Technology has changed the way that we live our lives. We are now ‘connected’ 24-7 which means that we are easily distracted around the clock- even when we are with a client.
It is extremely frustrating when you have set aside time to focus on a client and you can hear their phone buzzing every few minutes. You know that they are wondering who else is asking for something from them. It is equally frustrating and distracting for a client to hear your phone going off.
A simple and straight forward way to avoid this distraction is to make a production of turning your cell phone off. Pull it out and say ‘I am just going to shut this thing off so that it cannot interrupt us’. Follow this up by asking the client ‘How are you for time- are we okay for a bit?’ This will encourage the client to follow suit and you will have their full attention for the entire meeting.