Official business meeting. Rules for conducting a business meeting with clients

1. Preparation.

An effective meeting consists of 70-80% preparation.

When forming a list of invitees, it is necessary to take into account the purpose of the meeting. You shouldn’t call people with the thought of “just in case.” Only those people who can really bring something to the table should participate in the meeting. Often, the organizer, not knowing who exactly will be needed from another department (let’s say you are starting a project and you want to discuss it with potential participants at an early stage), invites half of the team to a meeting. As a result, half of this half, in fact, does not participate in the meeting. If you, as the organizer, don’t know who exactly will be needed at the meeting, invite the head of the department, and he will either forward the invitation to whoever is needed, or come to the meeting himself, and then appoint the necessary employee.

As we know, meetings come in different formats. This could be brainstorming, presentation, etc. The meeting invitation must specify the format so that participants understand what they should prepare for. You can, for example, write: “Colleagues, let’s brainstorm on such and such a topic.”

The invitation must indicate what will be discussed. An invitation to a meeting that only has a subject is absolutely bad. There should be either a list of questions for discussion, or a background to the task or project, and so on. Here it is necessary to indicate what decisions are planned to be made during the meeting. If you simply indicate - let's discuss such and such a project... let's say we discussed it, but what next? Even if you write that at the meeting it will be necessary to determine further steps, this will not be bad.

The length of the meeting deserves special mention. In my trainings, I often ask the question: “Why do you think 99% of meetings last an hour?” And only once did I hear the correct answer. Everything is extremely simple - any email client by default schedules a meeting lasting an hour. Very rarely does anyone adjust this time, but in vain. Thus, an issue that can be discussed in three minutes (even in 15 minutes) is dragged out for an hour. Here Parkinson’s law immediately comes into play - we work exactly as much time as we have allocated for work.

An important point when sending an invitation is to check whether the participants have free time. In any mail client This feature exists and works great. Unfortunately, sometimes you get the feeling that not everyone knows about it. What’s even worse is that the organizer sends a person an invitation to a busy slot, and when the person doesn’t show up, complaints are made against him. This is wrong.

And here we move on to another important part of the organizer’s work. It is the organizer who must always keep track of who accepted the meeting and who did not. It happens that the most important participant in a meeting declines the meeting and does not come. Everyone has gathered, and the organizer begins to look for this person throughout the office. And the man, not suspecting anything, sits at another meeting. The following dialogue occurs:

–Where are you?
- I declined the meeting!
- Why didn’t you warn?
- Well, strictly speaking, I warned you. Should I have sent you some special notice?

The potential participant, of course, does not have to specifically notify anyone. So, responsibility for any such situation always falls on the shoulders of the organizer. Be careful!

2.What should you avoid?

In a separate block, I highlighted some points that are best avoided when making an appointment. These are, of course, not strict rules, but if you follow them, your colleagues will only be grateful.

There is no need to make an appointment (unless it is an extremely urgent critical issue) an hour or two from the current moment. Personally, I try not to make appointments even day after day. The man has already come to work, planned his day, decided when and what he will do, and here I am with my invitation.

It's not a good idea to make appointments at lunchtime. Here, I think, there is no need to comment anything. Also, I personally try not to make appointments with people on their payday/advance payment. After all, we know very well that every employee on the day of salary/advance payment, figuratively, becomes an employee of the accounting department, and he has no time for meetings on this day. He needs to pay for everything, transfer it to someone, return it, borrow it, and so on.

And of course, I want to mention meetings at the end of the working day. Even if people work long hours, appointments should only be made within the working day.

3. Direct meeting.

I'll start with punctuality. This very often happens: a meeting is scheduled, say, at 15:00, and at this time people are just starting to get up from their seats and move towards the meeting room. At 15:00 everyone should be seated in the meeting room and the meeting should begin. Many come up with all sorts of sanctions. The fine is 100 rubles per minute of being late, and so on, which is very useful and disciplines.

Another task of the organizer is to moderate the meeting. If something went wrong at the meeting, the discussion went in the other direction... the organizer must control and correct this.

An important part of the meeting is the protocol. There is even a common expression: “there was no protocol, there was no meeting.” The protocol, by default, is led by the person from whom the invitation came. Meeting participants have every right not to record anything at all. All agreements, tasks, deadlines, etc. must be recorded by the organizer in the protocol. Following the meeting, this protocol must be sent to all participants, with a request to confirm/comment within a certain time frame.

