You will be able to propose a meeting at the right moment with a reason that is about the buyer.
Siew Mei replied to Wei Ling's message. Her clinic still handles rescheduling by phone, she wrote, and on Monday mornings the front desk does little else. Two nurses have complained about covering the phones. She ended with: "Not sure what the answer is honestly."
This is the moment Wei Ling has been working towards since her first comment. Siew Mei has described a problem that Wei Ling helps with, in her own words, without being asked to. Now Wei Ling has to suggest a meeting, and how she does it decides whether Siew Mei says yes or quietly stops replying.
The right time to suggest a meeting is when the other person describes a problem you help with. Not before. If you suggest a call when they've only been chatting, it tells them the friendly messages were a sales approach all along, and it asks for their time before they've seen any reason to give it.
Once they describe the problem, the situation is different. They've told you something is hard for them. A meeting is now a sensible next step, and it can be offered as help rather than a sales pitch.
Sometimes the problem comes out in the first reply, as it did for Wei Ling. Sometimes it takes several exchanges. Arjun messaged back and forth with Marcus for a week, about leave and childcare costs, before Marcus wrote: "We haven't really sat down and worked out what happens if one of us can't work." That was the opening.
If the conversation never reaches a problem you help with, don't force one. Keep the connection warm and move on.
A vague meeting request is easy to refuse. "Would you like to hop on a call sometime?" leaves the other person wondering what the call is about, how long it will take and whether they'll be pitched for an hour. Most people decline, or say "maybe later" and never come back.
A good suggestion gives a specific reason that is about them, and a short length. Wei Ling wrote: "That Monday rescheduling rush sounds familiar from other clinics I've worked with. Would a 20-minute call help, to look at how a few other clinics handle no-shows and rescheduling? If it doesn't fit your clinic, I'll say so."
Notice what's in that message. The reason connects to the problem Siew Mei described. The length is short and stated. The focus is on how other clinics handle it, which is useful to her whether or not she buys anything. And the last line tells her she won't be pushed.
Arjun's version to Marcus: "That question about what happens if one of you can't work is one I help couples think through. Would a 30-minute call be useful to go through it for your family? It's just a conversation, no paperwork." Again, the reason comes from Marcus's own words.
Once someone agrees in principle, the back-and-forth over times can kill the momentum. "When are you free?" "Next week maybe?" "Which day?" Each message is another chance for the conversation to stall.
Cut that out by offering two specific time options, or a booking link. "Would Tuesday at 3pm or Thursday at 10am work?" gives them a simple choice. A booking link, from a calendar tool your company already uses, lets them pick a slot without any more messages. Some buyers prefer one, some the other; offering two times first and a link as a backup covers both.
Say where the call will happen, too: phone, video, or a short visit if you're nearby. Wei Ling offers clinic managers a 20-minute visit on the way to her other clients, because many of them find it easier than a video call between patients.
Sometimes the answer is "not now". The clinic is about to renovate, the baby is due next month, the budget is frozen until next year. This isn't a rejection. It's information about timing.
Respond by asking if you can check in at a specific time. "Understood. Would it be all right if I checked in after the renovation, say in early March?" If they agree, note it in your CRM straight away, with the date and the reason, so you don't rely on memory. Then actually check in on that date, with a message that refers back to what they told you.
If they say no to checking in as well, thank them and leave it. Keep engaging with their posts in public. People's situations change, and a pleasant exchange now makes a later conversation easier.
Think of a buyer you've been talking to, or one you expect to talk to soon, who has described a problem you help with or is close to it. Note the exact words they used for the problem. Your meeting suggestion should echo them.
In the activity below, you'll write the meeting suggestion message you would send to a buyer who has just described a problem you solve, with a specific reason, a stated length and two time options.
Write the meeting suggestion message you would send to a buyer who has just described a problem you solve.
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