Congratulations! You've finally landed a one-on-one meeting with a top exec, a powerful player inside your customer's firm. It's a great opportunity, but you've got to be certain to take advantage of it.
恭喜你！你终于有机会和一位高管来一次面对面交谈了。他可能是公司里的顶梁柱，所以这次交谈的机会太难得了，你要确保自己能抓住这次机会。
Make sure you follow these simple steps.
下面这些简单的事情可以帮到你：
1. Do your research.
1. 研究这个人
Before the meeting, research and review the exec's "business agenda"--what he or she needs to accomplish organizationally. Then use your contacts in the firm and your own business acumen to understand the exec's "personal agenda"--likely career goals, the job that he or she is angling for, and so forth.
见面前，你先要研究这位高管的工作规划——他打算在公司里实现什么目标。之后，可以用你在公司里的人脉和自己的商业头脑，了解一下他的个人规划，比如他的职业目标是什么，他在期待着什么工作机遇等等。
2. Don't assume the exec knows who you are.
2. 别假设他知道你是谁
Busy execs are often unaware (or can't remember) why a particular meeting is on their agenda. Introduce yourself and explain why you're there, tying the subject matter to both the business agenda and, more subtly, the personal agenda of the executive in question. For example: "I'm John Doe from Acme and I'm here to discuss how to increase profitability through improvements in quality control."
高管们太繁忙了，他们常常不知道（也不记得）为什么自己的日程里有某个会议。见面时，你要先介绍自己，说明自己来的目的是什么——尽量把会议主题和他的公司业务联系起来，或者有可能的话，跟他的个人规划也沾点儿边。比如，你可以说：“我是Acme公司来的张三，我今天来的目的是为了和你讨论一下如何通过改进产品的质量控制，来提高公司的盈利能力。”
3. Establish credibility immediately.
3. 迅速建立信任感
Within the first few minutes, demonstrate that you've done your homework and understand the company, its challenges and its place in its industry. Focus on business issues that the executive faces--never the specific bells and whistles on your product. Execs don't care about features and functions; they want to know how you're going to change the bottom line.
会面开始了，最开始的几分钟是你证明自己在见面前认真做了功课的好机会。你要表现出来的是，你已经了解了这个公司，比如它这个行业里的地位是什么，面临的挑战又是什么。你们交谈的时候，把重点放在这位高管面对的业务问题上——别滔滔不绝地说些你产品的那些花里胡哨的功能。公司高层们不会关心产品具体的特性和功能，他们更关心你做产品的底线是什么和你会怎样改变这种底线。
4. Ask intelligent questions.
4. 问些聪明的问题
Frame everything according to the drivers that affect the business and the metrics that this exec uses to evaluate activities. For example, if you're talking to a CFO, you might ask questions about the ROI expectations that the firm uses to make purchasing decisions. If you're talking to a chief technology officer, you might ask questions about the how the rest of the company measures IT performance.
为你们的对话设计一些条条框框，只谈些跟公司业务相关的问题，或者聊聊这位高管使用的一些业务评估计策方面的事情。例如，如果你和一位首席财政管交谈的话，你可能想问一些关于公司对购买决策的投资回报率期望值方面的问题；如果你和一位首席技术官会面，你可能想问一些有关公司对技术部绩效评估方面的问题。
5. Listen more than you talk.
5. 多倾听少说话
Once you've asked a question, hear what the exec has to say. A productive conversation with a customer is one in which the customer does most of the talking. Your job is to guide the conversation so that you discover what you need to know in order to be of service to that customer. You need to fully understand a company's problem before proposing a solution.
如果你问了一个问题，那么就好好听听这位高管怎么回应你。当你在和一位客户对话的时候，只有当 客户 不断说话的时候，你们的对话才是最富有成效的。你的任务对谈话的内容进行引导，以便你可以了解自己应该为客户提供什么样的服务。同理，在和高管说话的时候，如果你想提出一个解决方案，你需要先充分了解公司现有的问题。
6. Add value to the conversation.
6. 让你们的谈话有价值
Resist the temptation to present your solution right then and there. Anything resembling a sales pitch will make it seem as if your haven't been listening or (worse) don't care about what the exec just told you. Instead, bring additional value to the conversation by introducing a different business perspective and your experience dealing with similar problems.
控制住自己，别急着一下子就把自己的解决方案说出来。如果你说出的话像是推销，那么这位高管就会觉得你并没有认真听他说的话，或者更糟糕的是，他会觉得你一点儿也不在乎他刚告诉你的那些话。所以，千万不要这样做。你可以做的是，跟他聊聊你在解决一个类似问题时的经验，或者说说从另一个角度怎么看待这个问题。总之，你要为你们的谈话带来更多的价值。
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