Back when I worked the life of a 9-5er, meetings were a staple of my daily schedule. Short, long, painfully boring or engaging, these meetings would get tacked on my calendar until some workdays were almost entirely spent in a boardroom. Sometimes I played an active role, while other times my boss simply wanted me to “sit in” on the meeting – to help keep him awake or me from being productive, I’m assuming.
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly see the value of an efficiently run meeting; however, they should not take up the majority of your workday. The more time we spend in meetings, the less time we have for making actual progress.
As an entrepreneur, I’m fully in control of my schedule which has made me highly protective of my time. I don’t give just anyone access to it. I get requests to “meet-up” all the time and the majority offer nothing mutually beneficial. To help me more easily identify and pre-qualify meetings of value, I’ve developed a strategy that everyone should want to implement.
Before you accept one more invitation to yet another coffee meeting, first ask yourself these four questions to assess whether or not this is something deserving of a chunk of your valuable work day.
Does the conversation necessitate a meeting?
So often people will think they need a meeting, when really the conversation can be just as adequately completed over the phone or email. I get it. Some people are social butterflies and who doesn’t want to get out of the office now and then? But don’t use other people’s workday as a way to waste your own.
When someone first requests the chance to sit down and talk, dig a little deeper. Ask yourself (or even them directly) whether what they’re asking for has to be addressed in person. It may take several weeks to find a time to meet, while a phone call or email response can be fit in that day.
Is it mutually beneficial?
It’s okay to be selfish with your time. After all, you’re only given so much in your life and I promise you that on your death bead you won’t regret all those hours you didn’t spend in meetings.
Before you agree to meet with someone, be sure that the purpose of your time together is going to be equally beneficial to you both. Maybe they want to sell you something – and that’s fine. So long as it’s something you or your clients can truly use. Or if they say they just want to tell you more about their business, be sure that you’ll get time to talk about yours as well.
Is the location and time convenient for you?
At the root of why in-person meetings are often so inefficient is the time spent getting there and back. Unlike a phone call or email, you actually have to spend a considerable amount of time in transit – and getting showered and dressed to look presentable.
If you decide that you’re going to make time for a meeting, make it convenient for YOU! Take control of suggesting the dates, times and especially the location. Early in my career, I would make the mistake of giving the other person free choice of the these things and would wind up traveling a half hour to an obscure coffee shop at a time that was utterly inconvenient with the rest of my day’s schedule. If they’re requesting the meeting, they should also be willing to accommodate you.
Could it grow your bottom line?
Back to the point of being selfish with your time, it’s not greedy to first question whether or not this meeting will grow your bottom line. It’s smart and it’s what every other successful professional is thinking as well – especially the one requesting the meeting with you. Of course there’s something in it for them, make sure there’s something in it for you as well!
Ask yourself if this meeting holds a direct or indirect potential to grow your bottom line. I stress to think indirectly here. Not everyone is going to deliver a hot lead in the first meeting; it can take months or years. But think about their connections, experience and influence. If they might be able to use any of these things to help you in the future, it’s worth building a relationship with them now.
Did they earn it?
Finally, make them earn that meeting! For me, I always appreciate sincerity and creativity. Mass messages or an email template that doesn’t even personalize the content with my first name will quickly get deleted without a reply. In contract, a personal message referencing something unique to me or my business lets me know that they did their homework and inspires me to do the same.
I’ve also seen some pretty clever “outside-the-box” techniques for requesting a meeting that have won me over. A hand written letter really stands out in the age of e-blasts. Also, it never goes unnoticed to reference a recent news article about the person’s business or a blog post they wrote that shows you’ve taken a careful interest in their work. The possibilities are endless!
Meetings are a part of building a business, but they can also become a distraction that prevents you from making progress. A request for a meeting doesn’t always have to be granted. Remember that you are the only person looking out for your own time and this is all the more reason to be strategic with how you spend it.
How do you prevent overloading your schedule with meetings? Share your tips and tricks by commenting below.
