It is working. The weeks of calls, outreach, and relationship building are paying off. A potential client wants to meet.
What do you do?
Who attends
The ideal situation is for the agency principal and the new business developer to attend the first meeting together. That said, this is a judgment call made on a case-by-case basis depending on the size and nature of the opportunity.
One thing is not a judgment call: move the new business developer out of the picture as soon as possible after the first meeting. The longer they remain involved, the greater the risk that the prospect will want to deal with them on an ongoing basis. That turns a dedicated new business developer into an account service person, which defeats the purpose of having one. The agency principal is the right transition point between the solicitation phase and the daily account service relationship.
Prepare before you walk in
In 2026, there is no excuse for showing up to a first meeting without deep knowledge of the prospect's business. Before the meeting, research the company thoroughly. Review their website, recent press coverage, LinkedIn presence, social channels, and any public financial or market information available. Know their competitive landscape. Understand the industry pressures they are navigating. Come with a point of view on their business before they say a word.
One more thing: assume the prospect has already looked at your agency's work online before agreeing to the meeting. They have. The first meeting is not about introducing the agency. It is about demonstrating that you understand their business well enough to be useful to it.
What to bring
- Your preliminary research and initial thinking on what the agency might do for them. Specific, informed ideas signal genuine interest more effectively than any credentials presentation ever could.
- Your portfolio. Bring it but do not lead with it. The first meeting is a business conversation. If the prospect asks to see the work, be ready. Otherwise keep the focus on their challenges and objectives.
- A clean leave-behind. A curated PDF, a short capabilities document, or a link to a password-protected credentials page is enough. Do not bring elaborate presentation decks or agency showcase reels to a first meeting unless the specific purpose of the meeting calls for it. The goal is to present as a marketing partner, not a vendor auditioning for a project.
After the visit
Follow up the same day. A brief, direct message thanking the prospect for the meeting reinforces the key points from the conversation, references anything specific that came up, and confirms what the next step is. Email works for most relationships. For prospects who communicated informally during the meeting, a LinkedIn message or a text may be more appropriate. Match the channel to the relationship that actually formed in the room.
If a project proposal request comes out of the meeting, bring it back to the agency or schedule a separate meeting for the relevant team members to gather the details needed. Do not improvise a proposal in the room.
Remember: the only substantial purpose of the first meeting is to get a SECOND MEETING.
Everything else, the research, the ideas, the leave-behind, the follow-up, is in service of that single goal. Keep it in mind from the moment you walk in the door.
