How to Prepare for Client Meetings: The One Question That Changes Everything

Why Most Meeting Preparation Misses the Mark

I've been working on preparation for client meetings for 30 plus years. And over the last couple of years, I've changed everything.

Here's what I've realised: most consultants, coaches, and professional service providers prepare for client meetings in entirely the wrong way.

They read their notes. They review what happened last time. They craft a careful agenda. They think about what they want to achieve.

And all of that is good. Essential, even.

But it misses something crucial.

Your client has been living their life since you last spoke. Things happen. Priorities shift. New challenges emerge. That carefully prepared agenda you created? It might be completely irrelevant to what your client actually needs today.

So what's the solution?

It's not to abandon preparation. Far from it. It's to combine thorough preparation with a single question that ensures you're always focused on what matters most to your client in that moment.

Let me show you the complete system I've developed — one that's transformed my client meetings and the results I deliver.

The 6 P's Principle: Proper Planning Prevents Particularly Poor Performance

There's an old expression that I've lived by for decades:

"Proper Planning Prevents Particularly Poor Performance."

(There's a slightly less polite version, but we'll stick with this one!)

The 6 P's remind us that preparation matters. You can't wing important client meetings and expect consistent results. But here's where most people get it wrong: they think preparation means having all the answers.

It doesn't.

Preparation means creating the conditions for a great meeting to happen — even if that meeting goes in a completely different direction than you anticipated.

Think of it this way: a pilot doesn't just plan for the expected flight path. They prepare for contingencies, weather changes, and unexpected situations. Your meeting preparation should work the same way.

The foundation of good preparation includes reviewing your client notes, understanding where they were when you last spoke, and having a clear sense of how you might help them. But the magic happens when you combine that preparation with flexibility.

And that flexibility starts with one question.

For more on building systematic approaches to your business, see my article on creating your unique value proposition.

The One Question That Transforms Every Meeting

Here it is. The question I ask at the start of every client meeting, immediately after the initial chit-chat about the weather, the journey, and whether they'd like a coffee:

"What has to happen for you to consider our meeting was a resounding success?"

Read that again. It's specific. It's outcome-focused. And it puts your client firmly in control of defining what matters.

I have this as Agenda Item #1 in every client meeting. In my notes, I simply write a question mark and an arrow pointing to this question. It's the first substantive thing we discuss.

Now, you might be thinking: "But Peter, I've already prepared. I know what we need to cover."

And that's exactly the point.

Despite all the prep you do — making sure you've read the client's notes, reviewing what happened in your previous meeting, being clear on how you're going to help them — they've been doing things since your last meeting. Things may have happened that they particularly want to talk about.

When you ask this question, sometimes your carefully prepared agenda goes out the window.

And that's a good thing.

Because now you're focused on what matters to them. Right now. Today. In this specific moment.

Why This Question Works So Well

Let me give you a real example.

I had a client I'd worked with for a long time. He knows I always ask this question, so he'd even sent me a note beforehand with some thoughts. I'd done my preparation based on that note.

But when he arrived and I asked the question, his answer surprised me: he wanted to focus on filming some videos.

That wasn't anywhere in my preparation. It wasn't what I expected to cover.

But I knew I could help him with it. So that's what we focused on that day.

The result? A meeting that delivered exactly what he needed, not what I assumed he needed.

This is what I mean when I say that selling takes place in the gathering stage. People sell themselves on your value through their answers to your well-crafted questions. When you ask about what would make the meeting a "resounding success," you're gathering information about what really matters to them.

The same principle applies to premium pricing conversations — you need to understand what your client values before you can demonstrate your worth.

Why "resounding success" specifically?

The phrase "resounding success" is deliberate. It's not asking what would make the meeting "okay" or "useful." It's asking what would make it exceptional. This encourages your client to think bigger and share what they really want, not just what they think is reasonable to ask for.

The 6 Simple Questions: Your Meeting Framework

Once you know what success looks like for your client, you need a framework for the conversation itself. I use six simple questions that guide every client meeting:

1. Where are you now?

This establishes the current state. What's happening in their business or situation right now? What's changed since you last spoke?

2. How did you get here?

Understanding the journey helps you understand the context. What decisions led to this point? What's worked and what hasn't?

3. Where do you want to go?

This is about their vision and goals. What does success look like? What are they trying to achieve?

4. Why do you want to go there?

The "why" is often more important than the "what." Understanding their motivation helps you connect your help to what truly matters to them.

