Gosh You Look Great
You have your act totally together. You know how to answer every question. You can explain how to capitalize on your strengths and how you make your weaknesses irrelevant. You can explain your biggest challenge and how you handled it with finesse and outstanding interpersonal skills. Your resume is a personal branding brochure and an inviting picture of who you are. You can see yourself as a leader and explain what your best traits are in simple, clear sound bytes. Your personal branding BIG IDEA shines through your eyes, your words, and everything you do. You are cool.
That doesn’t change the fact that job [and client] hunting is stressful. Even if you didn’t put your pants on backwards.
Make Google Your Friend
That first meeting or interview is right up there as one of the most stressful things we do. One way to lower the stress level is to do what you already did, prepare can so that you’re looking good. A second is to know as much as you can about where you’re going. Make Google your friend.
- Google the company. Folks are Googling you these days. You should be Googling them. Find their website. Get to know a bit about them. Crawl all over it to find two or three questions about the company. You don’t necessarily have to ask the questions, but you’ll have them during the meeting. During a meeting two weeks ago I was able to say, I know exactly the product you’re talking about. I saw it on the website last night. The comment received a smile from my new client.
- Google the person you’re contacting for an interview. You’d be surprised how a little information from a few minutes on Google can make a letter of introduction seem more personal. A letter I wrote last year included the following sentence. Did you know that your peace corps information is still on the Internet? I bet that was a once in a lifetime experience. The woman I wrote it to knew I was serious enough to do my homework. You might also check WhosWhoo?! at Yahoo?
There are plenty more, such as fresh up before the meeting. I’m sure you know most of the usual tips. Those two are the big ones that don’t often get mentioned. Let us know if you have good ones that you’ve discovered.
Myths about Meeting with Clients and Potential Employers
It’s only human that any event of importance has myths and mysteries that grow up around it. Job hunting and client prospecting are no different. Here are a few that need debunking.
- A resume must follow the rules. We’ve already covered that. Please see Your Resume-The Brand YOU Brochure. A resume, like any other well-written document should have exactly as many words as it needs and not one word more — or less.
- A cover letter shouldn’t take long. Please don’t say that near me. Your cover letter is your chance to show your personality. If you ask, I’ll write an example cover letter as a post, and we can dissect it together. Cover letters separate one resume from another. Cover letters get more jobs than resumes do. If you can’t do a dazzler, write the best one you can and hire someone like me to edit it for you.
- You should apply for all jobs, even those that you don’t want. This gets a big IT DEPENDS. If you’re serious that you’d never do the job, don’t waste everyone’s time to get experience–that’s selfish. Beside, if you’re really not interested, you won’t have a good meeting, and you’ll give a bad impression. On the other hand, if you’re only a bit uncertain, then do go check out the job or the client. Surprises do happen.
- The world is flat. No, the world is round, and so are most actions — as in what you do often returns. Every person that you meet counts. If you land the job or client, that person at the front desk or the one on the telephone may be your colleague. He or she could be someone you need one day when you’re in a pinch. Be nice to everyone. It doesn’t take much.
I put that last myth because, well, I’m the nice one.
Negotiating the Meeting
The best advice I’ve learned about first meetings with potential employers or clients are these three tips.
- The first one to name a number loses. To me that’s self-explanatory. If I say a number, they’re not going to go higher. If they ask, I usually answer with . . . what the work is worth, let’s talk a little more about what’s involved and what you usually pay for this kind of work.
- In any negotiation, the one most willing to walk away from the table wins. It’s true, the less you want something, the more power you have. If you calmly explain that you cannot accept the job for that amount and they need you, you just might get the project.
- When you’ve made the sale, don’t buy it back. Basically that means say “thank you” and shut up.
That was fun. While you’re out there, find me a few clients too would you?
Seriously, what did I leave out? What myths do you know, and what works for you?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Related articles:
Brand YOUââ¬âCapitalize on Your Strengths
Brand YOUââ¬âMaking Your Weaknesses Irrelevant
Brand YOUââ¬âWhatââ¬â¢s the BIG IDEA?
Images & Sound-Bytes of a Brand YOU Leader
Liz, I love your articles and appreciated the advice in this one. I thought you might be interested in a bit of intriguing information related to your comment that the first one to name a number loses. There’s actually a fair amount of good evidence that naming the first number in a negotiation puts you in a more powerful position than if you let the other person name one first. I wrote about it in a post a while back: http://lenski.com/index.php/2005/05/good-negotiators-know-anchoring/. Just some food for thought! Best wishes to you.
Hi Tammy,
Thanks for your kind words.
That’s interesting. Can you elaborate a bit? I went over to check your article, but it requires membership, and I’m in the middle of a deadline tonight . . . I’ve promised myself no more multitasking so that has to wait.
A couple of ideas maybe?
Liz
I never mind naming the first number.
