In-person is back and better than ever, and you will probably find yourself taking a trip to an in-person meeting soon!

Over the last few months I’ve had the chance to see how impactful it can be to create an amazing in-person meeting with a client. 

Here are my top ten trip tips for traveling to in-person meetings.

Create an Experience

1. Make it special.

Maya Angelou said, "At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel."

I’m confident that your clients will remember at least a few things you said - but the point is that when you’re in person, you have an opportunity to create an outsized impact. 

The most important way to do that: create an experience so good that is only possible because the meeting is in person. Ask yourself: “Could this meeting have happened on Zoom?” If the answer is yes, find ways to level it up. 

On a recent trip, we leveled up our usual flow by actually letting the client run the demo. We literally spun two laptops around in the room, handed them to our stakeholders, and started a Jeopardy-style quiz show to determine who could demo our product the best.

This also conveniently moves into my second point:

2. Let the demo do the talking

One of the best things about inviting our clients to run the demo was minimizing the length of our talk track. Instead of filling our time with product explanations and feature comparisons, we created natural discussion and let our clients understand the product on their terms.

It almost sounds counterintuitive - think about how you can cut back on your talk track in order to create organic learning, discovery, and client interest.

You might not be demoing in your next in-person meeting, and if not, think about whether you can bring something else that will do the talking for you: a highly-thought out flow diagram, graph of growth statistics, well-presented industry trends, or a business case.

3. Dry run

All of these ideas sound great so far.

But to paraphrase my trusted Product Manager (who joined us for our recent in-person meetings):

Ideas are free. Execution is everything.

To make your in-person experience shine, make sure you dry run your content. I recommend a role play, and if possible, with people you trust who aren’t involved with the meeting. You’ll get feedback that you would have missed, being so close to the deal.

4. Know your audience

SEs and SCs are constantly assessing the roles, personalities and personas of their audience. Take all those normal things into account as you’re planning your meeting.

A top tactical tip here is to call your champion a week before the meeting, and give them an overview of your plan. They’ll know your audience even better than you and their partnership can make you both look better.

‍

Practical Points - Short and Sweet

5. Bring extras if you can

There’s a musician’s rule that I first learned playing small gigs in London: 

“If you can’t perform without it, make sure you bring two.”

The same thing applies when you’re preparing for your client meeting. Conveniently, you’re usually with a team member so you’ll have two laptops - make sure you bring your charger for longer meetings! Think about the other things you’ll need - wifi (I always have my phone hotspot ready to go), external adapters, handouts. 

6. Download the slides ahead of time

This one speaks for itself. Grab a trusty PDF before you head to the meeting. Don’t be the guy trying to load Google Slides during a thunderstorm.

7. Exchange contact details

Same as how you got the inside scoop from the champion ahead of the meeting, get the inside scoop following the meeting. A casual phone call suits this great - to get there, use the momentum in the room as an opportunity to exchange details and plan that follow up.

SEs and SCs, especially consider whether there is a technical contact or project lead who would benefit from a direct line to you.

For iPhone users, try out the proximity-enabled NameDrop feature for this. I’ve found it makes making connections a delightful experience.

‍

On Travel

8. Experience the city (share a photo of Toronto and Cleveland)

Take advantage of your time in each destination. If you have time, take a photo of a landmark (mom will love that), or visit a new coffee shop for some prep work.

Ask your clients for recommendations too. This is a great way to build connections and find the city’s must see places.

9. Network with a friend or someone from PSC

PSC gives you the chance to meet amazing SEs and SCs around the world. There’s probably a speaker or familiar face in most cities you’ll travel to. I’ve found that a lot of SEs and SCs are happy to connect over coffee and share stories!

As a bonus, I’ve noticed a lot of SEs and SCs are foodies - so you’ll be sure to get great recommendations.

10. “Bring workout clothes”

This is my shorthand for “find a way to keep your routine intact.” Traveling for business is a privilege and can be exciting, but it can also be draining, being away from home and your routines. 

Bring workout clothes to hit the gym if that’s something you normally do. Not everyone reading this is an avid gym-goer, so whatever your routine is, find a way to bring part of it on the road with you.

Personally, I take my running shoes along and try to see the city on foot.

‍

The only thing left is to make sure you’ve got your phone charger, and I’ll wish you good luck on your travels!

Bio

Hey! I’m Matthew James (with the two first names), a banker-turned Solutions Engineer. Over the last 5 years, I’ve been the founding SE at our New York office, and sold to the most influential banks in the US. I’m a 2024 PreSales Collective Ambassador, and in my free time enjoy finding the best restaurants in NYC, rock climbing, and writing music. Shoot me a DM if you’re brainstorming how to make your next in-person meeting even more impactful.