I would like to end with my favorite topic – the end of the meeting. It closely resonates with the duration of an hour. I am sure that many people have had meetings where the main issue was discussed in 10 minutes, and then the participants begin to come up with new questions for discussion. Believe me, there is nothing wrong with the fact that you discussed the issue quickly = effectively. Sitting through the planned hour is not effective. Therefore, as soon as you have reached the necessary agreements, feel free to end the meeting and leave.

Conduct only effective meetings.

Material provided by Andrey Butov, business coach, consultant.

For training orders or additional questions about preparing and conducting meetings, write there by email.

A business meeting and business negotiations in general have one definition - this is mutual business communication with the goal of achieving a joint decision. But a business meeting can also be considered as the first stage of the negotiation process or its component, during which the subject of further negotiations is clarified and organizational issues are resolved. The success of further negotiations largely depends on the results of such preliminary contacts, on the impression you made during the “introductory” business meeting.

To achieve success during a business meeting, it is necessary to encourage the interlocutor to communicate, create maximum field opportunities for further business discussion and decision making.

A business meeting usually takes place in an official setting, and the intentions of the interlocutors (business partners) boil down to the following:

1) give, receive the necessary information or exchange it. Obtaining information can be considered the main purpose of a business meeting;

2) agree on an issue of interest to the interlocutors;

3) convince the interlocutor (business partner) of the correctness of the decision being made, the profitability of the chosen method of action, etc.;

4) establish contact, strengthen business relations, and sometimes conclude any agreement, securing it, if possible, with a written protocol on further intentions;

5) the dynamics of any business meeting goes through four phases: contact, orientation, decision and evaluation, result. Knowing the meaning of these phases allows you to build a conversation or adapt to your interlocutor so that the result of the meeting will be a positive decision for you.

The first phase of a meeting is contact - those seconds when you enter the room, say hello and exchange the first phrases. The main goal of this phase of communication is to create conditions for establishing partnerships.

The main task that you must solve in the first phase is establishing emotional contact with your interlocutor.

A conversation at a business meeting should be built consistently, adhering to the intended plan. In conversation, it is better to stay one step more formal than one step more familiar, while remaining polite and friendly. In Russia, it is customary to address partners by first name and patronymic, except in cases where corporate culture allows you to call each other by name, in the American manner.

A positive attitude and interest can be shown with the following phrases: “Glad to see you!”, “Thank you for taking the time to meet with us!” At the beginning of a business conversation, it is recommended to start a short conversation on secular topics - about the weather, the latest cultural events, the economic situation. These kinds of introductory phrases allow you to get used to the way your interlocutor speaks, tune in to the general wave, and reach the first agreement (opinions rarely differ about the weather outside the window).

For a conversation to be productive from the very beginning, you need to be able to:

1) establish contact with the interlocutor;

2) create a favorable atmosphere for conversation;

3) attract your partner’s attention and arouse his interest in your topic (problem or proposal).

It is important not only to establish contact, but to monitor it throughout the conversation and take action: if it is interrupted, ask a question, offer tea, or make a joke, if, of course, the situation allows it.

There are ways to start a conversation that block our path to success or make it very difficult to achieve it. If you want your conversation at the first business meeting to be effective, then you should avoid:

1) manifestations of signs of self-doubt and the need for a meeting;

2) displays of disrespect at the beginning of the meeting, even in a mild form;

3) arousing the interlocutor’s defensive position with the very first questions.

You must establish a favorable emotional atmosphere, even if the interlocutor is unpleasant to you and you do not experience any positive emotions, the main thing is to achieve positive results from the meeting itself.

The second phase is orientation. Here the main goal is to find out the essence of the problem that caused the meeting. You need to convey to your interlocutor necessary information about your excellent professional qualities ah, in the form of a presentation (just don’t brag), explain the reasons for your interest and appeal to him.

This phase is the longest, so your task is to maintain contact with the interlocutor. For example, tedious listing of your successes or clients can simply become boring, and then the positive emotional connection will be lost, which usually leads to negative results.

A business meeting will be more effective if it is planned in advance and you are prepared for it, if you have collected all available information about the interlocutor, the prospective business partner.