I always name one that’s so high that I’d be pickled tink to take it. I had somebody take that number one time in my life.
I feel like if I start the negotiation and I start it higher than the number I want, then I’ve got a good chance to whittle it down to my real number. Letting them go low and trying to get them up is far tougher for me.
I feel like if I let them whittle out 25% to 50% of my number, they feel like they won.
It also sets the stage for them to quit negotiating while still way above my number, which is what I hope for.
Hi Mike,
What if they were thinking EVEN HIGHER than your number???
Then I’ve screwed me…which is only marginally better than if they had dood it to me !
Realistically, I know where they are going to be…IF I’ve done any homework at all.
If not, if they take my forst number, then I’m going to be happy with it, as I’m usually 50% to 75% over MY number.
Even more realistically, I don’t take things purely for the $$$. If I don’t want to do whatever it is, I won’t like doing it for big $$$. If I do like it, the $$$ is kinda secondary.
I figured that’s what you’d say, and I agree with every point completely. 🙂
Liz, I removed the password protection from the article I gave you the link for…you should be able to view it now without a hassle!
HI Tammy,
Hey thanks! I love things that make me smarter.
smiles,
liz
Great article, Tammy. Thanks for unlocking it.
Oh sure, Mike
Get there before me. Now your taller, smarter, know more and are richer. I give up.
Maybe 2″ taller, not a freakin’ bit smarter and you’re far richer in experience and friends that I’ll ever be.
I’ve probably got less $$$, too, as I have 2 in college and another one that goes next year. Or late this year. Or whenever.
You’re prettier, and nicer, and sweeter, and kinder to dogs and small children.
Okay, now I can’t argue with any of that ! ‘cept it’s cats. We have 1 in and 5 out.
Dogs don’t do well around here…the cats keep ridin’ ’em like rodeo bulls !
Oh, sorry I meant cats. I just spelled it d-o-g-s. 🙂
Liz,
A great article as ever. In fact, a friend of mine is out hunting for a job and asked me for some pointers. It was a pleasure to redirect him to this article.
Looking forward to more posts like this.
Thanks Ohad,
I’m thinking of another idea that you might like a lot. It’s a way for folks like you to be able to have more input into the direction of the content. I’m working on how to execute it. I haven’t quite figured that part out yet.
I hope your friend has all of the pages of the Brand You series. They might help with the confidence part.
smiles,
Liz
Personally, I don’t mind going straight for the number myself. I guess it all comes down to confidence and knowing the market, and what you’re worth to a potential client.
As Mike said, it’s a tough game letting them start off with a very low number and then you spend the rest of the time fighting to get it up. It sort of cheapens your services/expertize a little, imo.
I can pretty much tell from the reaction if I’m in or out when I give them what they’re into me for – but you got to take that risk.
I also go 25-40% above what I expect and bargain it down (if they accept straight out, yay for me – and it does happen many times) and if they try to skimp every step of the way it’s beter just to walk away.
Liz – your last comment. C’mon, that’s teasing. I know you’re an ideas gal so spill it, we want to know what’s up your sleeve.
Hi Martin,
I think i’ve been convince that my learning is an old one. Funny your first sentence explains what that old learning was based on–lack of confidence in a situation where the number I picked was wrong.
This comment section is so insightful, I think it’s going be today’s first post.
I’m not sure it’s a good idea . . . let it form so more.
I went through something similar with a client last year. There’s no need to suggest what it was all about, but he asked me for a quote and I told him I wasn’t interested. He was practically begging to hire me and I kept telling him NO .. because I was too busy, and I’m too expensive for him. When he asked me what my rate is .. I doubled it .. and then when he didn’t blink, I then added .. “And that’s before my aggrevation tax of 20% that I add to my rate on crummy jobs like this one .. plus I’d probably want a deposit in advance”.
So then what happened? That was my busiest summer I had worked in years .. averaging 18 hour days for about a month stretch. And I billed him everything I promised I would. And he paid me everything I billed.
So, I think I am in agreement with above comments and Tammi Lenski’s thoughts .. I think people (especially consultants) are undervaluing their ‘fair market value’ because regardless of what they know their value to be – to themselves, it is a different view point to the buyer. I should reference the last paragraph of one of my favorite songs .. Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen ..
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than itââ¬â¢s worth.
People just have to remember .. that some just know how to recycle better than others.
EVERYBODY HART!
That was a fabulous addition to this thread of comments, Hart!
I guess the more that you don’t want to do something the more folks are willing to pay for it. (big grin) Make sense I know.
Advice is easy to give. I had not heard the recycling metaphor before . . . My mother-in-law says that fish and visitors smell after 3 days. Some advice smells even sooner.
I think your mother-in-law is trying to tell you something… (don’t stay longer than a weekend?)
j/k 🙂
Believe me, there’s no worry about that!!