5. What obstacles are in the way?

Every journey has challenges. Understanding what's blocking them helps you position your expertise as the solution.

6. What are we going to do?

This is where you move from understanding to action. What specific steps will you take together?

These six questions form the basic formula of any effective client meeting. They create a natural flow from understanding to action, and they keep the focus firmly on your client's needs.

The framework is simple. But don't mistake simple for easy. The skill is in listening to the answers and allowing them to guide where you go next.

Goal Setting: The "I Am, I Will, I Do, I Have" Method

Before every client meeting, I write my goals. But here's the crucial distinction: these goals are outward-focused, not inward-focused.

I don't write "I want to sell them my programme" or "I want to secure a follow-up meeting."

Instead, I write about what the client wants to achieve. What outcome would serve them best?

This isn't just about being altruistic (though that matters). It's practical. When you're focused outward, on serving your client, you diminish any nerves or concerns about the meeting. You're not thinking about yourself. You're thinking about them.

I heard years ago someone refer to our brains as our "neck-top computer" — and I love that expression. When I write a question mark at the end of my goals, I think of it as pressing the enter key on my neck-top computer. It prompts my mind to find answers.

The Four-Way Signature

After writing my goals, I sign them in a specific way. I write:

• I AM — This confirms I'm acting in alignment with my identity. As I often say, "People will never consistently do who they aren't." This signing ritual ensures what I'm about to do matches who I am.
• I WILL — Future tense. This is my commitment to what's going to happen.
• I DO — Present tense. This is me taking action now.
• I HAVE — Past tense. This is me programming my mind that it's already happened.

Then I sign and date it.

Why all four? Because I'm programming my mind across three time dimensions: future, present, and past. When you visualise something as already complete, you create a different mental state than when you're hoping it might happen.

This connects to what I teach about identity and business success — your results are always limited by who you believe yourself to be.

Your Morning-of-Meeting Ritual

On the morning of the actual meeting, I follow a specific ritual:

Step 1: Re-read your client notes

I keep all my client meeting notes in GoodNotes on my iPad, organised in separate folders. This makes it easy to go back and review everything before a meeting. Whatever system you use, make sure you can quickly access your history with this client.

Step 2: Sign your goals again

Yes, again. This reinforces your focus and ensures you're absolutely clear on your intentions for the meeting.

Step 3: Allow the chit-chat

When your client arrives (or you connect on Zoom), don't rush past the rapport-building. The "how are you, how was your journey, isn't the weather terrible" conversation matters. It establishes connection and puts everyone at ease.

Step 4: Launch into THE question

After the chit-chat naturally winds down, move into the agenda. And your first agenda item is:

"What has to happen for you to consider our meeting was a resounding success?"

Then listen. Really listen. Let their answer shape what happens next.

Putting It All Together: A Complete System

Let me summarise the complete meeting preparation system:

Before the Meeting (Days Ahead)

• Review your client notes and history
• Consider what's likely to be important to them
• Prepare a tentative agenda (knowing it might change)
• Write your outward-focused goals
• Sign them: I Am, I Will, I Do, I Have

Morning of the Meeting

• Re-read your client notes
• Sign your goals again
• Clear your mind of other concerns

During the Meeting

• Welcome and chit-chat (rapport matters)
• Ask: "What has to happen for you to consider this meeting a resounding success?"
• Listen and adapt based on their answer
• Use the 6 Simple Questions as your framework
• Focus on action and next steps

After the Meeting

• Update your client notes
• Follow through on any commitments
• Begin preparing for the next meeting

This system ensures you're always prepared AND always flexible. You've done the work, but you're not attached to a specific outcome. You're there to serve your client's needs as they define them.

For more on building lasting client relationships, see my thoughts on the referral process.

Take Action Today

Here's my challenge to you: try this in your very next client meeting.

Before you dive into your prepared agenda, pause and ask:

"What has to happen for you to consider our meeting was a resounding success?"

Then let their answer guide the conversation.

You might be surprised by what they say. You might end up covering something completely different from what you planned. And you'll almost certainly deliver more value than you would have otherwise.

The best client meetings aren't performances where you showcase your expertise. They're conversations where you genuinely understand and address what matters to your client.

And that starts with one question.

About Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson is the UK's Most Prolific Business Development Author. Over the last 30 plus years, he has helped coaches, consultants, speakers, trainers, and small business owners to be more successful by sharing their knowledge, experience, and expertise. He specialises in showing them how to write, create, and market information products and build businesses and lives of choice.

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