Determine a few main points that you want to convey to the other party. Choose the time for your presentation and the amount of information you will convey. Think about the sequence of presentation of information, where to say the main thing and how to hide the shortcomings of your solution.

Your success at a business meeting, in addition to your professional qualities, largely depends on your morale and self-confidence, and the more information you have, the easier it will be for you to conduct the negotiation process.

The style and approach of conversation have a great influence on the outcome of your business meeting. Even with the partners’ most positive attitude toward communication and a sincere desire to reach an agreement, their conversation does not work out; moreover, their efforts to correct the situation only worsen it. The most important reason for this is often the difference in styles and approaches to business conversation among partners and their components, such as:

1) a tendency to speak directly or hint;

2) the presence of gestures, intonation, frequency of repetition and the use of certain components of speech: pitch, timbre, speed, volume, etc.;

3) the ability and inability to ask the right questions or allowing others to take the initiative in providing information about themselves;

4) comfortable level of formality – simplicity; acceptable jokes; attitude towards the exchange of complaints;

5) the expectation that the other will follow our example, etc.

There are three different approaches to business conversations: hard, soft and principled.

If a party acts in a “hard-line” manner, then it perceives the participants in the conversation as opponents, one-sidedly trying to win. He considers his own victory to be his goal, firmly adheres to his position and hides his interests, demands concessions as payment for an agreement, applies pressure and tries to impose and win a “contest of wills.”

If a party acts within the framework of a “soft approach,” then it perceives the participants in the conversation as friends, considers the goal of the conversation to be an agreement and is ready to pay for it with unilateral concessions, easily changes its position, tries to avoid a “competition of wills,” but if it is imposed, it succumbs to pressure from the other sides.

The Principled Approach sees participants as collaborators working together on a problem. He considers his goal to be a reasonable result, achieved quickly and kindly, concentrates on interests, not positions, demands not concessions, but the development of mutually beneficial options, insists on the use of objective criteria that are independent of the will of the participants. Such criteria may be the opinions of experts, economic indicators on the market, calculated indicators, statistics, laws, but not the desires of any party.

Choosing the best approach for you depends on the following factors:

1) from your goals. If you want to maintain a relationship and maintain contact for a long time, then a “principled approach” is preferable. If it is important for you to gain time and you are ready to make concessions now in order to “win back the situation” in the future, it is possible to follow the “soft approach”;

2) on whose side the real power is. For example, if you have no real power, implementing a “get tough” approach is very difficult;

3) on the skills and abilities of the parties. The “principled approach,” while one of the most effective, also requires the most developed communication skills.

Therefore it is necessary with special attention treat personal qualities your interlocutor, his position and goals, take into account his needs in the solution you propose.

There are six basic rules for establishing relations between partners in preliminary negotiations.

1. Rationality. It is necessary to behave with restraint. Uncontrolled emotions negatively affect the negotiation process and the ability to make reasonable decisions.

2. Understanding. Inattention to the partner's point of view limits the possibility of developing mutually acceptable solutions.

3. Communication. If your partners do not show much interest, then you can hold a business meeting with them simply in the form of a consultation. This will help maintain and improve relationships.

4. Credibility. False information weakens the strength of argumentation and also adversely affects reputation.

5. Avoid lecturing your partner. Your conviction should be based on respect for the personal qualities of your interlocutor.

6. Acceptance. Try to accept the other side and be open to learning something new from your partner.

Successful business meetings, conversations and negotiations largely depend on partners’ compliance with such ethical standards and principles as accuracy, honesty, correctness and tact, the ability to listen (attention to other people’s opinions), and specificity.

Accuracy. One of the most important ethical standards inherent in business person. The terms of the agreement must be observed to the minute. Any delay may indicate your unreliability in business.

Honesty. It includes not only loyalty to accepted obligations, but also openness in communication with a partner, direct business answers to his questions.

Correctness and tact. Does not exclude persistence and energy in negotiations while maintaining correctness. Factors that interfere with the flow of the conversation should be avoided: irritation, mutual attacks, incorrect statements, etc.

The ability to listen. Listen carefully and with concentration. Don't interrupt the speaker.

Specificity. The conversation should be specific, not abstract, and include facts, figures and necessary details. Concepts and categories must be agreed upon and understandable to partners. The speech must be supported by diagrams and documents. Prepare visual material and consider the form of its presentation.

