Should you meet a prospective client face-to-face?

There’s an ongoing debate about whether or not having a face-to-face meeting with a client is beneficial. Many freelancers believe that a face-to-face meeting is crucial to landing new clients. Other freelancers choose to work virtually, never meeting their clients in person.

Which is better?

From my perspective, the answer is: it depends. While there are definitely some instances when a meeting may be what clinches the deal with a prospect, there are other times when a face-to-face meeting is not wise.

Here are some instances when a personal meeting with the client just isn’t worth it.

1. Excessive Commute Time

Freelancers who live and work in or near major metropolitan areas may find many potential clients within a short distance. Most metropolitan areas are teeming with businesses, and these make excellent prospects for the freelancer.

However, freelancers who are located outside of an urban area may find that meeting with a prospect face-to-face requires a drive of several hours. Since preliminary meetings are often unbillable, the freelancer will have to absorb both the cost of travel and the time spent traveling.

One idea for a remotely located freelancer is to schedule a prospecting trip to a nearby city that includes meeting with several possible clients. If you carefully screen your prospects, batching meetings so that one trip allows you to meet several prospects can be effective. However, many clients are just too far away for a face-to-face meeting to really be practical.

2. Tire Kickers

Freelancers encounter many prospective clients who may have an obvious need for their services and who may even seem interested, but who will never commit to engaging them. It is often difficult to tell these prospects from those who will genuinely become clients. They often know how to answer screening questions to make it appear that they are serious.

If you are not careful, these so-called prospects can take a lot of your time. Let’s be honest, if you let them, they will take all of your time. The BANT method proposed by Ed Gandia is one excellent way to screen out tire kickers, but some tire kickers may still slip through the cracks.

Before you agree to a face-to-face meeting, do your homework. Screen the prospect well to make sure that they are a good fit for your services.

3. Time Spent in the Meeting

Like time spent traveling, time spent in a preliminary meeting with a client is often not billable. Depending on the personalities involved, face-to-face time can expand to fill an entire morning, or even an entire day. What could have been communicated in less than ten minutes in an e-mail sometimes takes nearly an hour to cover in a face-to-face meeting.

Plus, some people just love to chit chat. If it’s not their own business, the problem is even worse. They’re getting a salary regardless of how long their meeting with you takes. They’re in no hurry to get it over with.

4. Physical Impressions

This is a difficult topic that no one really likes to talk about, but it has to be addressed. How successful you are in a face-to-face meeting is directly related to how personable you are. If you have that business-like look that many companies love, that’s great for you. A face-to-face meeting will probably increase your chances of getting additional business.

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