For mentors, not clients. This is internal SCORE Maine training material.

Mentor Resource Hub

The first client meeting

Sixty minutes. Two jobs: build the relationship, and lay the groundwork for a second meeting.

Before you start

Send a text or an email confirming the date and time, and ask whether there is anything else they want to cover. That one message is the best defence against a no-show.

Remember what the first meeting is actually for. It is not to solve the business. It is to build the relationship and earn a second meeting.

The sixty minutes

A plan for a first meeting with a pre-start-up client, following SLATE.

1

Open — 2 minutes at most

Thank them for coming to SCORE. Then two questions:

  • How did you hear about SCORE?
  • What brings you here today — how can we help?

2

Listen and learn — 20 to 30 minutes

  • What would you like to get accomplished in the next 55 minutes?
  • Tell me about your idea or your business.
  • Why are you pursuing this?
  • What have you worked on so far?

Being clear about what they want from the hour measurably raises client satisfaction. Understanding the why matters more than it looks.

Do not rush this. If the client talks in tangents rather than sticking to the point, listen more. Redirecting is tempting and it damages their sense of being heard.

3

Assess and analyse — 10 to 20 minutes

  • What steps have you taken so far?
  • What do you think would be most helpful to accomplish next?

Raise the key topics they have not mentioned: value proposition, competitors, market size, costs.

4

Test ideas and teach with tools — 10 minutes

Point them at something concrete: a webinar worth their time, or a worksheet from the library.

One or two things. Not ten. Find something in the library

5

Expectations and encouragement — 5 to 10 minutes

Where you can, compliment them on a decision they have already made. Then close properly:

  • Did we meet your expectations for this meeting?
  • The three things you have agreed to work on are…

Agree one to three near-term actions. Do not load them with homework.

Set the next meeting now, for a date that gives them time to do those actions. This is what reduces the one-and-done rate. Tell them a feedback survey will arrive from SCORE in a day or two, and ask them to answer it.

The questions you are worried about

“Do you think this is a good idea?”

Say so honestly: I have no idea. The only people who can judge are the customers who would pay for it. That answer is not a dodge — it is the whole method.

“Do you know anything about yoga? Auto repair? Bakeries?”

No, and you do not need to. I do know what it takes to run a small business. You are the technician; I am the thinking partner who helps with focus and priorities. If they need specific expertise, say you will connect them with someone — then bring in a co-mentor.

Should I talk about my background?

It is not about you. Only if asked, and then a fifteen-second version. Point them at your LinkedIn and move on. There is a presumptive authority in simply being the person sitting there.

What if I overwhelm them?

You will, if you offer too many suggestions or questions. New information is hard to absorb quickly and too much of it comes across as threatening. Fewer, better things.

What clients say they want

From SCORE client survey responses. The left column is what clients ask for more of; the right is what they ask for less of.

More of this

  • Empathetic, compassionate, warm — being there for someone
  • Patient
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty
  • Curious and inquisitive
  • Open minded, approachable, observant
  • A connector with a rich network
  • Generalist, big picture
  • Adaptable and flexible
  • Willing to experiment and take prudent risk

Less of this

  • Prescriptive — identify the problem and fix it
  • Goal directed, “let’s move on”
  • Structured, make a plan
  • Process oriented
  • Seeking normality
  • A clearly established world view
  • One stop shop
  • Narrow but deep knowledge
  • Task oriented, detail oriented, “git er done”
  • Risk averse, reluctant to change

Most of the right-hand column describes competent, well-organised professionals. That is the point: the instincts that made you good at running something are not automatically the instincts that make you good at this.

Describing SCORE, in your own words

A version to make your own:

“Let me share a little about SCORE. SCORE started over 60 years ago. It’s a national non-profit focused on helping small businesses through mentoring and education. The organisation is made up of volunteers like me who enjoy helping others reach their goals.

We’re excited that you’ve reached out for mentoring. My role as a mentor is not to run your business or make decisions for you, but to give you the resources that help you make those decisions.

SCORE is here as long as you need us. And everything in our discussions is confidential between you and SCORE.”

Then: How did you hear about us? How can I help you today?