These rules remain relevant during further negotiations.

In the case of a positive flow of the conversation, the second phase smoothly transitions into the third, which involves decision and assessment. Here you will be required to actively communicate with your interlocutor, as the selection of the most suitable decision-making option for both parties will begin.

Almost every business meeting involves discussing disagreements or objections. And the fact that the other party objects to you proves that she is interested, otherwise she would simply stop the conversation. Your task is to at this stage– understand why the interlocutor objects, what you did not take into account his interests, what his needs were forgotten in the proposed solution, and how to correct all this and improve the solution. Ask how the other side sees a solution to the conflict that has arisen.

Prepare several solutions to choose from, and if all the options raise objections, then you will have to return to analyzing the goals of the other side. Objections force us to look for non-standard solutions.

If you cannot resolve disagreement during a business meeting, take a time out in order to think and look for a more suitable option.

The very last phase is reaching an agreed solution. At this stage, the terms of your new meeting are usually agreed upon to clarify minor issues, discuss the terms of the agreement or contract, etc. It is necessary to discuss how, when and where your next meeting will take place.

A negative outcome of a business conversation during an “introductory” business meeting is not a reason for harshness or coldness at the end of the negotiation process. Farewell should be such that, with a view to the future, it allows you to maintain contact and business connections. It is best to end the meeting with the phrase: “Thank you for taking the time to discuss our proposals. I’m sorry that your immediate plans do not include..., but if you need additional information..." In this case, the meeting or conversation, even if it did not find its continuation, nevertheless has positive side, because there is always the possibility that later this contact will develop into a good, useful relationship.

If this was a presentation meeting, then you can use the following expressions: “Thank you for the opportunity to discuss with you the prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our companies,” “Thank you for the opportunity to present to you...”, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer you...”

And of course, the standard universal phrases: “We thank you for finding the time to meet,” “I was very pleased to talk with you,” “thank you for the time you devoted to me,” “If you have any questions, please call, contact...", "If you are interested in our offers, let's meet additionally at a time convenient for you," etc.

Business meeting- This is the most common form of international business communication and a convenient business platform for successful people. Here, profitable deals are concluded, cooperation prospects are discussed, and innovative solutions, ideas and experiences are exchanged.

How are business meetings and negotiations conducted?

A business meeting will be most successful only if a trusting relationship has been established between its participants. The parties must know their partner or partners well and mutually strive to reach an agreement. Both individual and collective business meetings are essentially human communication, during which people influence each other with the help of their emotional and volitional qualities, intelligence, and also inform partners about their own positions in business.

How to successfully conduct meetings with business people?

Before you take part in a business meeting, you need to prepare for it. It is worth familiarizing yourself with the basic rules of such business events. Showing indifference to generally accepted norms business etiquette, you risk ending the meeting unsuccessfully.

At the first preliminary stage of preparation, the employee collects and provides all important information about the client to the manager and participants of the future meeting. In a telephone conversation with the client, the time and place of the event are agreed upon.

To avoid unpleasant situations, negotiation organizers arrive at the meeting place in advance. A conversation is held on pre-selected topics. The final stage is a presentation, which “leads” the client to the fact that cooperation with the company will be attractive and profitable for him.

Example of a business meeting

Situation: general manager company meets with department heads

A (CEO): I have brought you here to inform you of the company owner's decision to cut all internal expenses by 15% over the next three months. Yes, it will be very difficult, but we can handle it. I suggest you inform your subordinates about the upcoming changes. The changes will primarily affect the reduction of the lunch break to 35 minutes, the elimination of coffee breaks during the day, and the suspension of the hiring of new employees. What do you say about this, B?

B: Yes, I agree that such innovations will bear fruit.

A: What's your opinion? IN?

IN: Maybe we can do without eliminating coffee breaks throughout the day? This is so important for maintaining team spirit within the team."

A: I understand all this very well, but we must send a clear signal to everyone about the seriousness of our intentions. Why are you silent? G?

G: I fully support you. I also offer additional savings by moving the quality control procedure from every third to every fifth sample.

A: I agree with your proposal, G. You are absolutely right. So, I will prepare the text of the order, and you, in turn, inform your subordinates about the upcoming changes. The meeting is over.

