DISCLAIMER: Please follow or use these tricks on your own risk. If you become too smart by reading this and you find it hard to control your coolness, the writer shall not be blamed. You are already warned.
1. Keep multiple applications open
Especially some of them should be not related to topic at hand. The point here is to show the client that you have so much work from many areas. Having multiple unrelated windows open on the desktop tells them that you are a serious kind of guru who works on all these files together.
2. Keep multiple project folder names in browser bookmark toolbar
This will send a message that you categorize all your past and present projects in the tool bar. If the folder names of toolbar are for other clients, that will tell the client that your company has so many clients without mentioning them. The client will be impressed to see their competitor name on your toolbar
3. Show your Internal Company Mail Client window with many mails
This is important that you show your Internal Company Mail Client window with many mails in it. The subject lines and the partial messages from multiple managers and team members show how organized the team is and how you are open and honest with the team. The mails of managers saying something about the client is a plus if you can manage that.
4. Keep files from many projects on Desktop, and show desktop multiple times
Your desktop shall look full and with many project files. You can add some past projects and some of your personal files also that will give impression of the hectic life you are going through and how you can still manage to deliver.
5. Keep Internal Company Chat Window on available mode
This will allow your team members and that batch mate from other project team to ping you for some help when the meeting is going on. You can tell them in Internal Company Chat Window that you are in a meeting and you will get back to them soon. This tells client that you are a team player and you care for others.
6. Navigate from many browser tabs to locate the tab you need
The point is not to reach the intended tab easily. Keep the client guessing when you will actually reach the desired tab by the navigation. You may minimize and maximize the many browser windows in this effort to show how much data you maintain for this project.
7. Never bother about the automatic windows updates
The windows OS can try to restart the machine anytime without warning and that is not your fault. If the machine shows you a dialog box of restarting in 15 minutes it is easier to convey the message that the meeting got short by 15 minutes to the client. It also sends a message that your company keeps laptops and desktops up to date with the latest updates.
8. Do not run the demo before the actual meeting
If the demo gets stuck into some step you can take the opportunity to tell the client how complicated the integration effort is and may be get some more change requests. The demo should always get stuck in some step to insist on more time is needed for the development.
9. Mute voice for multiple large chunks of time
The client shall be kept wondering where you have gone when you keep the voice mute and discuss among your team members, this raises the client’s curiosity and they become more eager to hear from you when you speak next. Keep them guessing and take long pauses or chat keeping the voice mute in meetings which will tell the client that you are a team player and you discuss things with the whole team.
10. Say something unexpected to other team members
Keep some development or decision to yourself and only say that in the client meeting. The team members should get surprised and they shall express when was this discussed. You can tell this is something you have come up with and that tells client that you are more proactive that your team members.
Top comments (2)
I love the irony here :)
Thanks for the comment, Robin!