Let’s face it, no one really liked doing homework in school, but it’s what you had to do to get good grades (hopefully) and get you through school. You might have thought that when you finally got out of school, homework was once and for all behind you. Right? Wrong! Homework continues to be an essential, and oftentimes overlooked, key to successfully preparing for any important meeting in your career – from that first job interview to landing that big client.

You’d be simply amazed at the number of people who really don’t bother to do their homework when preparing for meetings. In today’s world, there is absolutely no excuse for being unprepared when the information is all at your fingertips, literally. Going the extra mile to do your homework will make you memorable, will make you stand out, and, most importantly, give you a competitive edge over your competition.

One of the main reasons a client will cite as to why they chose to do business with one company over another is “excellent customer service.” What they usually mean by “excellent customer service” is that they felt that the company they chose to partner with understood them – their needs, challenges, goals, pain points, etc. The best way to provide “excellent customer service” is to know and truly understand your customer, and therein lies the reason for your homework.

For example:

• What is the history of the company?
• What do they hold as their company’s mission and values?
• Who do they look at as their top competitors in their industry?
• How have they positioned themselves in their industry to stay competitive, and how do their products or services stack up against their competitors?
• Is their industry shrinking, and if so, what are its challenges? Is their industry growing, and if so, what’s fueling that growth?
• What are their measures for success? Is it to sell more products? Save the planet? Expand into more locations? Everyone’s measure of success is different, so don’t assume you know it without asking the question.
• And the list goes on and on…so I won’t but…

While I know all of this sounds so incredibly simple, you must assume that everyone who is pitching this client must be looking at all these things too. But that’s simply not the case, and that is why it is even more important that you take the time to carefully and thoroughly do your homework with whatever information is available to you because knowing and understanding all these things and more will give you an undeniable advantage when looking to get a client’s attention, trust and ultimately, their business.

Just like when we were in school, doing our homework might seem like a chore, but it just makes us smarter, better prepared, and ultimately, succeed.

Resources:

Trends at Ten: Keith Borshak, Creative Director – First Flight Agency

Hugh Hefner, the Egg McMuffin and F. Scott Fitzgerald

Client Meeting Prep: Five Things to Research Before a Customer Meeting – BoardEx