A fellow web designer recently asked me, "How do you prepare for a meeting with a prospective client?" Here's my answer:
It depends on the conversation that led up to the meeting. When I schedule a meeting, I usually ask the person (or people), "How can I best prepare for our meeting? Are there any specific topics we'll be discussing, or items you'd like to see?" They usually say something like, "It'll be casual; we're just getting to know each other" or "We'd like to talk about your e-commerce experience, and see examples of your work." I then prepare based on their response.
If it's awkward or otherwise difficult to find out their expectations ahead of time, then during the meeting, I introduce myself, find out about them, then go through my questionnaire. That has questions about their organizational goals and website goals, and raises a lot of discussion about the design and functionality of their desired site. I usually have it on paper because it's more discreet to jot down notes while maximizing face time, rather than looking at my laptop screen. I do bring my laptop just in case they want to see my work or show me sites they want to imitate.
I try to strike a balance between agreeing with their ideas and raising questions or objections. I want to appear friendly and cooperative, but also show that I'm a critical thinker, not just a robot they're hiring to do their bidding. Whenever possible, I also point out how I've done something similar for another site, and how we could do the same thing even better.
I always wear a button-down shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes. It's an unfortunate reality that people judge us based on our appearance. I've found this is a good way to stand out from other web designers and developers, since many of them deliberately dress casual, even for client meetings. I want to be the picture of professionalism.
I've found that honesty is the best policy. If they want something I've never done, I'll tell them, "I haven't done that before, but if you're not pressed for time, I'm sure I can figure it out, and you'll have the chance to review my work," or "I haven't done that before, but I know an excellent developer/graphic designer/photographer etc. who I can bring in." Most people will respect your honesty and the fact that you specialize; that you're not a jack-of-all-trades.
How do you prepare to meet with prospective clients? How do you conduct yourself during those meetings?
