Secure More Business Retention and Expansion Meetings

Get Clear on the Why of your Business Retention and Expansion Meeting

To help a company grow or expand, you’ll need to get to know the business and a conversation is your starting point. Seek first to understand and look for opportunities to help along the way. Help is the keyword – Be Helpful.

In order to help a local company, you’ll have to meet with busy, key executives. Ask yourself, “why would this executive want to meet with me”?

Too many Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) meetings are focused on the Economic Development Department’s desire to collect data for their own purposes. How does collecting “their business data” benefit the executive or the company?

Remember, everything you ask of an individual must provide value to the person and or to their business.

A good idea is to make a list of services that you can offer any business.  Collect stories about who you’ve helped, how you helped, and the outcomes. This is gold.

When asking for a meeting it is best to give your prospect several options or ways in which you might help that are clearly communicated. All too often the skill in asking for a meeting is lacking. Busy executives don’t have time to waste and they want to know what they’re going to get in return for giving you some of their time.