‍

In-person is back and better than ever, and you will probably find yourself taking a trip to an in-person meeting soon!

Over the last few months I’ve had the chance to see how impactful it can be to create an amazing in-person meeting with a client. 

Here are my top ten trip tips for traveling to in-person meetings.

Create an Experience

1. Make it special.

Maya Angelou said, "At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel."

I’m confident that your clients will remember at least a few things you said - but the point is that when you’re in person, you have an opportunity to create an outsized impact. 

The most important way to do that: create an experience so good that is only possible because the meeting is in person. Ask yourself: “Could this meeting have happened on Zoom?” If the answer is yes, find ways to level it up. 

On a recent trip, we leveled up our usual flow by actually letting the client run the demo. We literally spun two laptops around in the room, handed them to our stakeholders, and started a Jeopardy-style quiz show to determine who could demo our product the best.

This also conveniently moves into my second point:

2. Let the demo do the talking

One of the best things about inviting our clients to run the demo was minimizing the length of our talk track. Instead of filling our time with product explanations and feature comparisons, we created natural discussion and let our clients understand the product on their terms.

It almost sounds counterintuitive - think about how you can cut back on your talk track in order to create organic learning, discovery, and client interest.

You might not be demoing in your next in-person meeting, and if not, think about whether you can bring something else that will do the talking for you: a highly-thought out flow diagram, graph of growth statistics, well-presented industry trends, or a business case.

3. Dry run

All of these ideas sound great so far.

But to paraphrase my trusted Product Manager (who joined us for our recent in-person meetings):

Ideas are free. Execution is everything.

To make your in-person experience shine, make sure you dry run your content. I recommend a role play, and if possible, with people you trust who aren’t involved with the meeting. You’ll get feedback that you would have missed, being so close to the deal.

4. Know your audience

SEs and SCs are constantly assessing the roles, personalities and personas of their audience. Take all those normal things into account as you’re planning your meeting.

A top tactical tip here is to call your champion a week before the meeting, and give them an overview of your plan. They’ll know your audience even better than you and their partnership can make you both look better.

‍

Practical Points - Short and Sweet

5. Bring extras if you can

There’s a musician’s rule that I first learned playing small gigs in London: 

“If you can’t perform without it, make sure you bring two.”

The same thing applies when you’re preparing for your client meeting. Conveniently, you’re usually with a team member so you’ll have two laptops - make sure you bring your charger for longer meetings! Think about the other things you’ll need - wifi (I always have my phone hotspot ready to go), external adapters, handouts. 

6. Download the slides ahead of time

This one speaks for itself. Grab a trusty PDF before you head to the meeting. Don’t be the guy trying to load Google Slides during a thunderstorm.

7. Exchange contact details

Same as how you got the inside scoop from the champion ahead of the meeting, get the inside scoop following the meeting. A casual phone call suits this great - to get there, use the momentum in the room as an opportunity to exchange details and plan that follow up.

SEs and SCs, especially consider whether there is a technical contact or project lead who would benefit from a direct line to you.

For iPhone users, try out the proximity-enabled NameDrop feature for this. I’ve found it makes making connections a delightful experience.

‍

On Travel

8. Experience the city (share a photo of Toronto and Cleveland)

Take advantage of your time in each destination. If you have time, take a photo of a landmark (mom will love that), or visit a new coffee shop for some prep work.

Ask your clients for recommendations too. This is a great way to build connections and find the city’s must see places.

9. Network with a friend or someone from PSC

PSC gives you the chance to meet amazing SEs and SCs around the world. There’s probably a speaker or familiar face in most cities you’ll travel to. I’ve found that a lot of SEs and SCs are happy to connect over coffee and share stories!

As a bonus, I’ve noticed a lot of SEs and SCs are foodies - so you’ll be sure to get great recommendations.

10. “Bring workout clothes”

This is my shorthand for “find a way to keep your routine intact.” Traveling for business is a privilege and can be exciting, but it can also be draining, being away from home and your routines. 

Bring workout clothes to hit the gym if that’s something you normally do. Not everyone reading this is an avid gym-goer, so whatever your routine is, find a way to bring part of it on the road with you.

Personally, I take my running shoes along and try to see the city on foot.

‍

The only thing left is to make sure you’ve got your phone charger, and I’ll wish you good luck on your travels!

Bio

Hey! I’m Matthew James (with the two first names), a banker-turned Solutions Engineer. Over the last 5 years, I’ve been the founding SE at our New York office, and sold to the most influential banks in the US. I’m a 2024 PreSales Collective Ambassador, and in my free time enjoy finding the best restaurants in NYC, rock climbing, and writing music. Shoot me a DM if you’re brainstorming how to make your next in-person meeting even more impactful.

‍