Tell me why I should meet with you

 

Why should I meet with you?

 

The best way to connect is face to face. But you need to justify the face to face meeting.

Connecting on Social media shouldn’t be the goal. It could be the early steps in a progressive process of building relationships. The next step might be a phone call or a face to face meeting.

But getting to step one doesn’t ensure that you get to step three. Each step has a go or no-go decision. You need to build trust and interest.

Imagine this scenario. You connect with a new person through online or live networking. That’s the first step in networking. The next step might be a phone call which might lead to a coffee meeting.

Some people are social butterflies who are willing to meet with anyone. That is not I. I want to know why I should invest my time with you before we meet. That doesn’t make me anti-social. I simply prefer to know the purpose (and possible return) before I invest my resources. Time is the most valuable resource.

Here is an example of a conversation I had with a person who I connected with online. This led to a phone call that went like this:

 

Me: Hello. Glad to connect. Tell me about your business.

 

Other: Let’s meet for coffee. When is a good time to meet?

 

Me: First I want to know why we should meet. At this point, how do you think we might help each other?

 

Other: I need to meet with you to explain that.

 

Me: Can you tell me what you do or sell?

 

Other: I prefer to show you that in person.

 

Me: I’m confused and getting frustrated. What’s your 30 second message?

 

Other: I don’t have one. You need to see the products. It’s visual.

 

Other: We’re on the phone now. Tell me why I should meet with you?

 

Other: You can’t get a haircut over the phone. Is it a matter of timing?

 

Me: No it’s a matter of time and priorities. You can’t or won’t tell me why we should meet. I don’t want to get clipped so goodbye.

 

As you can imagine that was the end of the phone call and we didn’t meet. There was no reason to meet.

Prospects don’t meet with you because you ask them to meet. They meet when they see a compelling reason to meet.

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter