There is a time when taking a commercial flight for a business appointment just won’t do. The client wants to see you face to face as quickly as possible and that means finding a way to start the trip now instead of in a few days. Choosing to reserve a charter flight is the only approach that makes sense. While you are in the air, use the time to get ready for the meeting. Here are a few suggestions on how to make the travel time productive.
Go Over Your Presentation
You already have a presentation that includes the basics of what you will discuss with the client. What it lacks is a little customization. You want to make the information specific to your client. After you settle onto the private jet charter and the craft is in the air, start going through the presentation and tweak it a little for the meeting. You can add in data that is specifically relevant to your client, rearrange some of the data, and in general use your general presentation as the template for a customized product.
Prepare Documents to Share
Along with the formal presentation, there are some other documents you will want to prepare. Now is a great time to take one of your boilerplate contracts and adapt it for your client. You can also use the time to prepare tear sheets that can be handed out to everyone who will be attending the meeting.
In your mind, go through every step of the meeting agenda. Identify what sort of documents would be helpful to share at each stage and create something you can hand out. It will be easy enough to print everything out once you arrive at your destination.
Discuss Meeting Strategy
If you are traveling with another person from your company, the time spent on the business jet can also be used to go over the strategy for the meeting. Who will handle what part of the presentation? Would it be helpful to designate one person to hand out documents while the discussion continues? Using what you know about the client’s corporate culture, make sure the way the two of you interact during the meeting taps into that culture and presents your company in the best possible light.
Get Some Rest
When everything is prepared and you have a solid approach planned, use the rest of the flight to rest. A nap during the flight will help you feel refreshed by the time you are on the ground again. That’s especially important if the plan is to go straight from the airport to your meeting with the client.
Charter flights are a wonderful resource that can help you get to a client quickly and take care of whatever matter has arisen. Use your time en route wisely and it will be easier to walk into that meeting looking confident, prepared, and ready to meet whatever needs the client has expressed.
