Should I Go Visit a Client?

I got a call from my client John the other day. He told me that his company is watching travel expenses and he was deciding if a client meeting was worth traveling to or doing over video. This happens a lot these days. Companies enjoyed the benefits of almost zero travel expenses for two years and now travel is coming back. Harder still travel is often 2X as expensive as it was before. As a result companies are watching travel budgets that much more.

I’m all for being in front of clients- nothing beats it. I’ve also been guilty in the past of traveling cross country for a meeting that was either poorly set up or could have been done over video (before that was a thing).  A recent layer of complication is the fact that we all have so many short Zoom meetings on our calendars that are hard to host when on the road. Imagine trying to host an effective meeting in the back of an Uber. I recently went to Chicago and was forced to stay another 24 hours solely because I had so many Zoom calls that I couldn’t make from a car or the Sky Club. The demands of today’s world kept me out of town another full day simply do to the pace of meetings.

So how do we make good decisions and balance relationships and costs. Here are some questions we came up with to help you think through the return on investment before you book your next trip.

The Return:

• Is it a significant sized deal? (Deer Squirrel Elephant)
• Is the meeting long enough to matter (20 minute meeting vs 1/2 day)?
• Can I significantly improve a relationship? (or will many people be over Zoom anyway- this has happened)
• Are they requesting the meeting?
• Do I have a good agreement on their time commitment, what will be discussed, outcomes reached? (No travel based on an email only- must speak with them before)
• Is it a critical moment in the sales process? (Negotiation, early on when there’s no rapport, late in the process where you can get a commitment)
• Do you have a chance of meeting ancillary stakeholders during the meeting- Can you get access to others as you walk through the halls?
• Can you see other prospects/clients on the trip?
• Will it separate you from your competition who isn’t being as personal?

The Investment:

• Is it a significant time impact to get there and back?
• Is it significant cost in money?
• Are there additional people or resources that need to come with you that add to the cost?

In the end we all need to make judgement calls, but maybe these questions will help you think through the right decision for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you’d add to the list above. Also, if this is valuable, share this post with others on your team or managers.

Good selling!

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