and boring meetings that lead to sales objections? Well, sales objections are an obstacle in your journey to success. Read through to know what are the common challenges faced in client meetings and how you can overcome them efficiently to convert your prospects into happy clients.
Client Meetings often end up in overtime or result in no solution. Most unsuccessful meetings occur due to misaligned, ineffective, and unprepared actions taken before, during, and after the meetings. Poor meeting management can lead to unsatisfied and unclear objectives eventually ending up in sales objections. Hence, it is essential to plan the meetings strategically to avoid and overcome the challenges.
During and after the Covid-19 times, the number of online meetings has increased. It is on the rise as more remote opportunities open up. Meetings were held online even before the pandemic but came to the limelight during and after the pandemic. In the year 2020, meetings focused more on socializing and increased recurring meetings to 50%.
Organizing meetings is not only about fixing the date, time, and informing the people involved. It also demands focused effective actions for productive brainstorming sessions, presenting new ideas, and deciding project goals. We’ve listed a few common challenges and their solutions below that you can avoid to keep sales objections at bay.
Challenges in client meetings
Undefined Goals
Whether it is to solve a problem or just to brainstorm ideas, meetings should always have a defined goal or purpose. A meeting with no proper goals will lead to ineffective communication, off-the-track talks, and distractions. Lack of clarity on the purpose of the meeting impacts the team’s productivity, eventually ending up in sales objections.
To avoid sales objections, it is essential to communicate the meeting plan clearly and mention the purpose of the meetings with the clients. The meeting plan should mention a specific goal that acknowledges why the meeting is being conducted and what should be determined by the end of it.
Scheduling issues
Scheduling client meetings can be a daunting task. Especially, if proper scheduling techniques are not used. It leads to delayed meetings and causes scheduling overload. Manually scheduling meetings can take lots of time as it involves planning the meeting agenda, attendees’ availability, back-and-forth email communication, and calendar scheduling. It can cause errors such as overbooking, no time between meetings, delayed meetings, etc. An optimized solution for this time-consuming process is Picktime.
Picktime is a free web-based online meeting rooms scheduling software that can manage all the meeting scheduling tasks for you. Manage all the meeting management tasks such as planning, scheduling, email communication, video conferencing, recurring meetings, and more with Picktime’s effective meeting scheduling features, reducing meeting conflicts and difficulties. It automatically schedules the meetings in the calendar with the calendar synchronization feature.
Leave the time-consuming back-and-forth email communication on Picktime! Picktime automatically sends email and text reminders to the meeting participants without human intervention, eliminating the problem of no-shows and delays. Meeting management now requires only one platform to manage all the tasks in one place, no more juggling between tons of applications and software.
Does your organization conduct meetings to discuss the progress every day, week, or month? Picktime offers an exclusive recurring meeting feature to eliminate the manual meeting scheduling process, saving you lots of time. Picktime is integrated with 30+ third-party applications for efficient video meetings, calendar synchronization, payments, and more that require no installations. Picktime ensures that your clients have a seamless meeting experience pushing the probability of sales objection away.
Equipment and technical difficulties
What if the tools and equipment you use for the meeting give up at the last minute? The ever-evolving technology has forced organizations to use technology and electronic devices in every aspect including client meetings. Technical difficulties are unpredictable and can occur at any point of the meeting.
Not being able to find an instant solution can leave a bad impression on your clients and eventually cause sales objections. Having an alternative solution to the technical equipment such as laptops, projectors, speakers, Wi-fi connections, etc. can help avoid unnecessary delays in the meetings.
Overlooking the meeting agenda
Following the meeting agenda is as important as planning it is. This seems obvious and unmistakable, yet occurs too often. A meeting agenda contains the purpose, structure, and queries to be discussed during the meeting. Neglecting a meeting agenda will only invite conflicts, confusion, and distractions, leading to dissatisfied meetings. It is not just a formality to be fulfilled before the meeting but also should be followed thoroughly to ensure a successful client meetings.
Repetitive meetings
Let’s face it, Meetings are not always needed. Repetitive meetings that go through the same content and discussions yield no results and inversely impact productivity. Filling the client’s calendar with excessive meetings can sway them away and cause sales objections. Ineffective communication of the meeting’s purpose is the main cause of repetitive meetings.
Plan the meeting and ensure that required discussions are made to achieve the desired outcome without having to delay it further. It is essential to communicate minor updates and progress via phone calls, chats, or emails to save the company’s and the client’s time.
Different Time-zones
In virtual meetings, time zone differences between you and your clients can be a major issue, especially while pitching your sales. It might require a late night or early morning schedule that are off the beat for regular schedules. It is essential to determine suitable timings at both ends. In case of an unmatched schedule, consider taking the difficult time for yourself and let the client choose a convenient time so that they don’t face difficulties and feel valued.
Conclusion
Ensure you don’t stumble upon these challenges in client meetings and even if you do follow the solutions mentioned to efficiently navigate them. These challenges might seem silly but many professionals stumble upon them too! Adhere to the strategies to conduct successful client meetings. Check out Picktime to never miss a meeting and manage meeting scheduling like a pro!
