Meetings are vital tools to move a business forward, but all too often they can prove a frustrating waste of time. With simple preparation, you can get through a meeting quickly and efficiently. And with a few negotiating tips, you can make sure you get what you want too.

Internal and external business meetings have many purposes, but they are all exercises in persuasion. The different parties will all have vested interests and varying objectives, whether that involves one person selling to another, or a group of colleagues dividing up responsibilities.

When you go into any meeting, you must have a clear objective. The clearer that objective is, the more chance you have of attaining it.

Some of the following tips are very simple, but they are all vital for ensuring your meeting is a success.

1. Know what you want. Other people will have their own aims, but maintain focus on your objective.
2. Make sure you’re meeting the right people. Always talk to key decision-makers.
3. Bring the right people with you. If you're attending with a colleague, agree in advance how each of you will contribute to the meeting.
4. Sort out the logistics. While you are agreeing time, location and date, also agree the duration of the meeting.
5. Draw up an agenda. Keep your objectives in mind when writing it, but ensure that it covers items from other people’s perspective, too. Distribute the agenda and any extra information beforehand.
6. Have a logical argument – not just an argument. Be prepared for likely questions and objections, and have evidence or statistics to hand. If possible, have one key conclusion that everything else supports.
7. Be prepared. Take plenty of business cards and extra copies of additional information you might need. Arrive ten minutes early and remember to switch off your mobile phone.
8. Take control, if required. Someone needs to direct the meeting. If in doubt, politely assume this responsibility yourself. Ensure that all items on the agenda are discussed adequately, but keep things focused so that you don’t run out of time.
9. Agree a course of action for each point discussed. When you are unable to reach a resolution, it might be necessary to agree that you move on to the next point.
10. Follow up after the meeting. Write up action points and confirm them with all the attendees, even if it's just a quick email or telephone call.

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You might also like to read these related articles:

• Preparing your sales pitch
• Negotiating a sale
• Effective meetings checklist
• Effective selling