WHY I MEET SOME CLIENTS IN COSTA COFFEE FOR INITIAL CONTACT So, here is the logic behind why i meet a lot of my local clients in Costa Coffee Cafe. The logic here wouldnt work for all clients, and id asses this from the initial contact/phone call i have with them all first. However, i find this incredibly valuable and can take a shed load of information from it within a very short period of time.... Also - it doesnt have to be Costa specifically, lol, but that is the best cafe local to me where this works well - as ill explain further below. - First off, i always try to arrive after the client to allow them to find a seat they are comfortable in and if they order a drink or food before i get there. Why? The Cafe is usually always very busy, so depending on where they sit will allow me to gauge some information on if they are comfortable in busy social surroundings. The cafe has a very nice quiet area tucked around the back, but also has seats our in the front. Depending on where they sit will allow me to take note of some confidence points. If the cafe is empty, yet they still choose to sit out the back, hidden away, this will tell me some things. As appose to if the shop is packed, yet they still feel comfortable sitting out the front of the cafe - this will tell me things too. Lastly, if they physically sit out side, this also tells me things too - particularly depending on weather. I had one client sit outside the cafe, even though it was spitting a little with rain, and the cafe was almost empty with lots of seating - this instantly told me so much about their personality and confidence without even speaking to them. I can then take this information and safely assume i dont need to worry about evening eating out binges in public areas, for example. Just one thing i could note from this - but not limited or exclusive to such singular assumption. Also - their seat choice. Are they facing the door? Are they facing the wall? Is their back to me when i walk in? Reading body language is very powerful. Are they internally self conscious... facing the wall. Are they slightly nervous.... facing the exit. Are they incredibly nervous/dont want to be there.... facing away from me. This can give me a huge tip into how a greet a client and if i need to tone down my natural confidence, as to not overpower theirs. Or if i can be as relaxed as they are...? This is very useful for female clients. - Secondly, have they ordered anything to eat of drink before i get there. This will again allow me to gauge a confidence level. Someone has to be very self confident to be eating in front of a total stranger they are looking to hire. OR, perhaps they are just incredibly hungry and couldnt wait any longer to eat.... if so, why are they so hungry? Missed breakfast perhaps? Missed lunch maybe? Why? Woke up late? Work is manic? Stressed? Maybe they just trained and theyre looking to get some post workout food in.... food choice is then of importance for me to look at. Lets be honest, Costa isnt exactly the best food PWO ;-) Maybe its an early afternoon meeting with me. Maybe they have missed lunch and work is stressed... Maybe they are drinking an espresso or large coffee? I now instantly know they turn to caffeine to cope with stress - which is just going to make them more stressed. Maybe they are nervous about the meeting with me and again turning to coffee as the coping mechanism? Of course - i dont instantly know what the cause is, i can just whiteness the initial coping foods/drinks and then probe/ask questions accordingly. IF someone is drinking water, facing the door, tapping their feet and relaxed in their chair - i can instantly tell this is going to be a calm and relaxed discussion. If someone is facing away from me, eating cake with a large coffee, hunched over the table, elbows in the table and head down looking at the table - i know im dealing instantly with someone who is very nervous, stressed and potentially self-conscious. I then approach with this in mind, mimic their body language to make them feel comfortable and work on opening them up during the meeting to make them feel more relaxed... See how powerful this information can be for me when then asking personal questions about their background and lifestyle. Do you think im going to ask the latter person about their bowel movements & libido in a public area on the first meeting...? No! Do you think i can ask such questions to Mr Confident in the first scenario...? Maybe...maybe not, but i can certainly get a gauge of if i were to ask it how he would react. There is SOOO much i can gather from such an environment before ive even shaken their hand to introduce myself and there is so much more i havent listed above that is relevant... hey, i cant list everything as you could be a potential client i meet next and know all my trade secrets ;-) Theres a little glimpse of the detail and how in-depth i read into my clients - and thats before weve even met! Of course, the above information is just an overview and not specifically limited or exact assumptions. However, combine a few factors together and you can make some pretty great conclusions. Know it, Feel it, Live it
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:24:06 +0000
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