Customers and sales
Template: minutes from a client meeting
A minute template for client meetings, with what the client actually said, agreements, caveats, and a field of its own for what was promised verbally and must be checked against the contract.
MINUTES: MEETING WITH [client]
[date], [__.__]–[__.__] | [place or meeting format]
PRESENT
From [client]: [Name], [role]
From us: [Name], [role]
PURPOSE OF THE MEETING
[One sentence.]
WHAT THE CLIENT SAID
[The client's situation, needs and priorities, in the client's own words
where the phrasing matters. This is the part worth most when the
matter is picked up again in three months.]
AGREED
1. [What was agreed, phrased so both parties recognise it]
2. [...]
CAVEATS
- [What was said with a caveat, and what the caveat covers]
MENTIONED VERBALLY, MUST BE CHECKED
- [What was promised or hinted at in the meeting, and which must be
checked against the contract before it is confirmed. Checked by
[name] by [date].]
TASKS
| # | Task | With whom | Due |
|---|------|-----------|-----|
| 1 | | | |
NEXT STEP
[What happens now, who takes the initiative, and when.]
Minutes taken by: [name]
Say if anything has been misunderstood, and we will correct it.How to use it
- Write “mentioned verbally, must be checked” every time. What gets promised in passing in a client meeting is the most common source of deliverables nobody budgeted for. Five minutes of checking against the contract saves months.
- Render the client in the client’s own words where the phrasing matters. A rewritten version loses the nuance that was the point.
- Send it to the client, with an invitation to correct it. Internal minutes catch no misunderstandings.
- Put a name on the next step. “We will be in touch” is not a next step.
Record the meeting instead of taking notes
Whoever takes notes in a client meeting takes part in it worse, and it shows. Sayable records the meeting, writes it out and pulls agreements and tasks into their own lists, so you can watch the client instead of the keyboard. Announce the recording openly at the start.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the same day. The minutes are both a service and a protection: they catch misunderstandings while they are cheap to correct, and they document what was actually agreed.
Write them under an item of their own and check them against the contract before the minutes go out. Verbal promises in client meetings are the most common source of deliverables nobody budgeted for.
Yes, with a line asking them to say if anything has been misunderstood. Internal minutes the client never sees catch no misunderstandings.