You are meeting with a new prospect at the C-Level. You said enough in the cold-call to get the meeting or were fortunate enough to get a referral that got you in the door. Congratulations! You now have 5 minutes to convey the value you bring to the table. If you have not differentiated yourself in the first 5 minutes, you are done. The C-Level will start to (knowingly or unknowingly) find reasons to dislike, distrust and dismiss you. So what do you do with that first 5 minutes that will convey the value that you can bring to that C's company?

Before the Meeting:

• Do your research in advance! Know as much as possible about the company and the person you are meeting with as possible.
• Read the annual report if the company is public. The company mission statement and initiatives will all be in the introduction.
• Google the person you are meeting with. Where did they work before this? Where did they go do school? What interests of theirs can you learn in advance? Is there anything that you (or one of your company executives) have in common with them?
• Find out who the company's competitors are. Have you helped any of them?
• Find out who the company's customers are. Have you helped any of them?
• Create 2-3 insightful questions to ask the executive that highlight your understanding of their business, challenges and needs. Make them think about something that they may not have considered before. If you make them think about something that they haven't considered before and it applies to a corporate initiative or a business challenge, you will no longer be salesperson in their eyes. You will be on your way to becoming a valued resource.
• Summarize your research and your questions and place it in a folder with the company name on it. Bring the folder to the meeting.

The Actual Meeting:

• Skip the "rapport building" that you have been taught that you have to do unless you have found a genuine commonality between you and the executive. Exchange the usual pleasantries, but you are going to build rapport by showing you can bring value to them. If you want to be their friend, help them solve their business problems. Skip any "about us" information and your elevator pitch as well. Smart, prepared questions and enlightened conversation will tell them what they need to know about you. Offer up front to send them the traditional marketing material prior to your next meeting (be presumptuous!).
• At the beginning of the meeting, pull out the folder with their name on it. Show them that you have done all of your research in advance. Tell them that "based on your research, you have prepared a few questions for them". You will likely be the only person they have met with who will take the time to do this.
• Time is short. Don't discuss any of your products or services until they have expressed a need for it. If possible, simply close the meeting with "After our brief conversation, I am excited about some of the ways we may be able to help you. I look forward to exploring those ideas with you. How is next Tuesday at 9?" If you do mention your products or services, you risk opening the sales info flood gate and that's not the purpose of this meeting. The purpose meeting is to convey credibility and the value you will bring to help the executive. That is what you want them to remember, not the widget or service that might solve a problem. You have two objectives in the initial meeting: Build credibility in the value you will bring (through preparation and your insightful questions) and agree on a follow-up meeting.