1/9/2025-Pitch meeting agendas, (part 1 of 2)

Your buyer relaxes the second you present a formal agenda because they know you won’t waste their time. There IS no downside to using agenda, so get disciplined and do it!

For the most part, customer pitch meetings follow a standard order: pleasantries, agenda presentation, a discussion about your offering, and finally, collaboration on next steps.

Boom, you’re done. Everyone drives home happy.

It’s the agenda thingie that stymies most sellers.

The success of your meetings begins and ends with the agenda you build for your pitch meetings.

Using agendas shows the buyer you are in control, won’t waste their time, and can be trusted.

Today, create an agenda for your next client pitch meeting.

Build the agenda around a thoughtful and relevant meeting goal. Stick to ONE goal for the meeting: less is more.

Your agenda prep should include brainstorming for the open-ended strategic questions you must ask your customer in the meeting. If you don’t create questions before the meeting, you won’t think on your feet to ask good ones during the meeting.

"Why am I here?"

Assume that’s what your buyer asks themselves at minute one of your meeting.

If you can’t clearly present the purpose of your meeting, you’ll lose your buyer’s attention for that meeting…and perhaps forever.

Your sales game will improve the second you make a habit of creating agendas for every pitch meeting for three specific reasons:
1. It forces your detailed preparation for your interaction with the customer.
2. When shared with the customer beforehand, it creates a collaboration that guarantees meeting productivity.
3. When presented to open the meeting, it establishes your control and gains the buyer’s trust.

Focus your agendas on what the customer wants and needs from the interaction, not what you need. Don’t worry, you’ll get your licks in, but you must first earn their trust by proving you truly care about them, and them only.

There IS no downside to using agendas! And because time in front of your customer is the most sacred of all selling time, you owe it to yourself – and them – to prepare the right way.

Watch this incredible sheepdog masterfully move his herd.

(You know where this is going!)

Think of the sheep as your customer’s thoughts during pitch meetings…and the border collie is your agenda.

While you could never herd your customer’s brain like the dog in this video, you maintain control of your meetings by using agendas.