One of the first sales tips most of us receive when we first start out in our careers is to use the client’s name during meetings because it's a great way to connect. We're taught that the goal is to make every meeting conversational and find ways to create strong bonds with the audience through engagement. Like Goldilocks, we set out to use this tip not too much, not too little, but just right.
The challenge in any meeting, whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, is keeping the attention of the audience. We know the average attention span of a person today is about 8 seconds. This is 8 seconds before their mind begins to wander, and they lose focus on you and your message. The question is how to repeatedly draw the audience back into the present moment, engaging them over and over in the meeting so they will absorb and remember the messages you are trying to get across.
The one time that everyone perks up in a meeting is when they hear their name. They immediately snap to attention, wondering what is coming next. They wonder what they may be called on to do. For a split second, memories of high school may come flooding in, but they are listening, to be sure.
Here are four ways to use a client’s name to your benefit and theirs.
1. Reference the client in one of your comments without requiring a response.
Examples:
“Steve made an excellent point earlier when he said….”
“I know this was something Colleen had said was important…..”
“Luis, you had asked about…”
This approach spikes the client’s attention in a nonthreatening way. You get credit for quoting them or remembering points they made previously, and you prove that you were listening. You gain both their attention and their appreciation.
2. Use their name as a follow-up to the point you just made.
Examples:
“Darius, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.”
“Lisa, how does that sound to you?
Use this approach only when you are confident the person you’ve named will have definitive thoughts on the subject, and you want to draw them out.
The danger of this approach is that their mind may have wandered. They may not have been listening so they cannot give you a good answer to your question. You have potentially set them up to be embarrassed. Their response therefore may be tepid, like, “I agree, I think you made a good point.” which at best gives you nothing to work with or, at worst, leads you to believe you are hitting on all their key issues.
3. Summarize the point you just made and then ask them for feedback.
Examples:
“So, Alexis, the key point here is that…I would love to get your thoughts…”
“George, the effect of this is…How does that fit with what you are thinking?”
Using their name before a summary puts them on notice that you are likely coming their way with a question. They are now in full listening mode, and you are giving them the benefit of something specific to react to. If their mind was wandering or they did not really understand your point, your summary makes it easy for them to respond intelligently. They feel good about their response, and you learn valuable information that will help you direct the conversation moving forward.
4. Give them advance warning that you will be calling on them.
Example:
“Omar, I want to spend the next 5 minutes on how we will….When I am finished I would love to get your thoughts on how this applies to what you were talking about earlier.”
This approach tells them outright they will be called on later and lets them know how long they’ll need to listen. You have their full attention because they want to be prepared to offer a cogent response that makes them look good, and one they feel good about. The added benefit is that their comments provide you with insight into what is important to them.
Referring to a client by name seems so simple you might consider it a throwaway technique. But, it’s one you should use in every meeting because while small, it’s mighty, especially when you get it “just right”.
Your client will feel important. And you will be helping them to stay attentive even while their minds wander, as they will most certainly will.