In every sales call, our customers give us signals. The cues can be verbal or non-verbal. Sometimes they are so physically obvious it is impossible to ignore. Yet, too many people miss even the obvious.
When you sit down in a meeting with your customers, are you paying attention to the potential warning signs they are sending? Are they engaged? Are they in a hurry? Are they really focused and listening? Are they interested?
While waiting for a meeting in a coffee shop recently, I observed a person making a power point presentation from their laptop to another individual. The presenter was passionately engaged in a non-stop, one-way conversation. Unfortunately, the presenter was completely unaware of the total disengagement of their polite, but bored, audience. It was obvious by body language that there was little real interest in this presentation on the part of the audience. Had the presenter been more in tune to the signals and cues from the other participant, this presentation would have had an entirely different flavor. Unfortunately, the presenter was so focused on their presentation and their agenda that they completely ignored all the indicators from a disinterested and unengaged audience. I am not sure how the meeting ended. But, I am willing to predict that it did not end up the way the presenter had hoped.
Focus on the signals and signs your customers provide you. They are great sources of information and indicators of potential hazards to avoid. Your agenda is important, provided everyone is engaged, interested, involved, listening, and participating in the discussion. When you get those signals, slow down, adjust your agenda, and find other ways to make the meeting productive for all involved. This will help you avoid a potentially serious crash down the road.
photo courtesy of Jiva79