The effectiveness of official business meetings is largely ensured by strict adherence to the rules and etiquette requirements established for this situation and careful preparation for such events.

When starting to prepare for the upcoming business meeting, its organizers need to:

• - determine its purpose;
• - prepare a list of questions for discussion and, if possible, send it to meeting participants;
• - select and study the necessary materials and documents on these issues;
• - limit the list of meeting participants to only those people on whom the success of achieving the goal really depends;
• - predict the positions of the parties, the possible course of the meeting and its results;
• - establish a clear time frame for the meeting;
• - prepare the venue.

Those invited to a business meeting should immediately respond to the invitation or propose another candidate to participate in it, if this seems more appropriate.

The etiquette of an official business meeting is a set of rules governing the behavior of the parties in the procedures of greeting, introducing, addressing, communicating, exchanging business cards, saying goodbye, expressing gratitude for hospitality and successful implementation meetings.

The owner of the office greets guests halfway to the door. His deputy may stand to his right, and a translator to his left if the guests are foreigners. The guests enter in the same order, with the head of the group half a step ahead. The interpreter of the host of the meeting introduces the members of the guest group in the language of the guests, the interpreter of the guests translates and introduces the hosts.

After the greetings, the meeting organizer invites guests to the meeting table and invites them to take seats facing the window, towards the light. This is considered polite. However, guests should not be seated opposite windows facing the sunny side: this may be regarded as a sign of disrespect.

The leaders of the meeting parties, as a rule, are placed opposite each other, with their deputies to the right of each, and translators to the left. The rest of the meeting participants are located randomly.

A conversation at a formal business meeting should always begin with five to six questions general: “How did you get there?”, “How did you stay at the hotel?”, “How is acclimatization going, how are you feeling?” etc. You should never talk about business right away.

Meeting participants are introduced by exchanging business cards. The host of the meeting takes out his business card and, slightly raising his body, hands it to the leader of the group of guests. (It should be remembered that the Japanese and South Koreans always give a business card with both hands, as they receive it, and never with the left!) If there are not many participants in the meeting, business cards can be exchanged by everyone present. But you can also make lists in advance indicating the last name, first name and patronymic of each meeting participant, their position and place of work.

After the introduction, the conversation begins. It is always started by the owner of the receiving party. A business meeting should not last more than two hours. After the meeting is over, you can give souvenirs. There are different points opinions on who should do this first: the hosts or the guests. It is important that the souvenirs strictly correspond to the rank of the meeting participants. It is not recommended to give the same gifts to all participants, the group leader and his deputy.

At the end of the meeting, the host is the first to get up from the table, goes to the place where he met the guests, and says goodbye to each of them. It is not recommended to leave the office with guests. Guests are escorted by the person responsible for the meeting.

Rules of business etiquette regulating the behavior of participants in an official business meeting require:

• - arrive at the meeting on time;
• - respect the traditions and customs accepted in the territory of your stay;
• - maintain a positive attitude;
• - express your thoughts concisely, clearly and clearly, do not deviate from the topic;
• - explain abbreviations, abbreviations and special terms used in speech;
• - listen carefully to your interlocutors, monitor the reaction of meeting participants to the words of the speakers;
• - remember that a business meeting is conducted in the mode of dialogue, and not a monologue of one of the parties;
• - do not show intolerance to the point of view of other meeting participants, even if it differs significantly from yours;
• - listen carefully and be willing to discuss the positions of the other side;
• - do not interrupt speakers;
• - remain calm and polite, even if the interlocutor shows aggression, irritability or lack of restraint.

Hello! In this article we will talk about how to arrange a meeting with a client.

Today you will learn:

1. What to say to a future client so that he definitely wants to meet with you;
2. What mistakes should you not make when scheduling a personal meeting?
3. Existing techniques that will help even a beginner make a first appointment.

The difference between a good and an ordinary manager

To do this, use the following instructions:

1. Before dialing a client's number, sit in a chair, lean back, relax, be patient, polite and smile to yourself. Sometimes a person's smile can be felt from a distance. Therefore, be charged with optimism and start taking active action.
2. Call and introduce yourself on behalf of the company. State your last name, first name and patronymic, as well as your position. In a nutshell, tell us what exactly you do.
3. After that, state the purpose of your call. The client must clearly understand what you want from him. But you don’t need to lay out all your trump cards at once. Interest your interlocutor in something and tell him that he will learn more in person.
4. Tell us which famous companies you cooperate with. Perhaps the trust of large companies in your enterprise will play into your hands.
5. Set your own date and time for the meeting to start. The interlocutor should have the impression that he decides when exactly the meeting will be held. You're actually giving him a choice without a choice.
6. Say goodbye to the client, not forgetting to thank them for their attention.

