Does the first meeting with a potential client feel like a minefield to you? Are you afraid that they will ask you a question that you won't know how to answer? If you anticipate and prepare responses to the most common questions a contact or potential client might ask, you'll sail through with flying colors.
This is no different than preparing for a job interview - you give some thought to the typical questions and practice what you are going to say. Of course, you can't anticipate all the questions and you certainly don't want to come across like a robot, but it does help to be prepared. Here are four common questions you might be asked about your services, along with some suggestions on how to answer.
Question: "What do you do?" The key here is to keep it short and give concrete examples of what you help people with. Make your examples very specific and tailored to what regular people can relate to. Avoid technical or jargony language that potential clients will not understand. The key thing to say is "I help _______ (type of person or business) with __________(what you help them with)."
Question: "How does that work?" Don't go into a long explanation of the process. A couple of short sentences will suffice. "I meet with my clients, talk about their needs and draft an action plan. Then I ________ (what you do for them)."
What do you say when asked "What's your background?" Again, keep it short and sweet. People don't want your entire career history. They ask this question for one of two reasons: 1) they're curious about your job and wonder how they could get into that line of work, or 2) they're intrigued by the idea of hiring you and want to know a bit more about you. "I'm an experienced ________, and I specialize in ______. I've been doing this type of work for ___ years.
It's natural to feel a bit nervous when answering these types of questions. The important thing to remember is that it's all part of business, and you can't get business without talking to people about your business.
This is no different than preparing for a job interview - you give some thought to the typical questions and practice what you are going to say. Of course, you can't anticipate all the questions and you certainly don't want to come across like a robot, but it does help to be prepared. Here are four common questions you might be asked about your services, along with some suggestions on how to answer.
Question: "What do you do?" The key here is to keep it short and give concrete examples of what you help people with. Make your examples very specific and tailored to what regular people can relate to. Avoid technical or jargony language that potential clients will not understand. The key thing to say is "I help _______ (type of person or business) with __________(what you help them with)."
Question: "How does that work?" Don't go into a long explanation of the process. A couple of short sentences will suffice. "I meet with my clients, talk about their needs and draft an action plan. Then I ________ (what you do for them)."
What do you say when asked "What's your background?" Again, keep it short and sweet. People don't want your entire career history. They ask this question for one of two reasons: 1) they're curious about your job and wonder how they could get into that line of work, or 2) they're intrigued by the idea of hiring you and want to know a bit more about you. "I'm an experienced ________, and I specialize in ______. I've been doing this type of work for ___ years.
It's natural to feel a bit nervous when answering these types of questions. The important thing to remember is that it's all part of business, and you can't get business without talking to people about your business.
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