Let’s say you have successfully arranged a follow-up second meeting with a client or prospect. You have arrived at their offices and they have come to pick you up from reception.. Now you are faced with a journey in a lift or up the stairs with this person. This is something a lot of sales people genuinely don’t look forward to. A number go to great lengths to sharpen their so-called ‘elevator pitch’.  Others prefer to take it as it comes and choose not to prepare at all for this initial stage of the meeting.

I would suggest that producing a lasting second impression on a client or prospect you have met before is often more important than a positive first impression. I consider the fact that you have managed to agree to that crucial second meeting a sign that they would like to gradually progress with discussions or negotiations and that you have already managed to establish a certain level of trust and understanding. You now have an even more challenging job of solidifying this trust and moving the client or prospect towards closing the deal.

So what should you be saying and doing in those awkward two minutes before you sit down in the more formal context of the meeting room or their office? My approach was always to skip the chit chat about the weather, how nice their offices look and so on. Instead, I would enquire about a recent presentation they have given, an article they have published, a recent event the company participated in or a new product or service they have introduced. In other words, the second impression you should aim for is of a well-prepared person who has thoroughly researched their client/prospect and the company and is genuinely curious about their career and achievements. Steer clear of questions about their personal life at this stage – that may be something to explore towards the end of the meeting or once the deal has been closed. You need to prompt the client to speak about themselves and their achievements. And while they speak, listen, don’t interrupt or change the subject to your own achievements.

Once you arrive at the meeting room, you are faced with a harder task – how to switch the conversation towards the actual topic of the meeting be it deal renewal, discussion of supplying the initial package of services or any other objective.  It is important to be polite and subtle when moving the discussion toward starting your meeting in earnest. Finish listening to what the client has to say and to finalise the discussion in the lift, you can say something like, “That was very interesting. Sounds like a good conference. Do you think you could email me your slides after the meeting?” The client will respond, hopefully in a positive way. Then you can move right on to say, “What I wanted to discuss today is…” A lot of salespeople miss the point of the conversation when a client is giving clues that they want to move on and talk about the actual topic of the meeting. The clues could be lowering their head, falling silent, raising their eyes etc. If you can anticipate when this point may come and change the topic before the clues start to be visible, you are in the win.

After the meeting ends, don’t forget to discuss and agree the next steps. Never leave the meeting ‘unfinished’. The next steps could be arranging a phone call or a third meeting, having the contract sent out to the client for signing, introducing other people from each company to each other etc. When arranging a follow-up meeting, always suggest a date – this makes arrangements more definitive while at the same time providing the client with flexibility to suggest an alternative date and time.

And finally, thank them for their time. So many people forget this simple act of respect and politeness and walk out with just a bye-bye or a ‘speak to you soon’. Thank them a couple of times in fact. People like it. They like to be appreciated . If you follow the steps above, hopefully the impression you produce during your second meeting will be as good as or better than the first encounter and will open up real possibilities of closing the deal.

Everyone has probably had the experience of seeing a great – perhaps even your dream – job advertised, reading through the person specification, and coming to the sad conclusion that you don’t have the experience the employer is asking for. Sometimes you are right to give up and turn your energy elsewhere: if you’ve spent your whole career in retail marketing, you probably won’t be qualified for a top job in an investment bank.

But other times, people rule themselves out of jobs unnecessarily. Employers write the person specification based on their best guess of who would best suit the position. But sometimes you can persuade them that your package of skills and experience may actually be more suitable than the candidate they thought they were looking for.

How to accomplish this? First, it is of course critical that you prepare a detailed, persuasive and well-structured cover letter in which you clearly explain why you are a very strong candidate even though you don’t directly satisfy their stated requirements. Think creatively and try to package your current set of experiences in line with what they want to hear. For instance, if you decided to apply to a management consultancy and if you have travelled and volunteered a lot, then you can tailor it by stating that international travel helped you gain invaluable inter-cultural experience, which as a result will assist you in working with people from various countries on international projects. This can also indicate well-honed communication and social skills – both important assets for a management consultant.

Secondly, I would also suggest getting in touch with as many people within the target company as possible, and most importantly – with senior managers responsible for hiring – prior to you submitting your application. Networking and getting to know insiders can be particularly useful for candidates with non-standard experiences for the following reasons. First, you can gather important insider information on the culture of the company and the typical profile of the people they tend to hire. Secondly, you can talk to them direct about your situation and gain an objective opinion of whether it is worth for you to apply and what chance you really have. It is not uncommon for candidates to change their minds about applying after they have spoken to employees of their target company. And it is much better than getting an offer and having to leave soon after you have started due to an imperfect fit.

When applying for jobs, you are selling yourself so it is very important you create and tell a coherent story based on your experiences, explaining who you are as a person and why you will be an asset to them if they hire you.

Never be afraid to showcase your varied and unique experiences. A lot of employers look for diverse personalities to staff their workplace as diversity and uniqueness can lead to generation of some amazing ideas and ventures.

Миновала приятная череда новогодних праздников, и начался Новый год, с обилием надежд, ожиданий и планов. Среди них, возможно, и поиск новой захватывающей и хорошо оплачиваемой работы, тем более, что общее улучшение экономического климата в мире обещает значительное оживление на рынке рабочих мест. Но… ваше CV должно отвечать растущим из года в год требованиям. Поэтому мы решили снабдить Вас для начала короткими и доступными подсказками, как  в наивыгоднейшем свете претенденту на работу представить свой образовательный и практический опыт.
1. Прежде всего, обновите всю вашу контактную информацию, не забыв включить и почтовый адрес. Мне приходилось видеть безадресные CV моих клиентов и даже такие, которые вообще не содержали контактных данных. Такое могут позволить себе только звезды шоу-бизнеса, которых, в крайнем случае, потенциальный работодатель всегда может найти на экране телевизора или на рекламном постере в метро. Но ваша “популярность” намного скромнее, помните это.
2. Ключевую роль будет играть ваше персональное заявление, которое сжато, некосноязычно и доказательно должно представлять вас, как уникального специалиста, без которого данная компания ну уж никак не сумеет обойтись и, тем более достичь,  новых высот и доходов. Здесь же приоткройте и свои ожидания, которые вы связываете с новой работой, не забыв упомянуть не только зарплату и премиальные.
3. Я всегда напоминаю своим клиентам перечислять свои хобби и интересы, выходящие за рамки специального образования и работы. Это поможет подчеркнуть вашу индивидуальность и гармоничность. При этом надо соблюсти чувство меры, ибо, к примеру, увлечение боями без правил может быть расценено как признак наличия излишней агрессивности, а собирание спичечных коробков – признаком занудства и серости.
4. Не заблуждайтесь, что если вы работали на большую и известную компанию, другие обязаны знать в деталях о ваших достижениях и обязанностях в ней. Не погнушайтесь качественно представить фактическую информацию об этом, не ограничиваясь лишь количественнымипоказателями. При этом, опять-таки, соблюдайте лапидарность и нетривиальность подачи материала.
5. Не следует упоминать буквально все вехи вашей трудовой деятельности (например, работу в университетском клубе), дабы не загромождать ваш CV: предоставьте возможность работодателю дочитать до конца ваш CV без раздражения и язвительной усмешки.

И последняя подсказка: если вы нуждаетесь в профессиональной помощи при составлении и сопровождение CV и создании заявительного пакета, воспользуйтесь электронным адресом
dasha@careercoachingventures.com или посетите наш сайт https://www.ukcareercoaching.com для получения начальной информации.