Here is an example of a dialogue about setting up a meeting:

— Hello, my name is Ivanov Ivan Sergeevich, I am the sales manager of the Morozko company. We are engaged in the sale of frozen foods. Can you give me a few minutes of your time?

- Hello, I’m listening to you.

— Ivan Sergeevich, I’m calling to arrange a meeting. The company I represent has a very interesting offer for you.

- What exactly do you mean? Can we discuss this over the phone?

— Our company has a personal offer for you, using which you will optimize the costs of producing your products. I can explain it to you in more detail during personal communication. Some of the most famous restaurants in the city (for example, Celentano and Bavaria) have already accepted our offer and were satisfied with their choice.

- It’s tempting, but I’ll probably think about it.

— Let us meet tomorrow at 16.00 or the day after tomorrow at 9.00, I will tell you in detail about the conditions of cooperation with us. This will be more informative than a telephone conversation. Will it be convenient for you to meet tomorrow?

— Perhaps, yes, only if possible, in my office.

- Great, then tomorrow at 16.00 I will be with you. Thank you for your time and see you soon!

Possible difficulties when talking with a client

In the process of fulfilling their job responsibilities Every person faces a number of difficulties that need to be overcome. Sales agents and managers must be able to handle objections.

Let's consider the main problem situations.

Problem situation	Manager Actions
The secretary or another employee says that the right person out of office	The manager asks when is the best time to call back
The secretary is wondering what the sales agent is calling about	Here it is necessary to answer in a veiled way, but in such a way that the secretary thinks that the manager’s call is very important and cannot be ignored. For example, “I am calling about information that was conveyed to me by Vasily Petrovich”
The client does not want to meet and asks to send information to him at email or fax	The manager explains that he can do this, but the client will have to take a long time to understand the calculations and in this case the information may not be perceived in full. It is rational for a client to allocate a few minutes of time for a meeting rather than spend hours studying the proposal on their own
The client claims that he is busy and cannot talk	The sales agent’s response may be: “Of course, I understand, just tell me when to call me back.”
The interlocutor is interested in the financial side of the issue	The manager replies that the assortment is large and the price of the goods depends on the items the client chooses. That's why they need to meet
The client claims that he is satisfied with the current suppliers	The caller asks to spend 5 minutes of time so that the client understands whether the terms of cooperation of current suppliers are really more profitable than his offer
The client is nervous and says that the manager’s offer is not interesting to him	The manager does not insist on continuing the conversation, but asks permission to call back in a few weeks

There are several effective techniques that will help you quickly and easily convince the client of the importance of the upcoming meeting.

1. Ledge technique– its essence is as follows: you constantly maintain interest in your interlocutor without revealing all the information completely. You can use the following expression: “So in order for me to tell you everything in more detail and convey the information to you in full, we need to meet.”
2. Product revaluation– you need to re-evaluate your product and develop new technology his proposals. Try to replace the boring phrase “I would like to meet with you” with the expression “Our company will calculate and offer real options for reducing the cost of your products.” For example, if you sell goods to restaurants and cafes, do not say that you are offering the client to buy certain products. Surely clients already have suppliers. Offer a service for estimating the cost of specific dishes. By doing an analysis, you will show that if the client buys products from you, the client will save money. Therefore, it is better to cooperate with you.

Here are some tips that can avoid difficulties during the conversation:

• Maintain interest, but don't create intrigue.
• Do not promise the client an increase in his profits several times. This causes mistrust.
• Do not use the phrases: “We would like...”, “We could with you...”, because the client is only interested in his benefit, and not your desire.
• Insist on a personal meeting, because looking into your eyes, it will be harder for the client to refuse cooperation.

Conclusion

The right invitation to a meeting is the first step towards holding the right meeting, which entails a long and productive cooperation. Main task telephone conversation, convince the interlocutor of the need for a personal meeting. To do this, you will have to interest the client and learn how to work with objections.