It’s easier than ever today to communicate without ever leaving your desk. Between email, Zoom meetings, text messaging and LinkedIn, sales professionals can stay connected to clients all day long without a single in-person meeting.
But while technology has made communication more convenient, it hasn’t replaced the power of human connection.
At BDU, we believe that one of the most effective ways to strengthen client relationships, uncover new opportunities and increase revenue is simple: getting in front of your clients face to face.
There’s something very powerful about showing up in person. It builds trust faster, creates stronger relationships and often opens doors that would never appear through virtual connection alone.
And as we like to say at BDU: higher learning leads to higher earning.
Technology Helps Communication but Relationships Still Drive Sales
Virtual meetings absolutely have their place as they save time, improve efficiency and allow us to stay connected – and top of mind – with clients across the country and around the world. However, relationships are rarely built through just convenience alone.
Sales and business development are still people-driven professions. Clients want to work with people they trust and enjoy being around, and who genuinely understand their business challenges. That’s much easier to accomplish when you’re sitting across the table from someone instead of staring at a screen.
Face-to-face meetings create opportunities for real conversation, active listening and authentic connection. You notice body language, pick up on tone and gain insights that often get lost in virtual communication. Most importantly, clients remember the people who make the effort to show up.
How One In-Person Meeting Changed Everything
BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin recently spoke with one of her clients who shared with her a great example of just how powerful meeting face to face can be.
For two to three years, he had been maintaining very little contact with one of his clients. The relationship existed but communication was minimal and no real opportunities had come from it. Then, he decided to schedule an in-person meeting.
He went to visit the client face to face and spent time reconnecting, discussing their business and learning more about their current challenges and goals.
The result?
The client suddenly identified multiple ways they could work together, and new opportunities surfaced almost immediately. What had been a stagnant account turned into a growing relationship simply because he took the time to get in front of them.
That’s the power of personal connection! Many opportunities are sitting dormant inside existing relationships and sometimes all it takes is a conversation in the same room to uncover them.
The More Time You Spend in Front of People, the Better
Early in Lisa’s sales career, she learned an important lesson:
The more times you can get in front of a prospect or client, the better your chances are of building the relationship and winning business.
In fact, if she knew a competitor might be meeting with a prospect in between her appointments with them, she would intentionally create reasons to come back for another visit. Maybe she had a brochure to share, a product demo to conduct or samples to provide. Even if the samples were sitting outside in her car, she might decide not to bring everything in during the first meeting.
Why? Having another meeting meant having another opportunity to strengthen the relationship. It also created opportunities to meet additional decision-makers and stakeholders who may not have been present the first time around.
That’s a critical strategy many sales professionals overlook. Rarely does one person make every decision so the more opportunities you have to engage with multiple people inside an organization, the stronger your position becomes.
Every visit gives you another chance to:
- Build trust
- Learn more about their business
- Understand pain points
- Demonstrate expertise
- Deepen personal connections
- Differentiate yourself from the competition
People Buy from People They Like and Trust
One of the biggest advantages of face-to-face meetings has nothing to do with presentations, proposals or pricing. It’s rapport.
When you spend time with clients in person, they get to know you beyond the transaction. Conversations become more natural, relationships become more personal and trust – one of the most valuable assets in sales and business development – happens more organically.
People want to do business with people they like – those who show genuine interest in their success and consistently demonstrate commitment. Face-to-face interactions help accelerate that process in ways email simply cannot.
You’re not just discussing tasks or projects but also creating human connections. This often becomes the deciding factor when clients choose who they want to continue doing business with.
Make Client Visits a Regular Habit
One of the biggest mistakes sales professionals make is only visiting clients when there’s an immediate issue, proposal or sales opportunity. However, strong business development requires consistency.
Getting in front of your clients regularly helps you stay top of mind, strengthen relationships over time and identify opportunities before your competitors do. Even short visits can create tremendous value. The key is to maximize every interaction.
At BDU, we call this “squeezing the lemon” — getting the most out of every opportunity.
When you’re meeting with clients, don’t just focus on the task at hand. Use your time strategically to ask questions:
- What challenges are they facing right now?
- What goals are they working towards?
- Are there other departments or stakeholders you should meet?
- Are there additional ways you can help?
- What opportunities might exist that haven’t been discussed yet?
Sometimes the biggest opportunities come from conversations you weren’t originally planning to have.
Want more guidance on what to discuss during your next client meeting?
👉 Download our free Client Visit Checklist from the BDUtensils library now.
Expand Your Share of the Wallet
Another major benefit of in-person client meetings is uncovering ways to support your clients in addition to what you’re already providing.
Many people are only getting a small percentage of their client’s budget in a product or service category. Face-to-face conversations often reveal untapped needs, cross-selling opportunities and areas where you might be able to provide additional value.
This concept is often referred to as increasing your “share of the wallet.” The stronger your relationships become, the more likely clients are to trust you with more of the “share.”
Learn more about maximizing your share of the wallet here:
👉 The Smartest Way to Boost Revenue: Maximize Your Share of the Wallet
Use the White Space Matrix to Uncover Hidden Opportunities
Face-to-face meetings are also incredibly valuable for identifying “white space” opportunities within existing accounts.
Many companies leave revenue on the table simply because they aren’t asking enough questions or exploring the full scope of a client’s needs.
The White Space Matrix helps sales professionals identify gaps, untapped opportunities and additional ways to provide value to existing clients.
When you’re sitting in front of clients and having deeper conversations, these opportunities become much easier to spot.
Learn more about using the White Space Matrix here:
👉 The White Space Matrix: How to Unlock Untapped Client Revenue
Don’t Forget to Prepare for Every Client Visit
If you’re going to invest time meeting your clients in person, preparation matters. Go into every meeting with a plan.
Beforehand, make sure that you:
- Know your objectives
- Research the client
- Prepare thoughtful questions
- Are ready with relevant insights or ideas
- Think about additional opportunities to add value
(This is also where that Client Visit Checklist mentioned above can help!)
Final Thoughts
In a world filled with digital communication, personal connection has become a competitive advantage. While emails and virtual meetings may keep business moving, face-to-face interactions build the trust, credibility and relationships that drive long-term success.
Showing up matters. When you consistently get in front of your clients, ask thoughtful questions and invest in the relationship beyond just transactions, opportunities naturally begin to grow.
Remember: sales and business development are still about people, and those who make the effort to connect in meaningful ways are often the ones who earn the strongest relationships and the greatest results. Sometimes, one of the smartest things you can do is simply get out from behind the screen and sit down with your clients face-to-face.
Next Steps
Want to improve your client relationships and maximize every sales opportunity? At BDU, we provide practical tools, proven strategies and real-world training to help you grow your business through stronger connections. Just submit your information below to schedule a time to connect. We’ll discuss ways in which we can help your team achieve higher learning and higher earning!
