How to set expectations and boundaries in the initial sales meeting (and why that’s critical to the progression of your project).

Why the client isn’t always right or always wrong—and how to adopt a mindset that allows you to keep the outcomes front and center.

Finding socially acceptable ways to push back when the client(s) starts leading down a path that doesn’t serve the outcome.

Getting to the point where you believe you don’t need this client, this project—and why having a safety net is crucial.

Why sales interviews are auditions for the client where you get to be the casting director.

Quotables

“You've got two different kinds of expertise that are coming together in this sales interview to see if there's a good fit between where you want to go.”—JS

“You're teaching them (in the sales meeting) how to think strategically about your area of expertise and how it applies to their business.”—RM

“You want to open their eyes to the fact that there's a reason they're calling an expert and it could be that they made a fundamentally bad decision way up front.”—JS

“Our job is to hold the vision for the project…When you do that, it gets a lot easier to deal with things that are really more of a personality conflict, or a power play.”—RM

“It's about finding socially acceptable ways to say no—to push back. And it's all in their best interest…it's all about the success of the project.”—JS

“You have to get to that point where you say okay, if this is not the right fit client, I'm not going to do this.”—RM

“These sales interviews—you could think of them as an audition for the client. That's how I look at them, like an audition for the client, which frames it with me in the judge seat.”—JS

“Everybody needs a safety net. I promise you the second you truly get to that headspace, your meetings start to change and you get better.”—RM