How to avoid "meeting" with potential clients?

I have thought about it, but I'll probably get a telemarketer in the future.

Well I don't mean that the meetings are completely unproductive. I meant that customers tend to waste my time and therefore very little gets done. Unfortanetly a lot of people don't value others time.

My mentor who makes over 15K a month in offline marketing rarely meets with anyone and does most sales over the phone. I was just curious as to what everyone else thought about meeting clients.

I'm no expert (yet) but I agree! Can't expect positive results.. or ANY results.. if expect clients to just pay you for .. well.. nothing!

Exactly. If you let them know up front that the *meeting* will be a phone meeting, skype, etc.. they should have no problem. I completely disagree that you HAVE to meet someone in person to build rapport or collect a check. (I'm sure I will get a few *hate mail* for saying that..as usual lol)
And yes, I've bought a few things over the phone from a telemarketer before.

I do agree that the person should trust that you can deliver on your promises..period.

I have only been on 2 face to face meetings in about 14 months! But, I let them know up front that all details will be discussed over the phone. Instead of just going in for the close, you could ask if they would be available to discuss the matter in more detail via a phone call tomorrow morning at 9 am. This way they know the *meeting* is a phone meeting (or skype or whatever)

If you run into someone who refuses to do business unless you meet with them, then it comes down to how bad do you want it. You have to be willing to do what you have to do to get to where you want to be. But it is my OPINION that it can be done over the phone.

Telemarketers at callcenters don't meet people face to face. I took credit cards over the phone all the time from business owners when I sold them ad space on a refrigerator magnet, never once did I have to set up a face to face meeting. This is the same situation, except you get to keep all of the profits.

But as I said a lot of people will disagree, oh well, this is what I do. If it ain't broke don't fix it. If you have to go on face to face meetings to get money and build rapport, then do that. If you can do phone sales, do that. You have to do what works for YOU, not what works for everyone else.

This sums up the thread.

I meet with potential clients regularly. Before meeting I qualify them via e-mail/phone to ensure that they are the right type of client for me, then I meet with them.

Building relationships is the heart of business. Don't abstain from meeting your potential clients because "nothing ever comes of it". This tells me that you need to work on your product presentation, sales skills, or relationship building skills- perhaps all three.

Is it my imagination or does it seem like there are more and more threads popping up, the subject of which is much like this one? Off the top of head I can think of two other threads very similar to this. In one thread, the op is disturbed that prospects don't understand how valuable he is.

I know that it's the nature of many of us to want to jump in and give some sage advice if we have it. Some of us try to impart an understanding of sales and marketing so they can better manage their business and learn how to master the art of sales.

In the past I've tried to do that when I thought perhaps I could share some experiences that may help. In the past month while doing this, I've been told that salespeople are all liars, we come from some dark place, our only goal is to extract money and the customer can just rot. Most recently I've been told to "shut up" because I suggested someone needs a business plan if they expect any level of success.

So now I view these threads differently. I still want to read them but now my motivation is different. Thanks to threads like this I see how my prospects and clients may be treated by others in our profession. It gives me that extra bit of enthusiasm to make a few more cold calls because I know there are so many others that can't be bothered.

So to all the ops who have posted threads like this, and to all of you who believe that the only customer worth having and the only prospect worth speaking with are those that understand that they have to do business your way or the highway, I can't thank you enough.

I think it's great that you've got your pride. I have my pride as well, and the added bonus of income.

@Jay Rhome - My point isn't so much about a choice between face to face or phone. Nearly everything I do is on the phone. I think far to much emphasis is placed on the face to face model and because of this a lot of money is left on the table.

What I was really trying to get at is that there's an attitude from some lately that leaves me (I can only speak for myself) with the feeling that these folks think the prospect has to prove themselves worthwhile. Just look at this statement from the op:

"I was thinking that if I mentioned to the potential client that I charge $150 per hour to meet in person then they may think twice about meeting."

Now what is it that he's conveying by even thinking this is something to say? If you rephrase it, he's saying "prove to me that you're worth my time." If this is the kind of thinking thats happening, there is no way even the most skillful of salespeople could hide that attitude from the prospect.

He also says: "Meeting up with them takes a lot of time and I always find that nothing productive comes out of it."

I can't even begin to express how bizarre a statement that is. Now I fully agree that most things can be done on the phone, but as I read his post, what I'm seeing is that if nothing is going to come out of meeting, he may as well have nothing happen on the phone.

Clearly he believes that the reason nothing comes out of these meetings is the prospects inability to be dazzled by his overwhelming skills.

Now for his own sake, I'm hoping that since he's willing to meet for jobs that he feels meet his income expectations, turn out to be closed deals.

I have no doubt that if the op (D37) responds to this post, he will proceed to berate me for not knowing what I'm talking about and he makes loads of money. I hope that is the case. I would like to see everyone earn what they are worth. But logic and common sense tell me that can't be the case.

If you bring an attitude such as is on display here to a small deal you can't close, how are you going to close a big deal. I realize that I'm knocking down his reality, which is that it's the prospects fault.

@David Miller - yes I certainly agree

I know I was terrible at qualifying in my first sales jobs in the past. That's why the attitude shift is needed by many. Instead of feeling "you're wasting your time" if you don't make a sale, learn to qualify, and even in the meeting you do NOT close - and they'll still happen!!! - at least you get better and hone your skills.

your right, most are. Its too bad. because if you can do it properly
you build a bond of trust so strong, you can ask for anything.

not that you need too, because you already know what they have to spend
and how they need to spend it.

I agree..and I also think that closing over the phone is harder than closing in person. A lot of people need to think about that before they try to avoid meeting people.

You will have to do a lot more and really get your skills together before learning how to close over the phone, it's not THAT hard but if you're avoiding face to face meetings because you think sitting at home talking to people is super easy, you will be in for a surprise.

I know a lot of times people make it seem like you call 30 businesses and now you're $500 richer, but that's not the case (all the time.) Yes, I can make a sale a day, but that's after going through hundreds of PITCHES, not just DIALS and it's a difference between pitches and dials..something else people don't understand.

I think it is always important to have that first face-to-face so you can size each other up. I am never too busy to create that relationship with them at first. But after time, #2 comes into play.

I wonder who this could be:confused: Oh yeah!

A lot of people, including myself, are nervous about meeting clients in person, but it's all part of personal development. Get with your mentor, and get his take on this.